Better Lives Blog 2: How Better Lives will influence my work in the future.
The themes we have explored in this Better Lives unit – Sustainability, Diversity and Social Responsibility – are all continually relevant, even essential, to the evolving dynamics of the fashion industry. In the past decade we have seen a significant shift of priorities. Brands are being held accountable for their commitments to diverse representation, sustainable practices and ethical guidelines. But there is still work to be done, and that will be up to me and my peers through our current work, and our eventual careers.
As mentioned in my first blog post, sustainability is a theme I have explored a lot in my own work, and prioritise in my own life. I seek out sustainable options in my lifestyle, choosing to eat vegan, limit my shopping to necessary purchases from ethical suppliers where possible, and utilise public transport/local businesses. But aside from my personal choices – how can I try and communicate the urgency of sustainable practice through my future work? That is something I look forward to exploring, as there are lots of avenues through which the issue of sustainability can be investigated.
Diversity is also a major factor that I’m sure will play into my future work. As a white, middle class, heterosexual woman, I am in a position of privilege wherein one of the only barriers I may face is my gender. I already see myself represented in the fashion industry, to the point of oversaturation. The lack of diverse representation within fashion institutions is something that has been an issue for decades – for 25 years under Alexandra Shulman, the staff at Vogue were almost entirely white. She claimed that whenever a person of colour interviewed, they ‘almost always’ got the job, but “relatively few came up through the pipeline, for whatever reason, so that might account for why there weren’t more.” This lazy, tokenistic attitude towards having a diverse staff is unfortunately not surprising, and echoes throughout the industry. Maybe the reason ‘few’ people of colour end up in prestigious positions is because they are afforded less opportunities than their white peers, a result of conscious or unconscious racial bias. Supporting and endorsing genuine diversity and social responsibility for all is something I feel should and will be a major priority for me and my peers as we emerge as the next generation of practitioners.
I am reluctant to establish any sort of hierarchy of the Better Lives themes, as they are all important, but I do feel like sustainability is the most urgent issue society has to address, as it concerns the future of our planet. I predict sustainability in particular will become an increasingly motivating factor in my work, as we discover how to adapt to build a more sustainable future, alongside taking responsibility for ethical practice and fair opportunities for all individuals. We cannot allow malpractice, exploitation and discrimination to continue in the fashion industry, and I for one will be taking my responsibility to tackle these issues seriously.