Blog Post 2: Themes Reflection
My Better Lives project is Fashion Journalism and the themes of Sustainability, Social responsibility, and Diversity are all very important within this practice. By listening to the lectures on fashion journalism I have gathered that it is a journalist’s job to be curious about everything and that journalism isn’t only about expressing one’s opinions but building on those opinions by seeking an expert’s insight and reviewing the facts and numbers. The better lives themes were always in the back of my mind and I knew some information about them but by listening to the lectures in the first two weeks I gained a vast amount of knowledge on these themes from people who are well-versed in their specific fields. The fashion industry has tiptoed around these topics for a long time but now that consumers are demanding brands to address them and be transparent they have become increasingly important.
As a Fashion Public Relations student I’m aware that brands have to be extremely careful while addressing topics like diversity or sustainability because there’s a fear of hurting the consumer’s sentiments or coming off as superficial. I have learned that to avoid this brands need to conduct a lot of research on their consumers and be truthful about their activities instead of tokenising. There has been an increase in brands recruiting models who are of different races, plus-sized, and older to be featured in campaigns. But many people are questioning the authenticity of these changes and are still unsure whether this is all a part of a trend. Brands especially need to be sensitive and communicate their messages in socially responsible ways due to the coronavirus pandemic. These themes are even more crucial in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic as brands are dedicating their resources to help in every way they can. For instance, prominent brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Burberry are using their resources to create and donate essential medical supplies such as face masks and surgical gowns for healthcare professionals, police, delivery workers etc. By doing this these brands are working for the welfare of the entire community instead of vying for individual profits. In addition to this, the British Fashion Council recently announced that fashion week in June will be digital and gender-neutral. This will create a more diverse and sustainable environment resulting in major and permanent changes in the fashion industry as fashion week will never be the same even after the pandemic is over. This is because people will feel anxious to gather in large numbers for such events for a long time.
The better lives themes will undoubtedly influence and change the way I work in the future for instance I will limit purchases from fast fashion brands. I would find creative and innovative ways to interact with emerging digital spaces and events. While researching for projects and future career tasks I will make sure I have all the information and facts to avoid offending any sentiments. This community-driven attitude which is promoted during the pandemic will enable me to work with my peers and colleagues in a more effective way leading to a healthier work environment. (Student ID: 19002741)
References:
Penrose N. and Weaver H. (2020) ‘How the fashion Industry Is Stepping Up To Fight Covid-19’, Elle April 21, 2020. Available at: (https://www.elle.com/fashion/a31958030/fashion-companies-covid-19-relief/)
(Accessed 23rd April 2020)
Tu J. (2020) ‘Men’s London Fashion Week replaced with gender-neutral virtual showcase’ , Women’s Agenda April 22, 2020. Available at: (https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/mens-london-fashion-week-replaced-with-gender-neutral-virtual-showcase/)
(Accessed 23rd April 2020)
29th April 2020 @ 12:27 pm
Your post was a good read. you can tell that you have touched on all the themes, sustainability, diversity and social responsibility.
By attending and engaging in lessons, it seems that it has opened your views based on your practice and better lives, by gathering information from a journalist’s point of view, expressing specific insights on facts, numbers and source of information. Understanding that others obtain different amounts of knowledge from all fields. Being that you’re a public relations student, you know about target consumers, brand ethos, and brand aesthetic to where some brands like to falsify information.
I agree with parts of statements made in your second paragraph, as it shows the relation on sustainability and some social responsibility. As an individual studying fashion styling and production, I am always engaged with opinions on matters like these. Brands choose to exploit on things that are trending, like sustainability, diversity, and people of different shapes and sizes, to continue to engage with their target audiences, Which isn’t a positive outlook to have, especially if it’s for aesthetic purposes only, as they will continue to promote these examples, as they’re underrated.
Diversity in the fashion industry has increased slightly, but they still have a way to go if they want more consumers. Looking into diversity is not just about colour, it’s about representation of where you come from. from the darkest to lightest, there are so many shades in between that haven’t been recognised. People from the younger generations, they need to see a representation of their own so that they’re comfortable with themselves to know that they’re a version of beauty (not standard beauty, what-ever that is) regardless of sexuality, gender, disability, size or colour. And your example of the British Fashion council making their show gender- neutral speaks to my point.
The fact that you have knowledge like this, enables you to be open with others, their own interpretation and what you deem to be right or wrong, and I believe that is the attribute to social responsibility.
The point on sustainability has changed people views on what that actually means. I believe that covid-19 has taught others on how to be sustainable, especially with home items that can be reused, upcycled into something new, or create your own project, using their own creativity. I do believe it will make a permanent change for the better.
I can see that better lives have impacted you on your thought process, understanding others and how you can change your ways of doing things with sustainability, diversity and social responsibility. Thinking about innovative ways on future projects, even collaborations with your peers which is giving you a healthy outlook on ways to work around this pandemic.