About

 

Jess Montgomery is a writer, educator, and public speaker who believes in the power of ideas to change the world. Jess holds a BFA with Distinction in Art History from Concordia University and a MA in the History and Theory of Contemporary Art from San Francisco Art Institute. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Jess’s work probes the boundaries between artifice and ecology, exploring the intersections between material culture, consumption, and climate change.

Contact

Jess@ThinktheWorldDifferently.com

Publications

“The Mirror of History: Sustainable Fashion and Earth-First Values.” The Fashion Studies Journal: Fashion and Politics. 2023.

“The First to be Responsible.” The Critical Pulse, No. 6, Vol.1. 2023.

“Why Fashion Needs Critics.” Not Just A Label. 2023.

“The Elephant in the Boardroom.” Not Just A Label. 2022.

“Coming Apart at the Seams: How the theatrical within fashion makes space for empowerment.” Clothing Cultures, Vol 7, Num 1. 2020.

“Sustainable Fashion and Social Norms Part 3: Greenwashing.” Not Just A Label. 2019.

“Sustainable Fashion and Social Norms Part 2: Materialism.” Not Just A Label. 2019.

“Sustainable Fashion and Social Norms Part 1: Shifting the Conversation.” Not Just A Label. 2018.

“The Future of Fashion: How new designers are making sustainability chic.” Phabrik Magazine. Fall/Winter 2017, pp. 76-80.

“Surface Reflections: Musings on Superficiality as Radical Practice.” En(gender)ing Performance at SFAI: A Call and Response. San Francisco: San Francisco Art Institute, 2014, pp. 8-9.

“Sell Out or Subvert? The Politics of Money and Art.” Colloquy: An Exchange Project. San Francisco: San Francisco Art Institute, 2013, pp. 89-95.

“All Encompassing: Art and the Mind-Body Dichotomy.” Theories of Representation. Concordia Undergraduate Journal of Art History. Spring 2010.

 

Courses

“You Are What You Wear: A Social History of Fashion.” Simon Fraser University Liberal Arts and 55+ Program.

Taught: Spring 2024

Workshops

“Fashioning Tomorrow: Overconsumption in the Global Clothing Industry.” Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, Vancouver BC. 2019.

“Fashioning Tomorrow.” John Casablancas Institute, Vancouver BC. 2018. (2 sessions)

“Fashioning Tomorrow.” NorQuest College, Edmonton AB. 2018.

 

Speaking Engagements

“Worn Out: Clothing, Consumption and Climate Change.” Simon Fraser University. 2022.

Victoria Eco Fashion Week, Panel Discussion. 2019.

TEDxChilliwack, How Your Clothes Can Save the Planet. 2019.

Grace Club, An Evening of Awareness and Understanding. 2019.

The Ladies Meeting, Clothing Swap. 2018.

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, Senior’s Drop-in Hour. 2018.

Walnut Grove Secondary School. 2018.

Young Women in Business UBC, Couture for a Cause Gala. 2018.

 

Conferences

7th Annual Canadian Fashion Scholars Symposium, Digital Group Leader. 2020.

Intengine Sustainability Leadership Congress, Apparel Panel. 2019.

Canadian Comparative Literature Association, Fashion and Empowerment Roundtable. 2019.