Blog Post 2

Since embarking on the ‘Better Lives’ unit, I’ve been doing my best in keeping the three main themes in my mind, especially when it comes to decision making. I’d say that the theme I’ve been engaging with the most so far would be sustainability. I’ve definitely been noticing how sustainability has been impacting my shopping habits. I’ve made it my mission to make sure that I do more research on the products that I buy, trying to think about it’s production process and not just about the final end product. I’d say that this has made me become more of a conscious consumer. However I think that the theme that I’ve learnt about the most so far would be diversity. This unit has taught me that my previous knowledge of diversity has been quite brief and I still wasn’t thinking about the different aspects of diversity. Watching the diversity lecture brief with Shahidha Bari has taught me that race isn’t the only aspect of diversity, and that there are many variations to how the term ‘diversity’ can be defined and explored. The ‘Better Lives’ project that I’ve been involved with is the ‘Sportswear Fashion Language and Subcultures’ (Fashion Styling and Production) project, and from listening to the lectures I’ve been learning about how diversity can affect the styling practice. It is important for brands and stylists to consider how their decisions are being portrayed in the looks created. Cultural and class appropriation has become a controversial topic that arises from how designers are creating their looks for the runway. It is important for stylists and designers to stay within the fine line of appreciation and appropriation. Sure, it may seem to be a good idea to take elements of other classes and cultures to mix with the different looks created, however when the runway isn’t representative of the actual people in that class or culture, it can be seen as an attempt of brands trying to be diverse without actually being inclusive. An example of cultural appropriation is the use of dreadlocks for the Marc Jacobs SS17 show and in terms of class appropriation, Moschino and Burberry have been condemned for creating the “upper-class image” look with trends that’ve been lifted from the street rather than being inspired by the abstract (chav, e.g Moschino’s McDonalds).

As a PR student I do believe that all 3 of the Better Lives themes will have an affect on how I work in the future. In terms of sustainability I’ll find more innovative ways to promote different brands without creating excess waste such as more sustainable PR packages to be sent to the press. When creating content with different brands it’ll be vital to make sure the brand is actually socially responsible and not just have that be a brand image sellpoint, but to actually make sure that it is part of the brand values. Another point that I would like to highlight is about making sure that I try to be selective with the brands that I work with. Hopefully whatever brand or designer that I work with has the concept of being diverse and inclusive a part of their brand identity.