Blog 1: POWER
Throughout my tumultuous life, one question has constantly bothered me: Who owns the power? Hearing Julia Crew asking this exact question convinced me that her lecture will be of a high impact on me. Maybe it’s a harsh thing to admit, but as a go-getter, carrier-oriented, ambitious girl – I’ve always dreamt of at least being in that power-owning small exclusive circle. Here is actually why I came to LCF, but never in a million years have I expected to become this human-rights activist.
But does power really matter, or is it just a means of making something credible? As a Public Relations and Communications student, I need to know what’s “on” now, and what is the most talked-about thing that eventually will be, as Julia said, either even cooler in 10 years or completely forgotten. I have realised that now I need to incorporate in all the upcoming narratives that I will build a sense of social responsibility. Making people aware of the impact their actions have on the society, and ultimately on our planet. Are Influencers used in the right way? How come the only thing that makes an influencer cool is the multiple outfits they showcase? As said during the lecture “The influencer economy of Instagram alone is valued at $1 billion and 94% of businesses said influencer marketing was an effective campaign strategy”, so why can’t we use those influencers to change mentalities and attitudes?
Yes, sometimes we are not even aware of the real message of an advert – and that means one single thing, the lack of education and clear communication. We as humans cannot expect everyone around us to share our views towards an advert because that’s what makes sense to us. People need to understand that what is normal to them will probably never be to someone else – and that is ok. We should stop playing psychological games on our consumers and make our goals crystal clear. Since fashion has been a medium to visually communicate power for centuries – we can use that power, just like many other brands such as Les Recuperables, Nudie Jeans, Olderbrother, and many more to communicate clear messages regarding why sustainability is crucial these days, or even why being aware of what your clothes are made out of could change how our world would look like in 50 years.
Let’s use the power we have to make life better.
References
Crew, J. (2020) ‘ POWER’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 10 February.