Sophie Kurkdjian

Assistant Professor

  • Department: Communication, Media and Culture
  • Global Communications

Professor Kurkdjian has been teaching cultural and social history of clothing and fashion at the American University of Paris since September 2020. As a Research Fellow at the Institut d'histoire du temps (CNRS) since 2012, she organizes a research seminar on the cultural history of fashion. In 2018, she created the research network Culture(s) de Mode in collaboration with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of France. This network of more than 350 members brings together the various fashion players (researchers, designers, museum curators, archivists, journalists, students, etc.) and aims to develop research around fashion in France. As an exhibition curator, in 2017 she organized the exhibition "Mode & Femmes, 14-18" at the Forney Library in Paris. In 2019, this exhibition traveled to New York to the Bard Graduate Center Gallery under the title "French Fashion, Women and the First War".

Following her studies in cultural history, Kurkdjian completed in 2013 her PhD on the history of fashion press and publishers in the early 20th century. After a research project on the historical construction of the status of "fashion capital" of Paris, between 1858 and 1947, she is currently working on the history of work and female workers in the clothing and fashion industry between 1880 and 1940. 


Research Areas and Areas of Expertise:
鈥 Cultural history of fashion
鈥 Sociology of fashion
鈥 Fashion media
鈥 Fashion and Images
鈥 Fashion and technologies
鈥 Fashion and politics



Education/Degrees

  • 2013: PhD in History, University Paris I. Dissertation: 芦 Lucien Vogel et Michel de Brunhoff, parcours crois茅s de deux 茅diteurs de presse illustr茅e au XXe si猫cle 禄.
  • 2009 : Professional Master鈥檚 degree (MA), History and Cultural Heritage, University Paris I.
  • 2008:Research Master鈥檚 degree (MA) in Contemporary History, University Paris I
  • 2006:Three-year degree (BA) in History, University Paris I.
  • 2004: Two-year preparatory course (Hypokh芒gne 鈥 Kh芒gne (History)), Lyc茅e Chaptal, Paris.

News

G茅opolitique de la mode, Paris, Edition du Cavalier Bleu, 7 January 2021.

Publications

Monographs
  • Lucien Vogel et Michel de Brunhoff, parcours crois茅s de deux 茅diteurs de presse illustr茅e au XXe si猫cle, Paris, Fondation Varenne, 2014.

 

Books
  • Kitmir. Les broderies russes de Mlle Chanel, Paris, Ed. Gourcuff-Gradenigo, with Nadia Albertini, 2023.
  • Fashion, Women and Societies in Europe, 1914-1918, London: Bloomsbury, co-edited with Hayley Dujardin, Amy de la Haye and Maude Bass-Krueger, January 2020.
  • French Fashion, Women and the First World War, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019, co-edited with Maude Bass-Krueger.
  • G茅opolitique de la mode, Paris, Edition du Cavalier Bleu, 7 January 2021.
  • Lucien Vogel et Michel de Brunhoff, parcours crois茅s de deux 茅diteurs de presse illustr茅e au XXe si猫cle, Paris, Fondation Varenne, 2014. 
Peer-reviewed journals
  • 鈥Fashion and International relationships鈥, Special issue of Bulletin de l鈥橧nstitut Pierre Renouvin (forthcoming Fall 2021), co-edited with V茅ronique Hebrard.
  • 鈥淔ashion in French History鈥, special issue of French Historical Studies, co-茅dit茅 avec Steven Zdatny et Maude Bass-Krueger, Vol. 43, Issue 2, 1st April 2020.
  •  芦&苍产蝉辫;Femmes, mode et industrie de la mode dans l鈥檈ntre-deux-guerres (France, Grande-Bretage, Belgique 禄, Apparence(s), July 2017.

 

Peer-reviewed conference proceedings
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Une vision de l鈥檋itl茅risme 禄, Vu, 1928-1936 禄, in Michel Grunewald, Olivier Dard and Uwe
  • Puschner, Confrontations au national-socialisme dans l鈥橢urope francophone et germanophone (1919-1949), vol 3 : les gauches face au national-socialisme, Bruxelles, Peter Lang, 2019.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;De la haute couture au pr锚t-脿-porter. Reconfiguration de la mode dans la presse f茅minine de l鈥檃pr猫s-guerre 禄, in Thomas Kirchner, Laurence Bertrand Dorl茅ac, D茅borah Laks, Nele Putz (ed.), Les Arts 脿 Paris apr猫s la Lib茅ration. Temps et Temporalit茅s, 2018. 
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;L鈥檈ngagement de l鈥櫭ヾiteur de presse Lucien Vogel, de Vu 脿 Messidor,&苍产蝉辫;禄&苍产蝉辫;in Anne Mathieu, Fran莽ois Ouellet (ed.), Journalisme et litt茅rature dans la gauche des ann茅es 1930, Rennes, PUR, 2014.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Le tournant des ann茅es soixante dans la presse f茅minine,&苍产蝉辫;禄&苍产蝉辫;in H茅l猫ne Eck, Claire Blandin, La 芦 vie des femmes 禄 : singularit茅s et r么les de la presse f茅minine (XIXe - XXe si猫cle), 2008, IFP, 茅dition Panth茅on-Assas, 2010.

 

Book chapters
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Parisian Department Stores and Fashion Tourism 禄, in Gravari-Barbas, M., & Sabatini, N. (Eds.), Fashion and Tourism: Parallel Stories, Emerald Publishing Limited. Leeds, 2023.
  • "Du v锚tement de travail aux pi猫ces de couture. Entre madeleines de Proust et r茅appropriations culturelles", in Coline Zellal et Isabelle Crampes, V锚tements mod猫les, 2020, Marseille, MuCEM p.27.
  • "Struggles to maintain French domination of fashion in World War II on both sides of the Atlantic through women鈥檚 magazines鈥 in Marie Mcloughlin and Lou Taylor (ed.), Fashion in Paris and World War 2: Global Diffusion and Nazi control, London: Bloomsburry, 9th January 2020
  • "The cultural value of Parisian Haute Couture," in Valerie Steele (ed.), Paris, Capital of Fashion, London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, New York, 2019.
  • 鈥淧hotographing the Working Woman: The Excelsior Archives at Roger-Viollet鈥, in Maude Bass-Krueger and Sophie Kurkdjian (eds.), French Fashion, Women and the First World War, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019.
  • 鈥淛eanne Paquin, Jeanne Lanvin, Jenny and Gabrielle Chanel, 1914-18 禄, in Maude Bass-Krueger and Sophie Kurkdjian (eds.), French Fashion, Women and the First World War, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019.
  • 鈥淩estructuring French Couture, 1914-18鈥, in Maude Bass-Krueger and Sophie Kurkdjian (eds.), French Fashion, Women and the First World War, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019.
  • 鈥淐opying is stealing鈥: The Fashion Press and Counterfeiting鈥, in Maude Bass-Krueger and Sophie Kurkdjian (eds.), French Fashion, Women and the First World War, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019.
  • "Codes et pratiques du deuil," in Jean-Yves Le Nahour, Familles 脿 l鈥櫭﹑reuve de la Guerre, Ed Somogy, 2018.  
  • "Vogue fran莽ais et Jardin des modes 脿 la conqu锚te de leur lectorat, (1920-1940)," in Sylvain Besson (dir), Le Chic fran莽ais. Images de femmes, 1900-1950, Editions , 2017.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Karine Arabian (Paris, 1967). Styliste de mode fran莽aise 禄 芦&苍产蝉辫;Couture. France, 1918-1939. Direction des maisons parisiennes dans l鈥檈ntre-deux-guerres ;禄 芦&苍产蝉辫;Instituts de beaut茅 et cosm茅tiques; 禄 芦&苍产蝉辫;Mode. 脡tats-Unis. Ann茅es 1930; 禄 芦&苍产蝉辫;Mode. Italie. Apr猫s 1945, 禄 in: B茅atrice Didier, Antoinette Fouque et Mireille Calle-Gruber (ed.): Dictionnaire universel des cr茅atrices, 茅ditions des Femmes, 2013.

 

Publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals
  • 鈥淚ntroduction鈥 of the special issue 鈥淔ashion in French History鈥, French Historical Studies, co-written with Steven Zdatny and Maude Bass-Krueger, Vol. 43, Issue 2, 1st April 2020.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Paris, Capital of Fashion. An Inquiry 禄, Fashion Theory, March 2020, Vol 24, Issue 3.
  • "The emergence of French Vogue: French identity and visual culture in the fashion press, 1920-1940," in International Journal of fashion Studies, January 2019.
  • "The State of fashion studies in France: past, present, future," co-written with Maude Bass Krueger, in: International Journal of Fashion Studies, April 2018, pp. 227-244.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Le triste hiver a fait place au printemps. L鈥檈xpression des saisons dans La Gazette du bon ton,&苍产蝉辫;禄&苍产蝉辫;in Modes pratiques, n掳3, December 2018.
  •     芦&苍产蝉辫;脢tre moderne, c鈥檈st 锚tre belle, jeune et mince. La nouvelle f茅minit茅 des ann茅es 1920 脿 travers la rh茅torique publicitaire de Vogue fran莽ais,&苍产蝉辫;禄&苍产蝉辫;in Apparence(s), July 2017.
  •     芦&苍产蝉辫;Les 茅ditions Lucien Vogel : l鈥檌nventivit茅 dans la diversit茅,&苍产蝉辫;禄&苍产蝉辫;in Revue de la BNF, n掳49, March 2015, p.60-71.
  •    芦&苍产蝉辫;Enqu锚ter pour mieux condamner : le magazine Vu face aux fascismes allemand et italien (1930-1935)," in Aden, Paul Nizan et les ann茅es 1930, n掳12, October 2013, p.41-61
  • 芦 Repr茅senter et penser l鈥檃ffrontement : le magazine Vu face 脿 la menace d鈥檜ne deuxi猫me guerre mondiale et 脿 la Guerre d鈥橢spagne 禄 Amnis, revue de civilisation contemporaine, Europe/Am茅-riques, n掳10, May 2011.

 

Selected journal articles
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;1914-1918, les nouvelles fran莽aises,&苍产蝉辫;禄&苍产蝉辫;in La Revue des Deux Mondes, February 2018, p. 80.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;La mode en temps de p茅nurie (1944-1951) : Les journaux intimes d鈥檜ne adolescente, Jane Aubaile,&苍产蝉辫;禄&苍产蝉辫;in Modes Pratiques, n掳2 (2017).
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Copies et contrefa莽ons dans l鈥檌ndustrie de la mode entre 1914 et 1918 禄, Mission du Centenaire de la Premi猫re Guerre mondiale, June 2017.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Lucien Vogel, 茅diteur patriotique de journaux de mode, 禄 Mission du Centenaire de la Premi猫re Guerre mondiale, May 2017. 
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Gabrielle Chanel et Jeanne Lanvin, deux couturi猫res r茅v茅l茅es par la Grande Guerre, 禄 Mission du Centenaire de la Premi猫re Guerre mondiale, May 2017.

Conferences & Lectures

Conference papers
  • 鈥淔ashion before, during and after World War One鈥, Internationale Conference at the Fashion Institute of Technology, 18 October 2019
  • 鈥淧aris apr猫s 1945. Une capitale de mode concurrenc茅e par Milan, Londres, et New York 禄, International conference 芦 Transferts, espaces et rayonnement culturels dans les capitales europ茅ennes depuis 1945 : Berlin, Londres, Madrid, Paris 禄, Sciences Po Bordeaux/ CHS, 6-7th June 2019.
  • 芦 Fashion and Women during World War One: a fashion exhibition鈥, Rio de Janeiro, Colloquia 芦 Moda uma abordagem museologica 禄, Fondation Casa Rui Barbosa, 23 May 2019.
  • "Paris, capital of fashion, 1858-1940," Fashion International Symposium, Curitiba, Brazil, 2-6th September 2018.
  • "Fashion and French Nationalistic Rhetoric," Colloquium of the International Society for French Historical Studies, Washington, April 2017.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;La Gazette du bon ton de Lucien Vogel (1912); une rupture dans la presse f茅minine, et un r么le important dans l鈥櫭﹎ergence de l鈥橝rts d茅co, 禄 International conference "Les  ann茅es 1910. Arts d茅coratifs, mode, design," Universit茅 Paris IV, May 2016.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;De la gazette au magazine : petite histoire de la presse f茅minine du d茅but si猫cle 脿 travers les exemples de La Gazette du bon ton, Vogue fran莽ais du XXe etJardin des modes," Conference "Les Arts du superflu," Archives de Paris, April 2016.
  • "Protecting French Fashion in the Fight against the Copying of Fashion and fashion magazines, 1914-1918," Conference 芦 Spectacle & Society," Society for French Historical Studies, Nashville Vanderbilt University, March 2016.
  • "The contrasted recovery of French fashion in the post war years, as seen through women鈥檚 magazines, 1945-1951," international symposium, "The Look of Austerity," Museum of London, September 2015.
  • "French fashion journalists and the representation of ready-to-wear in the magazines Elle and Marie-Claire, 1945-1965," international symposium "Textual Fashion: representing fashion and clothing in word and image," University of Brighton, July 2015.
  • "De la haute couture 脿 la r茅volution du pr锚t-脿-porter : reconfiguration de la mode et de la f茅minit茅 dans la presse f茅minine de l鈥檃pr猫s-guerre," international symposium "Les arts 脿 Paris apr猫s 1945," Centre allemand d鈥檋istoire de l鈥檃rt, June 2015.
  • "A Transatlantic Collaboration: Exploring Editorial Exchanges between Fashion Magazines in the Interwar Period," French and American international symposium"Consuming/Culture: Women & girls in print and pixels," 6-7 June 2015, Oxford Brookes University (UK).
  • "La presse de mode au secours de la haute couture et soutien 脿 l鈥檈ffort de guerre : les publications de Lucien Vogel (Gazette du bon ton, Style Parisien, 脡l茅gances parisiennes)", international symposium, "Mode, v锚tement et soci茅t茅 en Europe durant la Premi猫re Guerre mondiale", IFM, 12-13 December 2014.
  •  芦 Le cas g茅n茅ral de la presse illustr茅e, et l鈥檈xemple particulier de la presse f茅minine 脿 l鈥檋eure de la num茅risation 禄, international symposium, 芦 Europeana Newspapers : La presse historique et notre m茅moire collective 禄, BNF, 27 November 2014.
  • 鈥French Vogue and the development of cosmetics, 1920-1940鈥, 18th Annual Congress of the EBHA "Comparative Business History Contrasting Regions, Sectors, and Centuries" Utrecht, 21-23 August 2014.
  • 鈥淗ow the Syndicat de D茅fense de la Grande Couture fran莽aise saved French Haute Couture during the First World War鈥, Colloque international, 鈥淭he legality of dress: Historical and modern approaches to the control of clothing and textile production鈥, The Association of Dress Historians, 12 July 2014.
  • 芦 Le magazine Vu et la Premi猫re Guerre mondiale : un h茅ritage th茅matique et 茅ditorial 禄, Colloque international, 芦 La Grande guerre des magazines illustr茅s 禄, Paris XIII-MSH Paris Nord, 5-6 June 2013.
  • 芦 L鈥檈ngagement de l鈥櫭ヾiteur de presse Lucien Vogel, de Vu 脿 Messidor 禄, Colloque international 芦 La gauche des ann茅es trente 禄, Groupe interdisciplinaire d鈥櫭﹖udes nizaniennes, Paris, 2 December 2012.
  • 2012       芦 De la gazette au magazine de mode : approche de la nouvelle f茅minit茅 dite 芦 moderne 禄 de l鈥檈ntre-deux guerres 脿 travers le prisme de l鈥櫭﹙olution des journaux de mode de luxe 禄, international symposium, 芦 Femme et mode dans l鈥檈ntre-deux-guerres : regards crois茅s franco-anglais 禄, IHTP- Universit茅 de Brighton, 15 June 2012.
  • 芦 La presse magazine dans l鈥檈ntre-deux-guerres 脿 travers les cr茅ations de l鈥櫭ヾiteur   Lucien Vogel 禄, conf茅rence publique, Biblioth猫que nationale de France, Paris, 27 March 2012.
  • 芦 Fashion, music icons and women鈥檚 magazines of France in the sixties鈥, conference 芦 Development in Dress history 禄, University of Brighton, 8-10 December 2011.
  • 芦 De Vogue am茅ricain&苍产蝉辫;脿&苍产蝉辫;Vogue fran莽ais, 1920-1960 禄, international symposium 芦 Les magazines illustr茅s (XIXe XXe si猫cle), une approche transnationale 禄, Paris XIII, 9-10 December 2010.
  • 芦 Le tournant des ann茅es soixante dans la presse f茅minine 禄, international symposium 芦 La 芦 vie des femmes 禄 : singularit茅s et r么les de la presse f茅minine (XIXe-XXe si猫cle)禄, Paris II, 11 April 2008.

 

Recent contributions to academic research seminars
  • 芦 Is Fashion Only French? 禄, Festival des Id茅es, Yorkshire Museum, Museum  Gardens, 15 June 2019.
  • "Paris, capitale de la couture, entre protectionisme et comp茅titivit茅, 1945-2018," Seminar : "Capitales europ茅ennes et industries culturelles depuis 1945 :  Berlin, Londres, Madrid, Paris," CHS, April 2018.
  • "Les revues de mode masculine des ann茅es 1910 (脿 travers les exemples Nos 脡l茅gances (1911) et L鈥橦omme 茅l茅gant (1912)) : les balbutiements d鈥檜n nouveau genre de presse," Institut nationale de l鈥檋istoire de l鈥檃rt, May 2015.
  • "Lucien Vogel et Michel de Brunhoff. Parcours crois茅s de deux 茅diteurs de presse illustr茅e au XXe si猫cle," Universit茅 de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en- Yvelines, March 2015.
  • 芦 La renaissance de Vogue fran莽ais au service de la haute couture et de Paris, 1945-1956 禄 journ茅e d鈥櫭﹖ude, 芦 Haute couture, mode et consommation, France-Grande-Bretagne, 1947-1957 禄, IHTP- Universit茅 de Brighton, 11 April 2014.
  • 芦 Le r么le de Lucien Vogel et Michel de Brunhoff dans le d茅veloppement de la photographie et des pratiques photographiques, de la presse f茅minine 脿 la presse d鈥檃ctualit茅s, 1920-1940 禄, research seminar 芦 Photographie et histoire 禄, CARAN, Paris, 31 janvier 2014.
  • 芦 Magazines de mode et circulations des images entre la France et les 脡tats- Unis, 1920-1940 禄, s茅minaire de recherche, Universit茅 de Lille 3, 15 May 2013.
  • 芦 Les ann茅es vingt de la presse f茅minine : l鈥櫭e d鈥檕r des magazines (avec les exemples de Vogue fran莽ais et du Jardin des modes) 禄, research seminar, IHTP, Paris, 15 March 2013.
Invited presentations at international higher education institutions
  • 鈥淔rench Fashion and World War One鈥, Yale University, 01 October 2019
  • 鈥淐urating a fashion exhibition in Paris and New York鈥, FIT, 23 September 2019
  • 鈥淲artime Fashion, 1914-1918鈥, Bard Graduate Center, 14 October 2019
  • 鈥淭he making of a fashion exhibition,鈥 Parsons Paris, 27 March 2019.
  • " A History of Fashion Media 禄, program Euro-Americain, Sciences Po Reims, 15 October 2018.
  • "Writing fashion history through fashion magazines", Parsons Paris, 21 October 2016.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Une histoire de la presse f茅minine des ann茅es 1910 脿 1940 禄,  Institut Fran莽ais de la Mode,  10 February 2015.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Lucien Vogel et Michel de Brunhoff et le d茅veloppement de la presse f茅minine, 1912-1950 禄, Institut fran莽ais de la mode, Paris, 7 March 2014.

 

Organization of International conferences
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Mode et mondialisation 禄, conf茅rence franco-chinoise Les rendez-vous de la mode 鈥 Du mat茅riau 脿 la forme, 9 novembre 2023, Institut fran莽ais de Canton, Chine.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;La mode et ses d茅fis 禄, conf茅rence franco-chinoise Les rendez-vous de la mode, 2 novembre 2023, Institut fran莽ais de P茅kin, Chine.
  • 芦&苍产蝉辫;Exhibiting, communicating and sharing fashion history and heritage through digital means禄, conf茅rence franco-japonaise sur Les nouveaux chemins de l鈥檃rt et de la culture, 3 octobre 2023, Universit茅 de Sophia, Tokyo, Japon.
  • 鈥淧arisian Fashion and its Global Influences: Appropriations, Circulations and Transfers鈥, Maison Fran莽aise of NYU, 4 October 2019.
  • 鈥淪ymposium鈥擣ashion, Objects, and Concepts: New Research鈥, Bard Graduate Center Gallery, 13 September 2019
  • Inaugurale Conference of Culture(s) de Mode, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, September 2018
  • "Moving Beyond Paris-London: Influences, Circulation, and Rivalries in           Fashion and Textiles between France and England, 1700-1914," organized in collaboration with the Paris Diderot University, Paris, October 2017.
  • "New Perspectives on Parisian Haute couture, from 1850 until today," organized with the IFM and INHA, Paris, March 2017.
  • "Franco-German Exchanges in Fashion," organized with the Lipperheide Kost眉mbibliothek, Paris/Berlin, October 2016.
  • "Fashion, dress and society in Europe during World War I," Paris, December 2014
  • "Couture, fashion, and consumption - Britain/France, 1947-57,鈥 study day organized atthe IHTP in collaboration with the University of Brighton, April 2014.  
  • "脡tat de la recherche en histoire de mode. Regards crois茅s France, Angleterre, 脡tats- Unis," study day organized at the IHTP in collaboration with the University of Brighton, May 2013.       
  • "Femmes et mode dans l鈥檈ntre-deux-guerres : regards crois茅s franco-anglais,"study day at the IHTP in collaboration with the University of Brighton, June 2012.

Affiliations

Academic affiliations
  • Research Fellow in charge of the seminar Histoire et Mode at the Institut d鈥橦istoire du Temps Pr茅sent (IHTP-CNRS), 2012-present.      
  • Associated Researcher, RIG 芦 Apparences, corps et soci茅t茅 禄 (Acorso), 2015-present
  • Director of Culture(s) de Mode, the first research and professional network on fashion in France, supported by the Ministry of Culture, 2018- present.
  • Associated Researcher at the Biblioth猫que Nationale de France, 2011-2014     
  • Invited Researcher at the Biblioth猫que nationale de France, 2013-2014   
Member on editorial boards of scientific journals in the field of fashion studies
  • 2021: International Journal of Fashion Studies (IJFS)
  • 2015-present: Modes pratiques (ed. by Manuel Charpy).

Research Areas

  • Cultural history of clothes and fashion
  • Fashion and Media
  • Fashion and Politics
  • Fashion and Technologies

Curriculum Vitae