Better Lives Themes Reflection
The Better Lives themes of sustainability, diversity and social responsibility are more important than ever in today’s fashion climate. Going into this unit I was aware of these issues; however, the lectures have given me a further insight into just how important these are, not only in the fashion industry but also in the larger world. They have taught me that each and every one of us can make an impact going further into our careers, and that we should consider these themes in our future as we have a responsibility to do so.
In the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have all had an opportunity to reflect about what we most care about in our personal lives, which also link to our creative practices; so we have all had the chance to rethink how we will change our work going into the future, especially regarding the Better Lives themes. The dialogue concerning sustainability and fast fashion has expanded inevitably in this time. People are questioning whether worldwide quarantine will see the end of fast fashion. I hope that this time of reflection will have taught us that it is best to slow down and think harder about whether some of our purchases are necessary in the future. Although those in the industry know the importance of fashion, its possible that in future it may be seen as less essential and will have to justify both its reflection of, and impact on an ever changing wider society – indeed, society itself following this pandemic are likely to be more inclined to question and criticise their own levels of consumption. Considering diversity, the fashion industry has been taking steps in recent years to become a more inclusive space, but it still needs work. We have seen brands become more open and diverse in this time; however, we have also seen brands still making avoidable mistakes, for example Gucci’s balaclava jumper in 2019 that resembled blackface. The lectures on diversity also really opened my eyes and taught me that representation does not only consider race, gender, and body shape, but also people of all ages and disabilities, which should be represented more in fashion.
The Better Lives themes will change the way I work in the future as I hope to work with many sustainable brands that support ethical practices. Personally it has also made me want to try harder when making purchases myself, and really think about whether I will wear the said item of clothing for a long time, and if not, I won’t buy it. I have also learnt to research brands properly and how ethical their practices are, and recently I have been engaging with Depop and more sustainable brands more than ever. In my future I also want to work with a diverse range of models for my photography. In the end I want my work to have an impact on people, and for people to feel represented and seen.
8th May 2020 @ 9:43 pm
I have read different views from a lot of people and decided to respond to Lucy Philip’s Better Lives themes reflection blog because it seemed to me that she speaks about what a lot of us have on our minds these days.
It’s great that she considers the fact that a sustainable world and society is teamwork and something we can only achieve when done all together as the theme of sustainability should not be just referred to as something only connected to fashion but something we should consider on a larger scale. Although she does talk about the fact that pandemic might influence out consumption habits which can lead to a reduction of fast fashion, howeve4er it would be good to also consider what challenges it can cause which are also a part of the questions we ask ourselves thinking about sustainable fashion.
She talks about diversity and inclusivity in brands bringing her own examples of blackface which is a very important part of the fashion industry we should not forget about. A lot of brands and people in general when talking about changes they only focus on themes of ecology and our nature but forget about people who work in the industry as well as consumers of fashion. As we live in a very digital world where the communication between brands and consumers became so much easier and transparent it is easy for brands to convey a wrong message and receive a negative response really quickly.
That’s why we should keep pushing the idea of diversity as some brands keep doing mistakes not being inclusive enough or using cultural appropriation.
In her reflection, Lucy talks about her personal practice and what she, in particular, wants to do in order to become more sustainable and promote this idea for others to create a better society. It is good to see all the examples she made to show what kind of small steps we all can take to create a bigger change in time including using diverse models, researching brands we shop with, engaging with Depop as well as thinking very carefully about what we buy and where it comes from and develop a more conscious approach towards consumption.