MARKOCONNELLSTUDIO: Dr. Mark Joseph O’Connell Queer History (Queerstory) Lectures

Guy Hocquenghem and the Radical Reimagining of Queer Life Guy Hocquenghem (1946–1988) was one of the first openly Gay intellectuals to articulate a radically political theory of sexuality. Writing at the intersection of Marxism, psychoanalysis, and post-1968 revolutionary politics, Hocquenghem rejected both liberal identity politics and assimilationist gay rights, arguing instead that homosexuality exposes the repressive foundations of capitalist, familial, and state power. In Homosexual Desire (1972), he builds upon and critiques Freud and Deleuze–Guattari to frame desire as aRead more

MARKOCONNELLSTUDIO: Dr. Mark Joseph O’Connell Fashion History Lectures

From Medici Court to “Made in Italy”: Fashion, Power, and the Palazzo Pitti In this lecture, Dr. Mark Joseph O’Connell explores fashion as a system of power, memory, and cultural authority through one extraordinary institution: the Museo della Moda e del Costume in Florence’s Palazzo Pitti. Founded in 1983 as Italy’s first state museum devoted to fashion, the Museo della Moda e del Costume occupies a unique position in global fashion museology. Unlike institutions such as the Victoria and AlbertRead more

Iris Simpson: A Trailblazer in Canadian Fashion History

Dr. Mark Joseph O’Connell Feb. 25, 2025. Article Citation: O’Connell, Mark Joseph. 2024. Iris Simpson: A Trailblazer in Canadian Fashion History. Seneca Polytechnic Canadian Fashion Diversity Project. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14925960. INTRODUCTION “Iris Simpson” Photo courtesy @ “Coming full circle from classroom to high fashion and back” https://magazine.torontomu.ca/classroom-high-fashion/ Iris Simpson’s name may not be as widely recognized as some of the designers she worked with, but her impact on Canadian fashion is undeniable. As a pioneering Black woman in the luxury fashionRead more

MARKOCONNELLSTUDIO: RECIPES

A Nourishing Midwinter Bowl: Mark’s Cabbage & Fennel Soup Fennel is one of those ancient plants that wandered calmly through human history, quietly improving things as it went. Native to the Mediterranean, it was treasured by the ancient Greeks and Romans not just as food, but as medicine, symbol, and superstition. The Greeks associated fennel with victory and knowledge; Roman soldiers ate it for strength, while Roman cooks used every part of the plant: bulb, stalk, leaf, and seed, toRead more

‘The Role of Open AI in Fashion: Transforming Creativity Through Innovation?’ (O’Connell 2024)

My article ‘The Role of Open AI in Fashion: Transforming Creativity Through Innovation?’ (O’Connell 2024) has just been published. The article was inspired my own research for an AI and fashion committee I was on recently at Seneca Polytechnic. My work on the academic committee to explore the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in fashion education was a dynamic and collaborative endeavour undertaken during May-June 2024. The committee, comprised of faculty members, Seneca School of Fashion (SoF) staff, and technologyRead more

Modular Menswear

Highlights from my fashion label: Modular Menswear, a brand that focused on handworked knitwear, artisanal (local) tailored production, using gorgeous fabrics imported form Europe. Active at the turn of the century!Read more

Lilac Time at the Rodeo

Lilac Time at the Rodeo 2: Stories of Marie Debris, David Wojnarowicz, Martin Wong (Publication Date February 14, 2024!). The subjects of the Lilac Time series of books are Queer fashion and art practitioners we lost to AIDS. In Lilac Time at the Rodeo 2 we visit with: Marie Debris, David Wojnarowicz, Martin Wong, and Peter Hujar. These people because of the stigma attached to their illness, were never properly eulogized. Bright, brilliant, and visionary all, the loss of themRead more

Luxury Studies: The In Pursuit of Luxury Journal

I am pleased to announce that I am an editorial board member of: Luxury Studies: The In Pursuit of Luxury Journal. “As a term which has made its way into everyday language, the idea of luxury has secured a place in contemporary society. Luxury Studies: The In Pursuit of Luxury Journal explores the many issues and debates surrounding the idea of luxury as a historical and contemporary phenomenon, both critically and commercially.” For me the concept of “luxury” is what drives theRead more