Blog – Better Lives.
Initially, my face value thoughts of better lives were that it was about exploring and delving deep into different issues within fashion for example environmental issues. Watching the lectures has shown me that it is more than that, cultural ideas and ideologies are discussed int this unit, lecture two was the most interesting and my favorite lecture to date.
Sustainability and culture are two topics explored in the second lecture, and an important point about sustainability is that; sustainability is not just about buying items made from other things, but also about becoming sustainable in all parts of your life and what your values are. One quote that stuck to me was “Everything is connected essentially this means that nature and everything that we do or engage in is related, for example, if I were only to start making clothes from a specific material and concentrate only on one area to support it, I wouldn’t focus on another area that isn’t healthy. Being 100% sustainable isn’t something you can only do half-heartedly it will require your entire focus and In most cases in 21st-century life is impossible. This stuck with me the most as it enabled me to see that being sustainable isn’t only about what you decide to concentrate on but it is about being sustainable in all parts of your life.
Fashion in itself is seen as a culture in which other cultures are free to live freely within, fashion is also a culture which delves into there cultures for its own gain. Fashion itself also has many subcultures that usually define how a person is and how to live their life. For example, sportswear is both a style and a subculture within fashion someone who may have an interest in sportswear may live a sport filled lifestyle. And an interesting quote that was also mention was that fashion is immaterial but the clothing itself is material this industry created a barrier and distinction between fashion and clothing. The divide was an interesting one to hear as it introduced the idea that fashion and clothing are two different entities working together for the greater good of one another. It argued that fashion is generally the ideas and not the practice whereas clothing is the practice, this was very interesting and delving deeper I agree to a certain extent as I believe one could not exist without the other, they work cohesively to benefit one another.
Delving deeper into the lecture points about fashion clothing and sustainability I am able to come to a discussion that is; it is not fashion that is contributing to global issues but it is clothing and it should not be referred to as a “fashion footprint” but a material footprint. Fashion is not The contributor it is the idea, whereas clothing is the execution of that idea.
To conclude lecture 2 has been one of my favorite lectures as it had an impact on the way I thought about fashion and sustainability working together.