A decentralized and inclusive selection procedure: ”How can we develop a methodology for a decentralized participant selection process to enable a bottom-up decolonial and multi-voice perspective?”
With this research question in mind, FASHIONCLASH took part in PREMIUM 2023, Maastricht University’s honours program. FASHIONCLASH was paired to a multidisciplinary team (“Fashion of the Future” - team) of students including Yasmina Abi Raad, Orla Barr, Anna Fomina, Daniel Rivera Rodriguez and Sofia Sgriccia. For five months, they have been researching and collaborating to create suggestions how to organize decentralised and inclusive selection procedures.
Not only in our practice, but for many organizations, the selection process of participants is a challenge. We all want to work more inclusively, but that requires a systematic transformation. And in cultural organizations, projects often start with a selection process. As an international and interdisciplinary platform, FASHIONCLASH has always been trying to run as broad and diverse a practice as possible. But we want to go further and apply a decolonial perspective to the selection process so that we can give stage to new and unheard of stories in the fashion sector from the bottom up.
In today's globalized world, the need for diverse perspectives and inclusive decision-making processes has become increasingly apparent. It is crucial to ensure that all stakeholders have a voice and are represented in various aspects of society, including participant selection processes. The team "Fashion of the Future" aimed to explore and develop a decentralized methodology for participant selection at FASHIONCLASH, with a focus on enabling a bottom-up decolonial and multi-voice perspective.
Decentralization in the context of participant selection refers to the distribution of decision-making authority across different individuals or departments rather than relying on a centralized system. Organizations can promote inclusivity, diversity, and the recognition of multiple perspectives by adopting a decentralized selection procedure.
On Wednesday 31 May, PREMIUM 2023 concluded with a festive ceremony in Novotel in Maastricht. All teams presented their posters, that summed up their project.
PREMIUM is Maastricht University’s Honours programme for high-performing, motivated master’s students. Once selected, students are grouped together in interdisciplinary teams and given a project to complete for a client from the (local) business or government sector under the guidance of a project mentor. Alongside their project, students receive individual coaching focused on personal competence development. Lastly, students attend several workshops to help cultivate valuable skills and knowledge to prepare them for the job market.