Better Lives- Blogpost 2 Reflection
As a Styling student, I am supposed to have a ‘bigger picture’ outlook on fashion. I observe and reflect on what is the fashion industry to me: the mirror of our society. I try to portrait a new perception of it and create images to tell stories. As I study and work in this industry, I can clearly see a lot of issues that are more and more seen and talked about.
The Better Lives lectures was for me the introduction into a three dimensional way (lectures,workshops, practice) of seeing those issues. We discussed many perception of the fashion industry in these lectures, including sustainability, diversity and social responsibility. Those three are the key to a better future for the industry and everything that surrounds it.
Sustainability is really being put forward in my studies and practice. It’s a notion that I familiarized myself with this year. I had a previous project called « Radical Sustainability » and it guided me through the reality of practicing sustainability habits in my work. Such as sourcing clothes in a different way (vintage clothes, customizing clothes to create some modification, loaning clothes from sustainable ‘green’ designers), and working with a particular goal in production (reducing waste) is difficult. The outcome of this experience was that I came to realize the planning that sort of shoots demands; it involves more care and time because of the ‘unusual’ aspect of it. We’re not yet used of being careful with sustainability especially in the fashion industry. It is, after all, the most pollutant industry in the world.
It is important to note that raising awareness on the topic of sustainability was demonstrated mainly by social media, as it was an already discussed topic that only came into action recently thanks to the popularity and hype factor of brands such as Marine Serre.
Diversity is beginning to be put forward in editorials and media. With social media, people claims for change in representation (cancel culture helped make and break people that were abusing of the system) and it allows recognition for a lot of different people (with different backgrounds and ethnicities,shapes, genders, sizes and disabilities) in the fashion industry to come out and be heard. The fashion industry is still recognized as a privileged and elitist industry but it’s starting to change and is slowly evolving in that direction. Diversity in representation and inside of the industry is for me a basic human right that should be absolutely put on forward.
It is part of our social responsibility to make and create a better industry for the future. If I’m able to be an impactful actor in this industry, I wish to change peoples minds on those subjects. It is about creating stories and being heard, the fashion industry is often being glamorized because it showcase luxury and privileged culture but it is still a deeply flawed system.
In conclusion, the Better Lives lectures greatly influenced my thinking and emphasized my beliefs. It gave me motivation to act more towards the creation of an industry that I would proudly be a part of.