Reflection 1 – Better Lives Lectures
All of the Better Lives lectures suggested interesting and significant ideas about considering sustainability, diversity and social responsibility when discussing fashion industry. Empathy lecture by Lorraine Gamman was one of my favourites. I consider the connection between psychology and fashion very interesting, and during this lecture I had the possibility to learn more about how fashion is taking empathic approaches and the importance of this.
All of the Better Lives lectures suggested interesting and significant ideas about considering sustainability, diversity and social responsibility when discussing fashion industry. Empathy lecture by Lorraine Gamman was one of my favourites. I consider the connection between psychology and fashion very interesting, and during this lecture I had the possibility to learn more about how fashion industry is taking empathic approaches and the importance of this in the future of fashion.
The lecturer Lorraine Gamman gave multiple examples of empathic fashion approaches and divided them in several categories such as fashion against gendered violence, inclusive fashion and representation, modest fashion, empowerment etc. Currently when the fashion industry is seriously focusing on the social responsibility, many brands and designers are creating empathic fashion. I think by doing this, designers are not only able to express their opinion but also support and help solve serious issues that are faced in our everyday society.
One of the examples is Alexander McQueen Highland rape catwalk. During this A/W fashion show in 1995, designer displayed bruised models wearing torn clothes. This controversial catwalk was a strong statement on sexual assault against women and therefore got a lot of criticism. Serious matters and society problems in our world are often perceived as taboo. When it is presented visually such as in McQueen’s catwalk or other projects such as in exhibition ‘Is It My Fault” where clothing worn by rape victims were displayed, people oftentimes feel very uncomfortable. Visual representation of a society’s issues is extremely important in raising awareness and starting the discussion.
Taking empathy in consideration when creating fashion is important and I think necessary for everyone working in the fashion industry. This way fashion becomes more meaningful as it can help solve issues but more importantly “give a voice to vulnerable people” and support different communities. The examples gives by Lorraine like The Real Campaign by Dove, AnaOno lingerie made for women who has breast cancer or Nike’s created hijab show that fashion industry is considering empathy and becoming more inclusive. This lecture made me consider about how I, as a fashion student, should always think about empathy in all of my projects. Having this in mind I can have an impact on how fashion industry will be in the future. In my opinion the topic of this lecture was present throughout all of the other Better Lives lectures we had. Therefore, I found it one of the most interesting and important ones to reflect on.
The lecturer Lorraine Gamman gave multiple examples of empathic fashion approaches and divided them in several categories such as fashion against gendered violence, inclusive fashion and representation, modest fashion, empowerment etc. Currently when the fashion industry is seriously focusing on the social responsibility, many brands and designers are creating empathic fashion. I think by doing this, designers are able to not only express their opinion but also show the support towards serious issues that are faced in our society.
Alexander McQueen Highland rape catwalk where the designer displayed bruised models wearing torn clothes was a strong statement made by the designer and got a lot of criticism. Talking about these serious matters and society problems such as rape is often perceived as taboo. When it is presented visually such as in McQueen’s catwalk or other projects such as in exhibition ‘Is It My Fault” where clothing worn by rape victims were displayed, people oftentimes feel very uncomfortable. That makes me think of the importance of not only discussing the issues but also the visual representation which I believe is way more effective.
Taking empathy in consideration when creating fashion is important and I think necessary for every designer. This way the fashion industry can have the power of solving the issues and supporting different communities that feel like they are ignored, not important or forgotten. This lecture made me consider about how I, as a fashion student, should always think about empathy in all of my projects. In my opinion the topic of this lecture was present throughout all of the other Better Lives lectures we had. Therefore, I found it one of the most interesting and important ones.
References:
Gamman, L. (2020) ‘Empathy’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 17th February.