Blog Post 3
The better lives course has been highly beneficial to my studies and future creative practice, as I have gained a broader understanding of the main themes of sustainability, social responsibility and diversity, as well as learnt how important they are to our fashion industry.
The seminars have been highly enlightening as I have discovered historical subcultures, such as punk, glam rock, mod and sport casuals, which I had never acknowledged before; therefore, these classes have demonstrated diversity and social reasonability by giving an insight into different cultures. Within our group masterclass, we reconstructed and deconstructed sportswear to communicate our fashion language, our choice being the glam rock subculture. Specifically, our focus was to reinvent body shapes and silhouettes, therefore outlining the themes of diversity, as one size does not fit all. As, our previous lectures gave intel on how to implement sustainability into a styling practice through repurposing, reconstructing and customization, we chose to use solely pre-owned and recyclable materials found within our homes, to generate our looks. When creating these styles, we chose to use a reflective gold jacket, an iridescent harness, a belt as a choker, black sweatpants and Nike running shoes. Importantly, we chose to obscure the face using repurposed chrome foil from a previous shoot, this inexpensive technique effectively created an avant-garde silhouette, through a sustainable method. Also, by withdrawing the identity of the model, this represents gender fluidity as no specific gender is associated with the look, therefore highlighting the theme of diversity. Overall, the styling represents sportswear due to the inclusion of reflective materials, practical and flexible garments and conventional sportwear pieces; as well as this, the avant-garde silhouette, harness, refashioned jacket and strong poses all connote a glam rock aesthetic.
Due, to the current covid-19 pandemic, our second group styling masterclass was reorganised to be conducted individually at home, the objective being to create a sportwear look that highlighted the better lives themes. My response being, a flat lay look designed for your daily one-hour exercise during quarantine. The visual displays a pre-owned oversized white shirt, a nylon sports bra, customized nylon leggings, sports trainers, Nike tube socks, a cap and a surgical mask and an antibacterial hand sanitiser. Due, to the inclusion of classic sportwear pieces and heavy use of branded garments, the look expresses a sports casual aesthetic. My reasoning, for the unusual additions, are because a mask and hand washing are essential precautions, we must take to ensure our safety when leaving the home during the pandemic, moreover these elements connote social responsibility. Also, as all the items were repurposed from what I found within my household, this represents sustainability as no unnecessary waste was created.
To conclude, the better lives unit has majorly changed the way I conduct my work, as I have developed an understanding on how we can easily repurpose garments and source materials sustainably, without raising issues with consumption and unnecessary waste for landfill. On the point of, I am now aware of how important it is that, as creatives, we consider sustainability, social responsibility and diversity in-depth within our work, as they are crucial elements to evolving the fashion industry to be a better inclusive platform which also supports the environment.
| Fig. 2. Look two from our group masterclass(2020) |
| Fig. 1. Look one from our group masterclass(2020) |
| Fig. 3. Flat lay of a sportswear look during lockdown (2020) |
References:
Figure 1. Cubbidge, N & Jones, E (2020) Look one from our group masterclass [Photograph]
Figure 2. Cubbidge, N & Jones, E (2020) Look two from our group masterclass [Photograph]
Figure 3. Cubbidge N (2020) Flat lay of a sportswear look during lockdown [Photograph]