3. In and out of fashion – reflections on the outcome

As part of the Better Lives program, we were asked to attend a unit in a different course, and to complete a project pertinent to the chosen course, I chose BA Fashion Styling’s In and out of fashion: Sportswear fashion language and subcultures. Despite not being very keen on sportswear, I was excited to learn more about styling and, hopefully, get to try my hand at it.  Over the course of six weeks, we followed lectures focussing on different aspects of the styling practice, and we attended two Masterclasses. In and out of fashion was mainly influenced by the issues of sustainability and social responsibility. Allow me to explain how. 

While the lectures were theoretical, during the Masterclasses we finally had the chance to put our skills to the test. We attended the first one, Deconstructing the sportswear body: Silhouettes & Shapes, Customisation / Sustainable Sportswear / Recycle, in person. Divided into four groups, we were asked to style one -or more!- looks that followed the brief. We were challenged to create unconventional silhouettes inspired by different sportswear subcultures with the clothes we brought from home. This is where the question of sustainability comes into play: by using and repurposing clothes we already had, we didn’t participate in the polluting fast fashion industry and learned how to upcycle and repurpose different garments. Due to Covid-19, the second Masterclass, Healthy-youth vibes in Corona times, took place virtually. Individually, we were tasked to style a sportswear look using what we could find around the house. Despite the circumstances, I was even more inspired by the results of the second Masterclass: working singularly, each of us was able to develop more complex and creative responses to both the task and the Better Lives themes, and I loved seeing everyone’s different interpretations of the brief. 

The themes of social responsibility and sustainability were also tackled in two lectures, Styling of the body and Sustainability and customisation. Styling of the body was about posing and body positions, and how to communicate through them. It taught me how to be aware of possible controversies in styling, such as cultural appropriation and the perception of working-class garments as a subculture. Sustainability and customisation concerned -you guessed it- eco-fashion and the alternatives to fast fashion. Many fashion insiders now strive to create a system that can be supported indefinitely through recycling, upcycling and new technologies. 

During the Better Lives Unit, I was able to meditate on the themes that are most relevant in the current fashion industry, both in their theoretical and practical aspects. More than anything, I learned that interesting and thoughtful fashion practice can be achieved anywhere, even while quarantined in my room. The experience of the second Masterclass, influenced by the current lockdown, made me really ponder over the effects of consumerism, and the results that can be achieved even when consuming isn’t possible. This chance of reflecting on the themes of sustainability and social responsibility was surely beneficial to my personal development.