We are surrounded by invitations to become someone new through what we buy. Fashion makes this promise especially tangible: a new garment can offer novelty, belonging, status, self-expression, or the possibility of a different self. But when desire is continually renewed, how do we ever arrive at enough?

Drawing from Aja Barber’s critique of fashion, capitalism, and consumer culture, this Study considers the forces that shape what we want and what separates the pleasure of clothing from the compulsion to continually acquire it. Moving through the shops of South Congress, we’ll attend pay attention to the subtle ways desire is produced, and consider what it might mean to recognize enough when we have it.

Text: Aja Barber’s Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism

Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026

Location: South Congress, Austin

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