Reflection of better lives lecture – Inclusivity in fashion

The lecture that I have decided to do my first reflective blog post about is ‘Inclusivity in fashion’ which was presented by Laura Salisbury. I have chosen this lecture because I found it extremely interesting and informative, and I think that the topics that she spoke of are exceedingly important within the modern-day world. Our fashion industry has come a long way in the past one hundred years to become a more accepting and welcoming to different types of people, whether that is due to their sexuality, disability or ability, gender identity, profession or lack thereof, age, class, race, etc. Our industries now do strive to include more and more people, which I think is of the upmost importance if brands wish to stay afloat within our ever-changing modern society. A question that has always consumed my mind regarding all industries, not just fashion, is why choose to not be more inclusive? Why not increase their target audience to a wider margin? Surely this would create more business, a better reputation within their circles, and become both better and more successful in most ways. The answer that I usually to believe to be true is that a lot of brands don’t care about being inclusive, they don’t care about peoples opinions or feelings, they don’t care that not everyone has different body shapes, and lives and viewpoints. However, there are quite a few brands that are emerging onto this scene of inclusivity within fashion. Which, in my opinion, is incredible. For example, Laura spoke of Yves Béhar, a designer who created Fuse Project, Aura power suit. A mobility aiding suit designed for assisting elderly people with restrictive mobility issues to complete simple tasks around their homes. For example, walking, climbing the stairs, standing, reaching for high shelves or cupboards- just to name a few. This suit is said to ‘use artificial intelligence to react to the body’s natural movements and add muscle power to aid the wearer in getting up, sitting down, or staying upright.’ The studio Fuse Project states that when choosing the colours and materials for the power suit they wished to avoid the clinical look that seems to surround a lot of muscle support, or disability supportive clothing, this is why they chose modern hexagonal shapes and a bright teal colour for accenting the power suit. However, as Laura stated in her lecture, ‘just because a garment could have amazing functionality doesn’t mean it will be used- Is it comfortable? Is it wearable? How is it worn? Would the aesthetic match with the user’s personal style?’ If any of these questions are answered with a no or any other form of insecurity, can it really be considered as an inclusive product? I think that an attempt to create a fully inclusive product for a specific audience is better than making a product or garment that does not try to achieve any inclusivity.

Morby, A. (2017) Yves Béhar’s Aura Power Clothing helps the elderly with mobility. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2017/01/12/yves-behar-aura-power-clothing-helps-elderly-mobility-design-museum-london/ (Accessed: 04/05/2020)