Luke Evans bl posts
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Understand of how different fields can influence the fashion field “Fashion isn’t just about clothes, it’s about the trends ,it’s about the now” “Technology allows us to do things couldn’t do before” Technology is not just electrical equipment, it’s innovations in previous methods that make that method easier. “It’s the realisation of knowledge into action” The idea of affordances Technology has to be understood to be able to use it and for the masses it has to be not complicated and easy to use as technical understanding is not universal The better life is a lecture on how technology can influence fashion was able to change my thinking and understanding of how the different fields of technology can influence fashion and not just through basic incorporation of technology within production, such as 3-D printing or the advancements used to transport clothing, It can also be used to analyse and understand market trends as well as improve sustainability through limiting over production and creating more transparent company models. “Fashion isn’t just about clothes, it’s about the trends ,it’s about the now” It also made me change the way I thought about technology in general as instead of being just electrical equipment it can also be described/defined as innovations in previous methods that make set method easier. Technology also makes us be able to Do you things we were unable to do before thanks to new innovations and understanding of how different aspects of things work. New technology is coming out all of the time however no matter how useful is it may not be adopted by the masses due to its complexity and inaccessibility as technology needs to be understood in able for it to be used by the widest range of people, and a large amount of technical understanding is needed at the start of most technologies Meaning that her understanding is not universal and therefore get forgotten over time, good example of this is 3-D printing which was invented in the late 60s but was deemed too expensive to use until recent innovations have made them widely available to the public. Perspective is also a very important part of this lecture as technology is the realisation of knowledge into action however not everyone has this knowledge to create new technology which also brings in the idea of affordances. This idea is that the same object can be used for different things by different people which relates to technology as the same piece of technology can be used by different industries and practices for very different reasons however the quote technology does not have to change to do this, a good example of this is the Internet as it is the technology that is why they available, relatively easy to use and the information on it can be used in almost any area of expertise.
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The themes brought up in the better lives lectures made me think about what we do as consumers can affect large companies in different ways, as well as affect the way that the companies produce materials and how sustainable that is.
During my lecture about blockchain technology, I was given the example of a major clothing company such as Primark or New Look and how they manage to produce clothing that is cheap for the consumer to buy. However, these companies are quite unethical due to the way their products are manufactured as to have priced this low they will need to pay the minimum for labour and materials just so they can make a profit. This lecture got me thinking about all the stages that go into making products and how many companies are involved, as well as the power that a consumer has and my thinking surrounding that.
With the example of Primark, it would start at the fields where the material is grown for the manufacture of a shirt, for example. This would then need to be taken to a processing plant and in just that stage there’s the labour of the farmers, the transporting of the material, all resources put into factory work such as water and electricity, and more workers’ labour. This also made me think about responsibility within the fashion community and as a business and how companies that employ unsustainable tactics should be held accountable and also ways that these companies can change so that they produce a more ethical sustainable and environmentally friendly products.
My solution for this problem was to implement an unalterable directory of events that take place during the production, such as transport and labour costs put into the material so that companies would have to acknowledge what goes into making their products. However, I was informed that this is very hard to do due to a multitude of factors. Primarily the fact that it’s very difficult to implement anything that can’t be altered and that can be proven to be true. This is where the lecture deviated into items such as Bitcoin, as it has an immutable currency factor that allows it to be proven and therefore used as a workable currency.
The closest thought I had to something that would work was probably having all the production stages at one facility, this would include the growing, manufacturing, and central hub of the business. Also having an automated which would minimises the need for labour so that the process could be as efficient as possible, also use as little resources as possible and it is recorded due to the need for the machines to be imputed-upon.
Overall this Alexa has made me think about the wider impact that certain companies have on our environment, on the fashion industry and how it can reflect badly upon that company and also other clothing brands when a materials origins cannot be proved.
3
For my better lives project, I was investigating how blockchain technology can be implemented within the parameters of the fashion industry. This would improve the lives of both the retail workers, and the process in which clothing is created. Meaning customers see a more sustainable process of creating clothing. An example of this is Marks and Spencer’s clothing, sending out a wider message to the customers enabling them to be more aware of where their material is sourced from, and the process of labour in which it is made. In this blog post, I will explain how the better lives themes have influenced my outcome and my personal thinking throughout the project.
For my better lives project, I was focusing on the system that would track the progress of the making of clothes; using the theoretical blockchain technology ideas, questioning if they could improve both the lives of the worker and creating an more accessible knowledge of where material is sourced from, and whether it is sustainable or not. To do this, I used the better lives themes as an influence, focusing on the outcome of the project, creating hypothetical technology which would enable me to question whether companies fulfilling their social responsibility, such as sourcing their products from sustainable method. It is their responsibility as a brand and company to provide honest and correct information about where they source their materials, brands should be transparent and strive to have the least damaging effect on the environment, something brands are not currently doing. Sustainable materials, and more sustainable methods of creating clothing would also help, if companies are completing their social responsibility it would also reduce the carbon emissions produced by the fast fashion industry. We need to begin to make brands accountable for the lack of sustainability within their company. Beginning to generate profits to put towards more sustainable efforts, such as, sustainable crop rotation for cotton used in shirts.
One of the problems I ran into during this project was looking into diversity. As instead of this being a targeted project on diversity within the fashion industry, I took a more technological route, exploring sustainability within the rapidly developing fast fashion industry.
I believe that this project has improved my personal development by getting me to think about the ways in which the companies that I purchased from and put my money into use my money. As well as how they create the products, buying fabrics that are not sustainable. This project has made me more socially aware of what I am purchasing. It was also made me question the integrity of companies, due to both their pricing and their business model. It has made me look deeper into different companies and made me think more critically about them.
4
For my final better lives blog post, I will be reflecting on Maisie Henderson’s first blog post in which she talks about how a better life lecture had influenced her thinking on the topic of representation, specifically within the areas of fashion and mainstream culture. She begins discussing the idea of representation in media, as well as the idea of the monoculturist marketing. She began her blog post by breaking down what the context of the lecture was, and the key points illustrated within it. Discussing how they can be applied to both people in fashion and mainstream media. She also mentioned how these themes have influenced her thinking and knowledge, specifically in the areas of the better lives themes: diversity, sustainability, and social responsibility. Reflecting and interacting with the themes, meeting the assignment brief.
When she goes into detail about the specific points of the lecture, she has focused in on the concept of “using one type ethnicity, one body type, one ideal type of person to sell products and set the ideal standard for the individual person”. Making the point that this can lead to self-hatred within minority demographics. Maisie’s blog post covers the better lives themes when talking about diversity. She says about the “introduction of euro-centric culture and the idea of focusing on European culture and history” as this excludes a wider world view, therefore, portrays European culture as prominent in both media and society. Excluding other ideals and cultures which is a none diverse way of thinking. While reading this I was surprised to find out that there were practices such as skin bleaching and other forms of treatment given in places that have media with a very European centric media. I was shocked to find this is considered normal, leading possibly to dysmorphia.
Maisie also talks about out social responsibility of those that prosper in this eurocentric culture, such as the millionaires and companies that promote it and profit of it. She believes that they should be held accountable, as the representation of people of colour in the media reflect how people act and think.
She then goes on to analyse how this can link into cultural appropriation, and how large companies such as Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs have used this in their brand and how it can be insensitive. However, she does not talk about the sustainability issues that this could cause which would have added more weight to her argument. She could have talked about the way in which different areas are affected both economically and culturally and how this is unsustainable in the idea of a social hierarchy and the idea that identity can be influenced through the media and can change quite rapidly. This also links into the notion that areas with lower income and more affected by media with the idea of a model minority.