Elanka Jiang

After looking through some of the blogs and reading about other students’ experiences in the other Better Lives projects, I have chosen to reflect upon Eleanor Parry-Hensley’s third blog post on her outcomes in the Navigating Through Clothing project.

Eleanor’s project outcome featured a playful design for Gretel that really captured the character’s traits while taking into consideration the impacts that come with the realization of her design. Drawing from the fairy tales and stories that she heard growing up, she was inspired to create a design that reflected the “carefree and whimsical” qualities of Gretel’s demeanour while allowing the costume to communicate strong female attributes. While many fairy tales feature princesses in need of saving, it’s refreshing to see a design that features a bright, dainty appearance without imposing any restrictions. By ensuring that the costume does not hinder the actress’s mobility, the characters are able to “adventure freely”, portraying more dynamic personalities that may inspire more diverse female narratives for future generations.

The illustrated diagram included with the blog shows the different components of her design as well as the thought process behind it. The duck pattern that Eleanor chose as a print pays homage to the two children’s interactions with wildlife in the story. This focus on the animals, in addition to creating a “childlike” appearance, also demonstrates the significance of nature and the need for the preservation of natural wildlife habitats. The importance of sustainability in the design was also highlighted in Eleanor’s reflection as she considered the material composition of the costume. Using cotton as a “sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable” material, would allow her to ensure that the production of her costume would create minimal impact on the environment. However, obtaining the materials from responsible sources would also help to ensure ethnic and socially responsible labour and practices throughout the supply chain.

One of my personal favourite aspects of this design is its practicality. As many costumes are often restrictive, too revealing, or overburdening on the wearer, this design values the importance of the actress’s comfort without sacrificing the design needs to portray Gretel’s character. By ensuring that the garment is made ready for expressive actions, it also allows the actress to “immerse” herself into the character’s narrative as if wearing custom armour made to prepare for an adventure. In doing so, Eleanor’s design also ensures the well-being of the people on stage, maximizing the positive impacts on all the groups involved in every aspect of the garment’s lifecycle. In her comprehensive blog post, Eleanor’s design and reflection demonstrates her understanding and implementation of all three of the Better Lives themes.

References: Parry-Hensley, E. (2020) ‘Blog 3 Reflecting on my Navigating Through Clothing Project Outcome and Personal Development’ myBlog 19/20 Better Lives SMC, 30 April. Available at: https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/04/30/blog-3-5/

For my Better Lives module, I chose the styling and production: in and outside of fashion, sportswear fashion language and sub-cultures project. I was particularly interested in this project because I love playing sports and staying active in my everyday life. As a consumer of sportswear and a creative illustrator, I also wanted to experiment in design so I thought this styling opportunity would be a perfect way for me to combine two of my passions.

From subcultures to streetwear, I was truly blown away by all the different styles that were introduced to us. I was only familiar with athleticwear built for exercise such as the basic t-shirts, shorts, trainers, sports bras etc. Although I did feel a little bit lost in discussing subcultures such as punk, hip-hop, grudge and skinheads, it was fascinating to learn about their influence on modern fashion and sportswear. The lectures delivered by the styling and production team were also very informative, including many references of designers and stylists that helped inspire our own looks that we put together in the masterclasses. Within our projects, we were encouraged to consider the Better Lives in our styling practice and were introduced to designers that worked used recycled materials and worked sustainably such as Adidas, working with AMSilk and Parley for the Oceans, finding new purpose for waste.

In the first masterclass that took place before the Easter Break, we had the opportunity to bring in items from our own wardrobe and experiment to create some styled looks using sustainable, second-hand clothing and pieces of scrap material. At first, I was quite nervous about this as my everyday clothes are quite plain, all I had were actual activewear and I didn’t have anything cool that could be considered streetwear. With my limited knowledge of subcultures and few material contributions, I wanted to take a step back in the masterclass but instead, I volunteered to be one of the models when no one else wanted to. Despite normally shying away from the centre of attention, I had a rewarding experience by going out of my comfort zone. One of the looks that we came with was composed of a graphic novel bodysuit with padded arms and shoulders paired with a hot pink mini skirt and metallic high boots. This first look redefined femininity and body types, allowing for more representation in media. The second look was composed of a red jersey and a red plaid skirt, creating more of a streetwear look. As a Canadian Chinese person, I always enjoy seeing more representation in media so it was great to have the opportunity model in this masterclass. I am really grateful that we could conduct the masterclass workshop. The final styled looks that we came up with were unconventional and strayed away from gender stereotype, allowing me to consider more diversity and representation in my work.

References: Savage, K. (2020) ‘The Better Lives Themes and Your Creative Practice’. [Lecture]. Better Lives, In and outside of fashion: Sportswear Fashion language and sub-cultures. University of the Arts London. 1 May.

Considering the recent global crisis, many things have changed as we learn to adapt to this new normal. In a time where people should be coming together for the greater good, there are still differences in worldviews that are driving us apart as a society. Having seen the issues we face today, I’ve have had the opportunity to reflect on how my work as a creative could be used to better the lives of others.

The Better Lives theme that resonates the most with me is diversity. As a Canadian-Chinese studying in London, I’ve always been proud of my roots and my experiences as a first-generation immigrant that make me who I am. Growing up in Canada, a country that prides itself in its diversity and views its multinationalism as one of is greatest strengths, I’ve never been ashamed of my ethnicity. Growing up as a part of an ethnic minority I hardly saw people that looked like myself in mainstream media and it has made me realize the importance of representation in an individual’s cultural identity. It’s fantastic that fashion media has made improvements towards diversity in recent years, but recent incidents have revealed the general western world’s underlying attitudes towards Asian minorities. I’ve experienced my own fair share of cultural shock in London; (more so in recent times) from all the subtle racist comments to getting weird looks, hearing horror stories from friends, reading about tragedies in the news, and seeing people post degrading misinformation on social media.

So what can I do about all of this?

As the world holds its breath in this time of uncertainty, I’m finding it quite difficult to fight the feelings of insignificance as our front-line responders are out there facing the real battle. Although technology has allowed us to continue our studies from all over the world, it’s not the same as picking-up exactly where we left off before Easter Break. Amid all the confusion, one of the reminders from my tutors that has kept me going is that, as creatives, we have the ability to make something out of nothing.

In my future work as a fashion illustrator, I want to address these collective issues and concerns that are often overlooked by mainstream fashion media. Through the image-making process, I want my audience to feel represented and understood. Issues regarding racism, cultural appropriation, and segregation can be sensitive subjects but through the use of social media and other forms of communication, I want to let others know that they’re not alone. Instead of using diversity conveniently in media, these differences should be celebrated. In doing so, we are capable of inspiring feelings of belonging and reassurance for those that may feel marginalized. By encouraging the conversation about something that shouldn’t be tolerated, we can stop this from becoming something is often normalized. This global pandemic has allowed me to consider how my work can be a means of improving the well being of others through diversity and social responsibility.

As one of the biggest industries in the world, fashion is more than just clothes, it is comprised of design, communication, and business, a massive industry of global influence. Today’s fashion students are the industry professionals of tomorrow and it is crucial to learn about the impacts of our actions on the world around us, to use our work as a catalyst for better lives.

Having explored the three aspects of Better Lives through a variety of thought evoking lectures, one of the talks that stood out the most to me was the Well-Being lecture by Dr Jekaterin Rogaten, as it addressed that of not only the consumers but a wide variety of stakeholder groups. This lecture was very informative as it distinguished the different types of well-being and how they were relevant in our lives. One of the first concepts she mentioned was the idea of Positive Psychology, the study of the positive elements that contribute to happiness or feelings of individual fulfilment. A significant aspect she highlighted was the importance of having a net positive; instead of merely reducing negative factors in order to achieve personal growth. A relevant example of this would be the simple question of “how are you?”, often a common response would be “I’m okay” or “not bad”. Neither of which implies positivity but instead lack of negativity. This process of trying to maximize positive effects and minimizing negative effects leads to hedonic or subjective well-being. Her lecture continues to identify the importance of eudemonic or psychological well being, one that strives for self-actualization through self-acceptance and personal growth, which can lead to a more meaningful life.

By identifying the different types of well-being and the impact each can have on our lives, this lecture also provoked me to consider the significance of well being in my everyday life.  Consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental impacts of fast fashion. The hedonic treadmill theory helps to explain the psychological aspect behind the impulses to buy as people keep consuming more to strive for short thills that come with owning a new garment. After becoming aware of this psychological aspect that fashion businesses often capitalize though the promotion of new styles every season, I am more aware of my role as a consumer. In addition to considering the well being of consumers, that of the producers and labourers of the fashion industry should also be prioritized. In recent years, the importance of well-being has become more prevalent as the widespread of social media raises concerns of mental health in the younger generation. The fashion industry is known for setting beauty standards and social media has become a platform for both positive and negative communication; increases in diversity and representation in media has allowed for greater feelings of acceptance and inclusion. Spreading awareness of the importance of well-being and its influence of those around us and making such changes in the fashion industry is a step in the right direction towards better lives. 

References: Rogaten, J. (2020) ‘Well-being’ [Lecture]. Better Lives. University of the Arts London. 1 May.