Blog 2
The Three Better Lives themes have been fundamental in shaping my thinking as a creative and also to become a better person. The main topics in this unit were taught by people who went in great depth in the industry’s issues and, by broadening my knowledge about them, made me more confident to face these subject areas in the future.
I personally think that the key word between the three was ‘respect’: diversity and social responsibility underlined the importance of being respectful to every person we encounter in our journey, while sustainability to the planet.
All of the themes have informed my creative practice but the humanitarian ones influenced me the most. Social Responsibility was the most significative in changing my personal approach to my future works because it introduced me to new concepts I never actually reflected on in great depth. Fashion and society are two words that have always gone hand in hand, they depend on each other. But how can we make fashion a medium to not just influence society with an aesthetic or message but to actually help people, especially the more unfortunate ones, to have a better life?
Inside our university people have raised this question and started projects to try to overcome social issues but, before the Introduction by Claire Swift in the first week of Better Lives, I wasn’t aware of the existence of the Social Responsibility Program at London College Of Fashion. Hearing the stories of the projects Making for Change and Beauty’s Inside Magazine, made me realize how fashion can break boundaries by connecting people. We have to use our skills to create empathy around these issues and our privilege to be able to help people find their way back into society.
These themes have made me reflect on how I can imply my skills and my degree to make the fashion industry a better place. It’s not just about my creative growth, but it’s also about thinking how can our projects contribute positively to the society’s growth.
The three themes in this unit have been fundamental for me to engage on a deeper level with the fashion world. They have not only informed my creative practice but also my vision. These key concepts have been assimilated by me and now are part of my core values and thought process. Diversity, Social Responsibility and Sustainability will be not limited just to the creativeness within my works but they have also been life lessons.