Blog 2
Themes Reflection
The three pillars of the Better Lives Unit- social responsibility, diversity and sustainability have played an integral role in shaping my creative practice. It is only after the Better Lives Unit that I have truly understood the importance of these pillars in making the ever-changing fashion industry pertinent in contemporary times. The lectures have been a great tipping point, enabling me to broaden my outlook as a fashion styling and production student.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the only certainty is the uncertainty and nobody knows what the new normal is going to be, the lecture on Empathy made me realise how important it is to be compassionate. Empathy is defined as “the art of stepping imaginatively into the shoes of another person, understanding their feels and perspectives and using that understanding to guide your actions.” This lecture also got me thinking about how misogynistic fashion has become and how brands are often using female models as objects of provocation. A case in example is the 2004 Gucci campaign which featured model Carmen Cass with a ‘G’ shaved into her nether regions. I kept these points in mind when doing the fashion activism project in which we had to design an ad campaign. This lecture definitely helped sensitise me to these issues. (Arts Moodle: Log in to the site, 2020)
The representation lecture made me realise that diversity and representation are words that have been hackneyed by professionals in the fashion industry to such an extent that their meaning has been devalued. After attending this lecture, I realised that traditional notions of beauty like fair skin and long hair are really passéand we need to redefine our ideas of beauty. My future projects will include models from different ethnicities and I would like my team to include professionals from varied backgrounds. It is wonderful working with symbols and other forms of representation from various cultures, but diversity should not come at the cost of social responsibility. I would definitely study the background of these cultures and the relevance of the said symbols in these cultures before using them in my work. (Arts Moodle: Log in to the site, 2020)
Kate Fletcher’s lecture on nature was an eye-opener for me as it showed the colossal amount of damage caused by the fashion industry to the environment. It made me question my work practice. Before this lecture, I had never paid attention to the source from where I was getting all the apparel and accessories as also the composition of the material used for my photoshoots. I have realised now that, to sustain in this world, we need to use materials compatible with our environment. Plastics and synthetics certainly need to go on the back burner now. It would also be better to buy second hand clothing, refurbish existing items or else buy materials that do not violate the environment that we live in. (Arts Moodle: Log in to the site, 2020)
We need to change our thinking, our work practices and our society. “Clothes aren’t going to change the world. The women who wear them will”- Anne Klein.
Bibliography:
Moodle.arts.ac.uk. 2020. Arts Moodle: Log In To The Site. [online] Available at: <https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/885573/mod_page/content/22/Better%20Lives%20Lecture_Lorraine%20Gamman_Empathy_2020.pdf> [Accessed 12 April 2020].
Moodle.arts.ac.uk. 2020. Arts Moodle: Log In To The Site. [online] Available at: <https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/885576/mod_page/content/21/Better%20Lives%20Lecture_Teleica%20Kirkland_Representation_2020.pdf> [Accessed 12 April 2020].
Moodle.arts.ac.uk. 2020. Arts Moodle: Log In To The Site. [online] Available at: <https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/885569/mod_page/content/25/Better%20Lives%20Lecture%20Kate%20Fletcher_Nature_2020.pdf> [Accessed 12 April 2020].