Blog post 3: Project Outcomes
During the last few months I have taken part in the Better Lives unit surrounding Social Responsibility, Diversity and Sustainability. It has been an informing and renewing topic that I have found very useful in terms of shaping my focus correctly as a future professional in the fashion industry. Through Better Lives I realised that I have a lot of social responsibility to spread awareness and share the importance of tackling issues around diversity and sustainability. In that way, it appears that through focusing on our social responsibility, we can begin to fix other ‘hard to tackle’ situations.
As I have said in a previous blog post, I found the lecture on diversity given by Professor of Fashion Cultures and Histories, Shahidha Bari particularly thought provoking. Bari’s lecture educated me on the importance of researching and analysing inclusivity at all levels of any project or situation I decide to take on professionally or otherwise, in an effort to make sure everyone is represented correctly and treated as they should be and if not, be prepared to fix it. This idea was reinforced for me in my lectures with Nick Almond and Liz Miller. In the physical lectures we had before the Coronavirus, we analysed statistics and stories around the International Women’s March in 2017, focusing on the USA. In these lectures, the thing that stood out significantly to me is that not all people were being represented by the leading groups. Women of colour difference and women in certain classes were represented far less than their counterparts. This really struck a chord with me and inspired my project feature.
When I considered my own creative practice, I found that there was a huge misrepresentation in terms of products that suit darker skin tones. I found myself frustrated with the absence of colours in foundation, concealer, blusher and even bronzer to suit the variety of faces I work on equally which is nothing compared to what those who use the products everyday feel on a daily basis. I wanted to express the significance of this issue as best I could in 500 words in my feature.
This Better Lives unit has definitely reshaped my focus in my practice – I will continue on from this by using my position to do what I can to tackle issues to do with social responsibility, diversity and sustainability.