Anne Godwin-Austen

I read Mhari Tyler’s blog and chose to focus my peer review on it as I thought that her points were laid out clearly, her understanding of certain lectures was definite and the way in which she expanded on what she has heard in order to form her own thoughts was good. In the first paragraph she outlines how the relationship between the producer and the consumer within the fashion industry is symbiotic. She was particularly captivated by the Power lecture by Julia Crew. This was a lecture which had not inspired me, and it was therefore interesting for me to have the points explained in a way which became very intriguing. When I listened to the lecture I found the points quite negative as it seems like there is misleading information within every brand in order to exploit the consumer and produce more money. Mhari, however, makes it seem like a more positive relationship. Touching on points about how without input from either party the whole structure of the fashion industry would collapse.

Mhari makes very clear points of the state our industry is in due to many issues which are becoming progressively worse, for example the environment. She speaks about how people are ruining the planet and we need to learn how to be sustainable and save our planet. She quotes Extinction Rebellion in her blog, this is a good elaboration of her point and explains how without the planet there won’t be any fashion industry anyway so we need to make a change while we have still got a planet to save. I have touched on issues of sustainability in some of my blogs and I think Mhari’s writing expresses the same level of concern as I feel towards this issue. The need for change is now. Mhari also goes on to explain how this change needs to come about, and how students such as ourselves should be standing together and using the power that we have as a collective to drive this change and also to influence and encourage people to do the same. It is only acting together which will allow these positive steps forward to happen. 

During this time of the COVID-19, there is a lot of talk about the environment. The difference we have seen even in a matter of weeks during the lockdown, with us being indoors and therefore not going out-and-about polluting the planet, is colossal. It is almost as if we have wound back time enough for us to be able to start making a positive change. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Mhari’s blog about sustainability and power, and I think that the points which she reflected on in the lectures are crucial to the evolution of the fashion industry from now on.  

The Better Lives themes seem more topical then ever at the moment with the recent pandemic. Businesses, brands and individuals all locked away and struggling to keep the wolf from the door. I was intrigued by the question “is it going to make a difference to the fashion industry?” The last thing on anyone’s minds is their next pair of jeans, instead the topics being flung about are the environment, sustainability and change. After this is over we do not need to go back to normal, we need to change. 

The impact that the fashion industry/fast fashion has on the environment, workers wellbeing and the knock on to high end fashion is huge. Our clothes need to be sourced sustainably, the big brands should focus on the aesthetics of fashion again instead of churning out multiple seasons a year. We need to consider how many clothes we actually need. Riz Ahmed stated “Who are we without the productivity?” This is an interesting concept as I think we have learnt to rely on productivity, commercialism and branding to form our identities and maybe living through this lockdown away from the constant drive to strive, our mindsets may change. People tend to have a shorter attention span with clothes, buying one thing, getting bored, not wearing it and so buying more; or even buying something because it’s a ‘trend’ when it is unwearable to them. This is causing the biggest problems in the fashion industry in terms of sustainability. It is said that apparel and footwear contribute to 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions and that the fashion industry is the “third highest polluting industry in the world.” 

I had focused on sustainability as a theme in my practice but wanted to do justice to how I have felt since the lockdown. When looking at different styling inspiration or items of clothing I had around the house for looks for my Better Lives, BA Fashion Styling and Production unit, I really had to consider how to make it work during the pandemic as access to clothes, facilities, and models etc was limited. This challenge was an exciting one and it made me consider in depth the experimentation that could be done with the items and locations I had – this challenge made the outcome more rewarding. In sportswear, I feel like there is a huge variety of styles and technologies which are accepted but are unnecessary, and I had fun playing around with this idea. What factors are indispensable in sportswear, and what is just an accepted norm which actually can be interchanged with other more lighthearted designs and styles. 

In the first styling masterclass, along with 5 other students, I picked items from a rail and threw together looks which were unique, modern, eye-catching and challenging in terms of accepted sportswear norms. We wanted to challenge gender norms to display inclusivity and diversity, and we achieved this by interchanging men’s and women’s shoes, and focusing on poses associated with butch men or male workwear, but displayed by women. We put the men in heels and focused on body hair and joyous scenes of sports celebration to really highlight the ideas that we are in it together to win together, regardless of body shape, beauty standard etc. I found this project very enjoyable and loved working as a team to achieve an outcome which looked good and followed the themes of the better lives unit. 

For the second masterclass, as mentioned above, I had less material to work with but found some old sportswear I could use and wanted to do a Victorian take on sportswear as I had some old props and garments with which to work. I styled two looks, an old fashioned sportswear/tennis look, and a ski look. As with the first masterclass, I wanted the footwear to be intriguing to the viewer and make them question the focus of the look. In spite of the struggle with photography and facilities, I really enjoy the second styling masterclass and I am happy with the resulting looks.

The lectures taught me a lot about the problems with the fashion industry at the moment, highlighting brands who have made mistakes in these areas and suggesting ways to improve the world of fashion. My mindset has expanded to realise we need to change and be more considerate moving forward in the fashion industry. The main lecture themes that resonated with me were wellbeing, diversity, representation, and sustainability. These themes relate to how people and the planet are treated in the industry, and I look forward to incorporating these themes into my work.

Fashion photography is at the centre of media and communications within the fashion industry. In order to portray a positive image to consumers, the product or brand must be represented accurately and thoughtfully by the photography. This is why it is so important in my practice to think about the points which I have outlined above. My main aim is to work to minimise mental health, discrimination, and environmental issues within the fashion industry. The first way I would do this is by promoting a supportive psychological background to fashion by allowing campaigns or shoots to include messages for diversity or togetherness. This will help the consumer to feel involved in areas of fashion which they might before have been excluded from. Eating disorders are one issue which should’ve been tackled a long time ago and if photographers and brands chose healthy models for a shoot (for example), it would show that the desired look isn’t to be underweight. This would enable the models to realise they do not have to be below a certain size, and also would help the consumer and the viewer of the photos to realise they are a normal size and do not have to conform to unrealistic beauty standards which we see so often portrayed in the media and the fashion industry. Using models from all cultures, ages, races, and sizes, as well as using a range of different looks will help with inclusivity and this is my aim in my practice going forward. I also know that I am only happy to work for brands who promote this along with values such as caring about the origin of the clothes, not supporting sweatshops or fast fashion and being anthropocentric, putting the wellbeing of the workers and consumers before profit. In 2017 Paris swore to ban all models from their runways who were underweight, or “ultra-thin” starting with Paris Fashion Week. The models had to have a note from a doctor confirming their weight to be healthy. This meant that the viewers of the shows were shown clothes as they would look on a person of a healthy weight rather then someone unrealistically skinny, and that the models avoided the dieting, fasting, and starving that they might have put themselves through before shows previously. In my opinion, and especially after listening to the lectures in the Better Lives unit, I believe steps like this are a really positive move forward. This is what I will be trying to achieve in my own practice, and I will use my knowledge from the lectures and examples which they used to also support and drive my work. 

References

BBC News (06.05.17)  France bans extremely thin models. Available at (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39821036) (20.03.20)

The Better Lives unit introduced many examples of problems and solutions within fashion which relate to culture, diversity and sustainability. The lectures taught me many things I hadn’t yet considered and I am very happy that we have had these points outlined in depth for us so I can take them into account when doing my own practice. There were some lectures in particular which highlighted problems I need to avoid and important social issues of which I could possibly influence and raise awareness. 

I found the ‘Cultural Sustainability’ lecture by John Lau really interesting. He started by outlining the definitions of objective and subjective culture which made me aware of the different situations where culture is introduced and the influence this may have globally on fashion. When cultural norms are modernised it can lead to them developing and this is essential to drive the fashion industry forward. If people do not understand the meaning behind a cultural piece of clothing, the item becomes simply a costume, which leads to cultural appropriation. I have a much clearer understanding of the issues around cultural appropriation due to the ‘Cultural Sustainability’ lecture and I am now determined to consider ways to avoid and solve problems surrounding this. We should all be striving to achieve cultural competence – people should consider inclusion and representation when designing, not just the aesthetic. If you can take a culture into account and work not only to represent, but also to provide support for that culture, this can lead to a productive outcome for all. However, if you simply exploit their culture for the aesthetics then this can lead to appropriation. 

I also found the wellbeing lecture by Jekaterina Rogaten intriguing as it went into depth about the psychological factors which should be considered in fashion. Very often this is an area which is ignores and which can cause mental health, environmental and exploitation issues within the fashion industry. For example with creatives like Alexander McQueen, Isabella Blow and Kate Spade, their lives were all ended early as they were weighed down by the pressures and struggles of the fashion industry. Ideas like the ‘Paradox of Choice’, ‘Cognitive Dissonance Theory’ and ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ suggest solutions to poor wellbeing in the fashion industry, and I find this area fascinating. The depth of information in the lectures has helped me to understand the extent of the problem. In order to reach a sustainable, diverse and responsible outcome we need to first work on the mindset of the people in the industry and work outwards. This also includes thinking about not only the needs of the designers and people running the industry, but also the consumers. We should be striving to decrease the number of eating disorders and people with body dysmorphia, and stop producing images that can lead to lack of confidence and identity issues which people face due to unrealistic body standards in the media. Inclusion, diversity and representation of all people should be at the forefront of our industry. The Diversity and Representation lecture by Teleica Kirkland was very useful to help highlight these issues currently in the industry and show why we need to make a difference. 

I think that if we focus on these main values in our lives and our work then the fashion industry will become more friendly, inclusive, and representative.