A licensed psychotherapist in practice, the first Black female professor of psychology at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and the creator of the practical discipline "psychology of fashion," Dr. Donn Keren takes conversations about clothing and fashion seriously. She dismisses the notion, however, that "fashion is something superficial and frivolous." Keren views clothing and the use of fashion (style) as tools for communication, self-expression, or protection against a harsh world. "Clothing is the connective tissue between the physical and the emotional," she says.
Once, Keren’s personal relationship with clothing helped her, as a psychology student, regain her footing while recovering from the trauma of sexual assault. To break her silence, seek help, work with a therapist, and accept support from family and friends, she needed to maintain some semblance of balance. "After the rape, the contents of my closet kept me from losing my footing. The clothes were the only thing that connected me to the Donn I thought I had lost forever," she recalls.
In her work with clients, Donn Keren focuses on their expectations of the world and others, as well as the gap between those expectations and reality. She notes that the mismatch often stems not from others but from within. "We often buy things for the people we wish we were, neglecting, denying, and even hating the people we actually are," she says. The psychotherapist advises starting with "a little time spent searching for yourself."
Keren is skeptical of "rules, fleeting trends, retail therapy, and cookie-cutter stylist advice." She also isn’t a fan of transformations. While she enjoys watching "Cinderella"-style shows in her free time, she argues that such transformations are temporary solutions in real life. "They’re like a detox diet: the results are impressive, but they’re not sustainable," she notes. In her view, the concept of transformation is outdated in a world where gender identity is no longer so clear-cut.
Donn Keren works with people living in the real world—one that includes progress but also discrimination, stigma, racism, and rejection of those who are different. "The psychology of fashion examines the consequences of collisions between politics, religion, race, gender, nationality, age, class, and culture, whether we’re talking about ribbons, pantsuits, the hoodies of Black teens, or a $895 Balenciaga sweatshirt with street art," she explains.
When discussing her practical work, Keren outlines what she won’t do: "I won’t pick clothes that fit your body or compare your figure to fruit...; I won’t take you shopping like in the movie *Pretty Woman*...; and I won’t organize your closet using the KonMari method. Your junk drawer is your business, and I’ll never show you mine." She’ll only address the "junk drawer" after three individual sessions.
The case studies in her book focus on clients’ specific situations—not their clothes. The goal is to help them "establish a connection between their appearance and their feelings," as well as to recognize certain truths and take responsibility for what they realistically can.
As for clothing and style, changes come "from the customer’s material"—meaning from the client’s own closet. These changes happen when the client is ready to consciously decide which items to keep and which to let go.
