From protective object to aesthetic sign: bricolage and connotation in a pandemic context

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic generated new symbolic devices, among which the surgical mask stands out as both a protective object and a cultural sign. This article examines the transformation of the surgical mask within the fashion system along two main axes: bricolage, understood as a practice of creative recombination of materials, and connotation, understood as a system for producing supplementary meanings. Combining theoretical grounding with case analysis, the study investigates different forms of appropriation of the surgical mask, both in improvised (unplanned) contexts and in professional fashion contexts. The findings reveal two distinct approaches: (1) a form of bricolage carried out outside the fashion system, centred on urgency and material availability; and (2) a planned form of bricolage performed by designers and brands, which reconfigures the mask as an aesthetic and communicational artefact. The second part of the article focuses on the connotative dimension of the mask as a sign, highlighting its semantic transformation when integrated into fashion, where it becomes an accessory and a symbolic vehicle for identity-based, ideological, and aesthetic discourses. Finally, the article explores the articulation between bricolage and connotation, showing how the mask moves beyond its functional purpose to become a complex sign that operates across health, style, consumption, and visual culture. The study contributes to the understanding of the symbolic re-signification of everyday objects in times of crisis, emphasizing the intersection of fashion, visual culture, and meaning-making. By analyzing a seemingly ordinary artefact that became a cultural sign, the article proposes a theoretical framework for understanding fashion as both a language and a social practice in times of change.