Professor Harwood joined The American University of Paris in 2026, where she teaches in the Department of Communication, Media and Culture. A fashion historian and trend analyst, she also works as an independent consultant advising fashion and luxury brands, agencies and media on cultural and consumer insights, trend analysis, fashion semiotics, brand narratives, positioning and editorial strategy. She has taught fashion and luxury at IFA Paris and has delivered lectures and workshops at institutions including Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and The American University of Paris. Her fashion analysis has also appeared in media including Le Nouvel Obs, Harper’s Bazaar, Tatler Asia, Madame Figaro and Mixte Magazine.
Harwood’s current work examines fashion as a cultural and communicative system, with particular attention to the ways fashion produces and circulates meaning through images, media, brands, spaces and cultural narratives. Her historical research has focused on twentieth-century French fashion, notably André Courrèges and the transformations of haute couture, while her contemporary work explores changing forms of desire, legitimacy, identity and cultural value in fashion and luxury.
Research areas and areas of expertise:
- Fashion history and theory
- Fashion communication and media
- Fashion semiotics and visual culture
- Trend analysis and cultural insights
- Luxury, haute couture and brand culture
- Fashion heritage and cultural narratives
- Digital culture and social media
- Fashion identities and cultural change
Mastère Spécialisé (MS), Management de la Mode et du Luxe, Institut Français de la Mode (IFM), 2019.
Professional thesis: “La Haute Couture en 2019. État des lieux, perspectives et au-delà,” supervised by Benjamin Simmenauer.
Master 2 (M2), History, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, 2018.
Research thesis: “Les coups d’éclat d’André Courrèges. L’âge d’or d’une maison de couture française de 1961 à 1970,” supervised by Pascal Ory.
Selected media appearances and interviews include Le Nouvel Obs, Harper’s Bazaar, Tatler Asia, Madame Figaro and Mixte Magazine.
Selected lectures and workshops:
- “Doing Fashion Research to Rethink the Industry”
- “Fashion in the Age of Social Media”
- “Eco-Responsibility in the Leather Industry”
Lectures and workshops delivered at institutions including Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and The American University of Paris.
