Lecture cum workshop

Patna Women’s College Hosts Lecture-Cum-Workshop on “Semiotic Dimensions of Dress/Fashion: Decoding Meaning and Narrative”.

Patna, September 18, 2025:
Carmel Hall of Patna Women’s College came alive today with intellectual vibrance as the Lexicon Language Club, in collaboration with the Department of English, organized a lecture-cum-workshop on “Semiotic Dimensions of Dress/Fashion: Decoding Meaning and Narrative.” The event brought together students, faculty, and enthusiasts for a stimulating session where philosophy met fashion.

The resource person for the session was Dr. Vinayak Yashraj, Associate Professor, Department of Accessory Design, NIFT Patna. Known for his unique blend of literature, design, and fashion expertise, Dr. Yashraj engaged the audience in a thought-provoking exploration of how fashion, clothing, and culture intersect to shape human experience.

The session opened with the anchor Shruti Singh’s brief introduction to semiotics—its meaning, relevance, and its narrative potential. What followed was a captivating discourse where Dr. Yashraj emphasized the timeless truth that “clothes make the man,” quoting Mark Twain that “naked people have little or no influence on society.” He described dressing not just as an aesthetic choice but as a way of life, stating that fashion ultimately comes from within.

Tracing fashion back to ancient Egypt and Greece, Dr. Yashraj spoke about the symbolic and social significance of garments in those civilizations. He then moved to a discussion of Hindi cinema during the era of economic liberalization and Westernization, explaining how costume design became a powerful narrative device. Drawing on the work of Clare M. Wilkinson-Weber, he illustrated how costumes both reveal and conceal information, becoming a tool for filmmakers to construct cinematic identities and advance storytelling.

A fascinating segment of the lecture focused on the semiotic theory of langue and parole, connecting it to the language of clothing and its potential to communicate meanings. Dr. Yashraj encouraged the students to view fashion as a form of cultural text that can reflect grandeur, royalty, and the subtleties of identity construction.

The workshop concluded with an interactive Q&A session, where students engaged enthusiastically with the speaker, deepening their understanding of semiotics and its application in real-world cultural contexts.

The event was coordinated by Dr Devina Krishna, Coordinator of Lexicon Language Club. The session was enriching for the audience who learned to look at fashion not merely as a trend but as a language—one that speaks volumes about society, identity, and history.