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Upon reflection, the Better Lives Unit has definitely certified the importance of understanding the fashion industry and its impact on earth. The themes of sustainability, social responsibility and diversity are prevalent now more than ever. This unit has highlighted to me that the fashion industry should be directing its work and interests towards the earths environment and our social environment.
It is important as the new generation of creatives to use our power to find solutions to the problems we are facing both socially and environmentally. I do believe that, as a creative direction student, I do have the power to influence peoples thoughts within my work and create amazing outcomes whilst still being environmentally and socially aware. I think it is important that when producing work or doing a shoot in particular, it is taken into account the use of recycled clothing, fabrics or even just being conscious when shooting in a natural environment to leave as little waste as possible behind ; being as sustainable as possible in your work can make an impact and can also impact others who view it. I feel like within a creatives work there should be diversity, you should be able to see the use of different races, in order to have work that is relatable and accepting of your audience. However, although it is important to visually communicate diversity, it is also as important to work with a diverse group of people behind the camera and in the production of the work, which can in turn produce a more authentic and diverse outcome.
Within my chosen Better Lives subject, “Makeup Breakdown”, I discovered that these three themes can apply to this field too. Whether it be to have foundation shades to match a variety of skin tones or even to create makeup looks that embrace a persons imperfection rather than covering it up. The main themes within the ‘Makeup Breakdown’ project were Fashion mistake and Imperfection, which I found to be two very current topics that connect to the better lives themes very well. The themes mainly coincided with the theme of diversity, and the act of embracing imperfection even within makeup. I was taught that no makeup look had to be ‘perfect’. This way of thinking was useful to me as a creative direction student as often I think about how the models makeup looks in my images, however I am now reminded that it is the imperfection that may make the image even more unique, and add character to it. As a creative direction student I have the power to portray diversity and to challenge the idea of what beauty is within my work. Diversity manifests in so many ways and it is important for me to showcase diversity not only within race, but body type, gender, social class and more.
Watching the Better Lives lectures encouraged me to realise that everyone has the power to make a difference, no matter how small. This is especially prevalent during these uncertain times of COVID 19, where social responsibility has really been put to the test. It is sad to see that fast fashion brands are still prevailing and some could argue at a higher rate than before due to huge sales. With factory workers in companies such as ASOS and PrettyLittleThing working much harder than ever and in unsafe environments due to the pandemic because the brands only care about profit. It is important to stop supporting such fast fashion as frequently, especially in times where it could be a danger, there should be more caution and increased social responsibility.
Better lives has taught me that we have to take responsibility of how the world functions, both as creators and consumers. The idea of saving our planet is not a new revelation, it has been mentioned for years, but it is important for us now to give it the upmost importance.