Xiaoqing Zhou

Within Better Lives Unit, I have attended the session of Fashion Activism in the past several months. As an outcome, my group has successfully created a gif that corresponding to collections of the brand “Nubian Skin”. At the same time of cultivating ability on demonstrating idea, I further have a deep comprehension towards theme “diversity”.

First and foremost, promoting “Nubian Skin” collection helps me in redefining the word “diversity” in a border horizon, especially in both positions of brand founder and viewers.

In order to making advertising film in conformity with its identity, history and ethos, my group did a lots of research at the first stage. Therefore, in primary research, my group successfully gathered all useful information in different aspects like publicity shots, props, model, setting and slogan. In this process, I have gradually seen how “diversity” is defined in originators’ eyes, with different body sizes in photos, with slogans of “freedom” and “different beauties”, with color palette of nude. All those visual languages soon raise my awareness towards popular stereotypes that exists Instead the brand itself, I would rather believe that “ Nubian Skin” teaches a lesson on distinguishing body inclusivity or color.

In part two, my team has converted the perspective into customers and further reflected how advertisement shaped our first impression. Group members have highlighted common concerns of guests and finally put them into outcome based on original positioning. For instance, our gif have collaborated with slogan like “Comfort in any sizes” and “Confidences for all beauties”. To developing the theme in-depth, group choose to represent conceptions of “racial diversity” that declared against stereotypes by creating our own illustrations. It is valuable for me to see how other members view “diversity” with different understandings.

Furthermore, creating gifs also strengthens my skills to transform ideas into essence. Specifically, my challenge is to added illustrated elements toward photos. In this process, I have experimented different shades, colors, lines and each impacts that applies to the page. By introducing nude colors, the illustration can directly reflect different skin tones as a whole, which implies the inclusiveness of the brand. Replicating the outline of underwear with light color helps in emphasizing the focus with a strong visual impact. Even changing the brush sizes can create different female figures with different muscularities in aesthetics. Therefore, I have learned that various combinations of drawing techniques can deliver diverse messages. Especially as a imaging maker, I should concern more about messaging’s accuracy and efficiency.

In this project, one of our strength is that we’ve leaded a good discussion and communication in group. Each members have provided a lot of ideas in order to enrich the content of final outcomes. With samples, other group members would passionately give advice for improvement.Looking back on now, better lives unit is a beneficial journey that provides to me to engage with other friends from media program. It is instructive and inspirational to see how other students have interpreted the theme with their specialized fields.

On the other hand, there are still some weaknesses existing in final outcome. One of the flaw is that my group didn’t introduce any background musics towards gif. A good song in most cases is able to attract audiences to content in the first place. For improvement, I would always remind myself to add music to video or moving image in future to invoke emotional reaction from viewers.

In short, this assignment offers me an opportunity to better take parts in better lives units. As a fashion student, better lives is not a irrelevant topic that goes far from our work since all experiments, research, brainstorming that we did in course are enriching our working style in future.

My group outcome link: “Draw my Nubian Skin”.
https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/9ae54b6e-fb0f-404e-9e59-fd7891cf6741

In Better lives unit, sustainability, diversity and social responsibility as three main themes has been concretely discussed in different sessions. I soon realized that more and more fashion workers nowadays have devoted all their energies and time to stimulating the development of fashion system. All of those examples are acting as a proper guidance for all fashion students and engaging us more in exploring sustainable fashion.

Fashion designers have gradually conceived some new ideas to appeal for sustainability in fashion industry. Vivienne Westwood as one of the successful brand founders has introduced the conception of “recycle”, “green”, and “animal care” into her design in last twenty years. For instance, Westwood has produced a bag collection entitled “Handmade with Love.” The products were created by local artisans in African under fair and ethical conditions, using recycled materials such as canvas, re-purposed roadside banners and brass (Veridiano, 2018), which is consistent with brands’ approach that “We aim to make the most of the resources that go into our products, reusing, recycling and reimagining as we go.” (Vivienne Westwood, 2020) Except well-known designers, numerous brands are making arduous efforts on selling sustainable goods. The footwear manufacturer Allbirds takes advantage of natural resources like wool, bean oils, and cardboard to improve ecosystem.(Allbirds, 2020) Everybody.World builds the brand with the slogan “From our Trash Tee, Made from 100% Recycled Cotton to the Contributor Collection.” (Everybody.World, 2020)

As more brands raises awareness towards sustainability, fashion industry comes the revolution.

The first reform is the ideological transformation. For me, above samples highlight the importance on choosing materials. As a fashion media student, I should select all mediums with carefulness in the future. Before starting any projects, I have the duty to check whether it is a recyclable material. If not, is it possible for me to choose similar resources instead?Also, observing surroundings and looking for waste that closes to hand is another approaches to set the work. Nowadays, more and more artists are turning junks into glorious creature. One of the typical example is the “Wild Mood Swing” that created by Tim Noble and Sue Webster. Although the sculpture is made of garbages, the outcome powerfully enhanced their values by transferring the abstract form into essence.(Artsper Magazine, 2020) Therefore, reinterpreting and reusing available materials may offer surprise for fashion workers.

Another remarkable reform is the branding. Similar with most of fashion students, I would like to set up my own brand and studio. In this way, brand identity and mission appears to be particularly important. As what Allbirds and Everybody. World suggest, selecting natural resource without exploiting people nor planet should be consider as my primary brand ethos. Furthermore, many brands like Levis, Madewell are continuously recycling the vintage fashion in decades and reconditioning into latest trend. At the same time of realizing sustainability, the enterprise that operating selling and recycling as a integration have a competitive advantage, which goes against market of Fast Fashion.

All in all, there are already some fashion brands act as predecessor to corresponding with better fashion system. Their actions affect both my learning process and further planning in a positive direction. In a long term, better lives theme can reshape my views and values in an eye of fashion.

Bibliography:

Artsper Magazine. 2020. 10 Artists Working In Recycled Art | Artsper Magazine. [online] Available at: https://blog.artsper.com/en/get-inspired/top-10-of-recycled-art/ [Accessed 3 May 2020].

Allbirds. 2020. Carbon Footprint For Shoes | Our Sustainability Approach | Allbirds. [online] Available at: https://www.allbirds.com/pages/sustainability [Accessed 3 May 2020].

EVERYBODY.WORLD. 2020. About Us. [online] Available at: https://everybody.world/pages/about [Accessed 3 May 2020].

Veridiano, R., 2020. Vivienne Westwood: Activist Or Queen Of Greenwash? — Remake. [online] Remake. Available at: https://remake.world/stories/news/vivienne-westwood-denounces-her-new-documentary-for-not-telling-her-activist-story-but-do-her-actions-speak-as-loud-as-her-words/ [Accessed 3 May 2020].

WWW.VIVIENNEWESTWOOD.COM. 2020. Our Approach | Vivienne Westwood. [online] Available at: https://www.viviennewestwood.com/zh/our-approach/ [Accessed 3 May 2020].

After accessing different lectures, the theme of “Culture” caught my attention. In this blog, I have listed some of my opinions and doubts about the deficiency of fashion development in such domain.

Culture and Diversity

In Shahidha’ speech, she mainly interpreted the theme of “Diversity” in fashion industry. Due to phenomenon of “little actions behinds marketing”, “Taste on beauty”, and “Cultural misinterpretation” (Diversity and inclusion in fashion industry, 2019), diversity seems to stand inside a potential safety line in fashion category. This conception then raised my awareness towards cultural studies and research.

From my perspective, the definition of “Fashion” is varied by different customers with their own preferences. The style such as Punk, Hippie, or Chic are actually the derivatives of fashion. Therefore, it becomes difficult for introducing diversity in a specific brand or in physical presence. Does diversity can only be reflected on multiracial models for advertisement? Or we can really explore diversification far beyond that?

I have learned that qualified fashion workers should be aware of the essence of culture, to see depths of culture in John’s lecture. He has given an example of Mount Fuji in different perspectives between Japan and Western country, which warned me to seek certain interpretation in research process. This remind me of Dolce & Gabbana’s discriminatory advertisement. In November 2018, D&G has posted a video that a model who dressed in typical Chinese costume tried to have a pizza by using chopsticks with exaggerated expression. (Segran E, 2018) The original purpose seems like to embrace the diversity and make collaboration between Chinese Culture and Western Culture. However, Culture is far more than visible scene. It is too superficial to take advantage of cultural output without define its potential interpretation. Therefore, culture and diversity are actually complicated theories for all fashion students to conquer. What meaning is hidden behinds visible representation? How can we completely understand a culture? To what extents, are we able to integrate culture without bring racist beliefs? We need to maintain a cautious attitude about cultural appropriation.

Consumer Culture and Sustainability

In Cultural category, “Consumerism” is a conception has been repeatedly discussed. In Anna’s speech, it has been defined as an ideology to seek happiness through consumption. Kate also mentioned in Power & Media section that “Never wearing the same clothes twice” became the mainstream trend. However, this culture actually delivers a negative message towards fashion market and further leads an unsustainability in long term. Kate argues that Nature is the enabler of fashion system. Indeed, fashion products are continuously drawing natural support for raw materials. When market goes to mass production, all consumptions in crops and animals are sharply increasing at the same time.

Us, all LCF students, we must be the main force who may control the digital market and guide the public opinion. It’s our duties to appeal for sustainability and promote positive influence in fashion industry. Instead of consumer culture, can we create a new culture to embrace nature and save limited resource? For designer, can recyclable fabric be considered as primary option? In media department, can environmental protection be focused as main theme for advertisement? In business, can second hand fashion be promoted as major trend?

All in all, although Better lives Unit raises student’s consciousness on sustainability, there are still many obstacles existing in fashion industry before taking real action.

Citation:

Segran, E. (2018). Why does luxury fashion hate Chinese consumers?. [online] Fast Company. Available at: https://www.fastcompany.com/90273073/why-does-luxury-fashion-hate-chinese-consumers [Accessed 22 Feb. 2020].

Diversity and Inclusion in the fashion industry. (2019). United Kingdom: Culted.