Yoga and the Wardrobe: Centre Stage

Abstract: This thesis focuses specifically on yoga clothing to explore the wardrobes of individuals who practice yoga within Northern Europe. This study explores yoga as an embodied practice connected to dress, uncovering the relationship between clothing and the body based on online ethnographic research. Wardrobe studies were carried out remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic producing a new approach to the field through remote wardrobe studies. The theoretical perspective of Erving Goffman analyses the participants and their wardrobes through the lens of dramaturgy. This perspective allows for the investigation into the behaviour of individuals practising online and in- person yoga classes compared to yoga at home. Viewing social life as a theatre performance to explore individual’s wardrobes and yoga clothing is a vital component of the study. The research demonstrates how individuals in a society constantly perform and how a wardrobe is an object that also performs. The findings suggest that yoga clothing, the body, and the wardrobe are intrinsically connected, providing rich information contributing to fashion studies.