Blog 2 – Reflecting On Themes & Work In The Future
The fashion industry can seem superficial, vain and frivolous but if done with the right intentions, it can be very positive and make a change for good. During the Better Lives unit, we focussed on three key themes; diversity, sustainability and social responsibility. I hardly thought about them before when buying new clothes or consuming fashion in another way but it really opened my eyes and showed me how much there still needs to be done. From brands greenwashing consumers, a lack of diversity on catwalks and the media and last but not least, the hard working conditions, the negative aspects quickly stood out.
It has become obvious throughout the unit, that to make it a more positive industry, everyone has to keep these themes in the back of their head before putting out new work. That it is essential — maybe now, in these times of uncertainty, more than ever — to work towards a more mindful approach when it comes to fashion. The production cycle has kept accelerating more and more over the last decade and this could be an opportunity to embrace the change in the world and break the ever-accelerating cycle.
At the beginning of the Contemporary Portrait Photography project, I didn’t really see where to apply these themes but after a few lectures and analysing the work of various photographers, I understood that every image will hugely depend on the person behind the lens. The photographer’s story, background and vision on the world will send a message to the person looking at the final image. What I like about photography is, like with a painting, that everyone can interpret it in their own way. Photography, especially portraits, is very powerful and can quickly intensify a message or alter a reality to create a false one.
Photography is a key part to fashion and the last few months of isolation revealed some great new ways to be creative. Zara, the Spanish high-street label has sent their newest pieces to the models to shoot them at home instead of flying them to beautiful locations or a studio. This not only made the self-portraits look more authentic in the home environment, styling the new collection in their own way but also reduced the expenses and the impact on the environment. Again, it made me think that despite these hard times, we can all learn things from it and by keeping the themes in mind, make the fashion industry more positive.
I’ve learnt a lot of things during the Better Lives unit that I want to apply in the future when creating new work. That even though we’re currently isolated, there are still a lot of ways to apply them and be creative to make a change for good when everything is over.