Blog 1- Lecture Reflection.
At first, I was unsure and curious about what The Better Lives Unit would teach me about Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Diversity, however, through the course of these lectures, I felt that it had broadened my perspective and invoked curiosity in me that made me research and come to the realization that brands are no more about solely the merchandise they manufacture but more importantly the values and message they put out to the world.
The lecture that really spoke to me and that I will be reflecting on is Shahida Bari’s lecture on diversity. During the lecture Shahida made a statement that really stuck with me “Diversity is not only about race”. As a young brown girl I have always felt underrepresented in the fashion/beauty industry, however, in recent years there has been an increase in the representation of people of color in the industry which had previously made me believe that the fashion industry is progressing and changing its ways, however, after attending Shahida’s lecture and hearing her speak about how there is limited inclusion of people in the industry who have different body types, people of different ages, people from the LGBTQ community and in the representation of the disabled community, made me realize the fashion industry has a long way to go for every person to feel represented and for it to be labeled as“diverse”.
Fashion brands need to up their game and ensure that every community is represented and celebrated as Shahida rightly said: “fashion is a visible and creative medium which means it’s presenting a vision of the world” therefore, including different minority groups, will not only boost sales but make every community seen, represented, respected and make the world a BETTER,kinder place. In addition to this Shahida spoke about how diversity is not a trend and should not be an exception to the rule but should be a part of our practice, which I found extremely interesting as we so often witness fashion brands labeling themselves as diverse as a mere marketing strategy or to seem “niche” and trendy, but their actions paint another picture, for example – The Gucci black balaclava jumper that resembles blackface.”Diversity is a buzzword with very little action”
There is no doubt that the fashion industry is trying to change its ways, but it needs to be inclusive when the press and its audience are watching but also behind the scenes, where they are not.
REFERENCES
Shahida Bari (2020),’Diversity Intro’,[Lecture].Better Lives,London College Of Fashion.Acessed on 10/04/2020