2. On the radical notion that you should care about other people
The Better Lives Unit has been an opportunity to reflect on the themes of diversity, social responsibility and sustainability, that are likely to play a fundamental role in our future practices. In the past few years, diversity and sustainability have already become hotly debated topics in fashion: consumers and practitioners alike have begun to realise that the industry needs to change radically to become more diverse and fully sustainable. But what I’ve found most interesting was engaging with the theme of social responsibility. In the words of Sangiorgi and Scott, “Design work today is increasingly moving well beyond the conventional concerns of form, function and style to address difficult societal challenges”. This means that design is becoming more aware of its power of shaping society, and consequently, the role of the designer is evolving too. As many of us are designers in-the-making, we must make sure that our practice is always fuelled by genuine concern for other people’s needs.
These reflections were sparked by two of the Better Lives lectures I attended: Katelyn Toth-Fejel’s Society and Lucy Orta’s Democracy and Activism. When talking about the relationship between society and practice, Toth-Fejel advocates for “socially engaged design”: a design practice that takes marginalised groups and their necessities into account, identifies social needs and challenges the status quo by “finding alternatives to mass production, low wages and seasonality”. According to her, “building empathy in design” is the first step towards social responsibility: empathy is what makes design groundbreaking and relevant in today’s society. Lucy Orta, artist and Chair of Art in the Environment at Centre for Sustainable Fashion, focused her lecture on the politically engaged artists – like herself- and the works they produced in response to local issues. The pieces she showed us are great examples of “emphatic” design, and show how artists can collaborate with marginalised communities and find stimulating solutions to their issues. Some of Orta’s works, like Collective Dwelling (1997-1999) and Procession Banners (2018), had the goal of bringing communities together by creating communal installations, while others, like the Identity + Refuge exhibition and workshop (1994-1995) and Connector (2001-2002) shined a light on issues like homelessness, society, identity and shelter.
These lectures made me realise how important it is that designers genuinely care about other people. What makes design relevant and current is its ability to cater to the -sometimes very specific- needs of different groups, and to bring communities together. Its power stands in its intrinsic predisposition to social responsibility. Even though it is -and still is- a creative and even artistic practice, designers shouldn’t try and separate their work from the realm of utility: in other words, design for design’s sake isn’t -and shouldn’t be- a thing. The designer’s goal is to make life easier for everyone and to produce objects that are not only aesthetically beautiful, but that also serve a specific purpose. I truly believe that design can change the world, but only if it’s catered also -and especially- to the most vulnerable.
References:
Orta, L. 2020, Democracy and Activism lecture notes, Better Lives Unit FU001708, London College of Fashion, delivered 20 February 2020.
Toth-Fejel, K. 2020 Society lecture notes, Better Lives Unit FU001708, London College of Fashion, delivered 19 February 2020.