Lecture Reflection 1 – Empathy
Lorraine Gamman’s briefing about empathy and fashion described how we as human beings empathize with different people and why, but also how empathy can be used in the fashion industry. With a PHD in shoplifting, Gamman has worked with analyzing how people empathize with ‘bad people’ and others. She described how our empathy is often partial and that we empathize with people we can relate to and look like. The people I mostly empathize with are people that I know or people I can relate to because of my own experiences.
In fashion, empathy can be used in telling stories through design. Alexander Mcqueen’s Highland Rape collection back in 1995, shows his empathy and emotions to Scotland at the time, showing that through his designs. There are several hundreds of examples of designers using their creative space to show their empathy.
But not only in fashion can empathy be used as a tool for helping. Gamman conducted a test at Central Saint Martins where she built a mock-up prison cell for the students, where they were able to feel how it was like to be a prisoner. The students would then empathize more with prisoners because they now could relate to what they were experiencing inside of prison. With the feedback she was given from the students and actual prisoners, Gamman could help the prisoners make their lives easier in their cells by making the furniture comfier and safer, which would prevent prisoners using them as weapons in fights.
In my opinion, using empathy in fashion broadens the horizons for a lot of problems needed to be shown or raised awareness of. Empathy is mostly used in a better way when it comes to fashion but can also be used for the worse, by trying to make someone relate to something bad. However, there are always going to be people who empathize with bad people or things but using empathy in a better way can create better lives. Empathy shows problems and raises awareness about things that should be solved and discussed. In fashion, designers can use their platforms and power to show these problems, such as Mcqueen’s Highland Rape show and through that, help create better lives for the people suffering.