Julia Rodrigalvarez Marin

At the beginning of this week we finished our Better Lives projects´ online lectures. In this last session, we looked through all the students concepts´ designs. Throughout the rest of this week, I have been considering my peers´ works and reading through several blogs from another projects students. After all, I have been fascinated by some of the outcomes, being Annie Foo´s blogs and design the most oustanding development to me. 

Regarding what I read from her first blog, Annie was fascinated by the `Well-being´ concept due to have attended to Jekaterina Rogaten´s lecture. I found particulary interesting the way she explained the two different well-being theories (Hedonic and Eudaimonic) Hedonic alludes to have a large number of pleasures, while Eudaimonic is based in building up self-actualization. Another point of interest was the relationship between consumption and well-being, through the `Hedonic Treadmill´ theory, which consists in consuming in a big scale just to maintain the levels of happiness. At this point, I should mention that in fact, I attended to Rogaten´s lecture myself and looking through Annie´s reflection has allowed me to understand some aspects more in deep. 

Moving forward to her second blog, I discovered that `Fast Fashion´ is one of the sustainable issues that has particulary concerned her throughout the unit. This is directly connected with the `Hedonic Treadmill´ theory that attracted her attention previously. I consider a good point the connection and the development of thoughts she has considered about it. The fact of knowing that the `Fast Fashion´ issue´s roots come for a pursuit of happiness and well-being, can help the individuals to reflect about it and try to find ways to avoid it. As Annie has also mentioned on her first blog, creativity is directly connected with well-being. Personally, I would suggest as an alternative of those compulsive shopping the use of creativity and art as ways to achieve that happiness.

On the other hand, she has also shown a special interest in diversity, particulary within the make-up industry. This is one of the themes that also stuck me the most as some brands are still in need of doing a big change within this field. As a measure that could be in our hands as make-up practitioners, I would suggest Annie to purchase just products from brands that support the diversity like `Danessa Myricks´ of `Fenty Beauty´ when possible. 

Finally, she has come up with a creative concept design within the `Developing a Character´project. Her idea is based in the sustainability theme. It consists in a character living in a world where the fast fashion has become out of control. The planet has turned into an apocalyptic landfill site so her character has been injured due to the impact on the human´s health. 

Overall, Annie´s blogs and outcome have a good development of ideas and knowledge throughout the unit. I could observe a really good connection from the beginning until the final design and it has helped me to understand the Better Lives unit and themes from a different point of view. 

References:

https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/03/28/better-lives-blog-2/

My `Better Lives´ chosen project is `Developing a Character´, based in the special effects make-up degree. Thoughout all the workshops, we have been learning different characterization make-up techniques with the aim of creating a character that evolves. Due to the current pandemic situation, we needed to change the way we all raise the outcomes of our projects. Thus, we have created a drawing with the design we were willing to do. 

In the course of this unit, I have been particulary concerned about the social responsability theme. In terms of enhancing it, I wanted to recreate a character with an inclusive identity. So often issues like evil characters with deformed features or super heroes that sexualised that are better known for their appearance than for being heroic have been shown on the big screen. My character design then is a non-binary superhero whith no sexual features. It has a completely deformed face, even though it is a benevolent character. I have been inspired by the film `Skins´ (2017), which tells the story of several characters who have different deformations on their bodies and how challenging their lifes within the society can be at times. 

On the other hand, it has been gratifying to learn new ways of how to be more eco friendly in my practice as a make-up artist and adding new knowledge about the impact in our environment if we are not cautious using some products. I have also learnt even more about how important is to follow the correct hygiene measures in the make-up industry, which is a matter even more underlined due to the current situation. 

Furthermore, the COVID-19 outbreak has raised the social responsability in too many aspects. There are so many brands that these days have been helping economically and through different initiatives. Some examples are MAC cosmetics, which through its Viva Glam campaign has helped 250 local organizations and Estée Lauder which has donated a big economic amount to `Doctors Without Borders´. The development of the Better Lives unit and being a Estée Lauder employee, has encouraged me even more these days to help the others donating when possible and being creative to come up with new solidarity ideas. 

In terms of my future practice as a fashion make-up artist, I am willing to be inclusive if I have the opportunity to be in charge of the casting in some projects within the industry, trying to include a variety of types of skin like freckling, depigmentation, burnt or aged ones, where what is considered `perfect beauty´would take place. 

Overall, my better lives project choice will help me in my personal degree development as some of those techniques can be used in the fashion make-up field. After all the new knowledge acquired throughout the unit, I am also willing to include concepts like identity and inclusivity in my practice through the use of different types of skin models and having a good variety of shades in my kit for all the skin types and colours. 

References: 

Samaha, B. (2020) Harpers Bazaar. Available at:https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a31901094/fashion-beauty-companies-coronavirus-donation/ 

`Fashion is simply the messenger from a sexist, celebrity mad mass-culture, channelled through popular journalism, the internet and Hollywood´(Wilson 2010) This sad definition made by Wilson, can be still the one that an important part of the population has about Fashion. 

Throughout the years this `toxic relationship´ between Fashion and several stigmas has been developed, therefore it is our responsability as practitioners to change this sight through our creative performance.

Looking the industry from a social perspective, aspects like the women objectification, persuasive advertising, and the labour exploitation in countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (which are economically dependent of this trade) are concerns that need to be solved. The `Fast Fashion´ and other issues like `Retail Therapy´ (the perception of buying and shopping as pleasant activities, while the actual consumption of goods is secondary.) have made way to exploited workers in developing countries. Fortunately, `Second Hand´ market has risen and, indeed, `Vintage Fashion´ has become a trend. As a possible solution, organising `Second Hand´ markets among London College of Fashion students would be an amazing idea to encourage ourselves into our Social Responsability. Also the personal vision of the garments from each individual needs to be changed. If we would see them as valued objects and give them a purpose to be used, we would treasure them better. Personally, I find really interesting the fact that `second hand´ clothes have had a story before we bought them. Regarding possible solutions through my specialism, Hair and Make-Up for Fashion, I will suggest to my classmates and colleagues to participate in `Swapping Products´ activities, where we can swap with others the products that we do not use for the ones that can be valued for us from the others, when the hygiene measures make it possible.

`Fast Fashion´and other sustainability issues like the use of cotton for textil production, are also relevant concerns in terms of taking care of our planet. The production of cotton requires a high water use, wasting this resource in a huge scale. As fashion practitioners, we are also responsable of using sustainable fabrics in our productions, being against the usage of cotton and informing the consumers about the impact of this environmental issue. 

Besides that, Fashion confronts some Diversity matters to be solved. From the Hair and Make-Up perspectives, one relevant point would be the requirement of having foundation shades for all the skin tones. Make-Up brands like `Danessa Myricks´ and `Fenty Beauty´ are good examples of diversity within the Make-Up industry. The project I have chosen for this unit is `Developing a Character´, thus I will focus my character in the diversity, creating different identities in a same character that evolves. In my future practice, I will try to purchase just brands supporting the diversity and have all the skin tones shades needed in my kit for being inclusive with all the models and clients I will work with. 

References: Wilson, E. (2010) The Ethics of Fashion. London: Routledge / Gibson, C. and Staines, E. (2011) Is green the new black? Exploring Ethical Fashion Consumption. London: Routledge. 

It has been a grateful experience attending to the ‘Better Lives’ lectures during the last two weeks. We are living within a society plenty of technological distractions and in a world where we don’t take sustainable responsability anymore, consuming our natural resources in an brutal way and not respecting our flora and fauna. I found really interesting that experts in Sustainability and Social Responsability could share their experiences with us and we could learn more in depth about it, as a fashion practicioners we should take our personal responsability as a part of our day by day. I found particulary interesting the ‘Power’ lecture, by Julia Crew.

Julia connected the sustainable and social current concerns and the way we can help to change them through using our personal ‘power’. First of all, she explained to us how different could be our personal concept of ‘Power’ and the different ways it can be generally understood. Personally, the most shocking point of the lecture was when she spoke about Power and Money, explaining to us the dramatic salary difference between a Bangladeshi worker and a CEO from one of the top five fashion brands. We all should stop contributing with the labour exploitation in Bangladesh and in other developing countries. Sadly, it is something really hard to change. Nowadays, loads of Fashion brands perform their textile productions on that way, and the ones which are concerned about social responsability and would pay a decent salary to their workers, would require to increase the price of their clothes. Probably that would mean that their sales would fall.

On this point, What could we do to improve the situation as a fashion consumers? And, What could we do as Fashion practitioners? From my point of view, the first thing we need as a consumers is information. We should know where all our clothes have been made, seeking some information before we become buyers and avoiding to contribute with those brands which have violated the human rights performing their productions. In terms of being more conscious about the ‘Fast Fashion’ situation, we could have a previous thought before shopping about what we really need, or the amount of clothes we already have. Sometimes we buy goods that are not really necessary for us. We could also contribute with the ‘Second Hand’ market, selling the clothes that we are not using anymore and buying new ones which somebody has used already.

Regarding our Fashion Practitioners view, we should be aware of the origin of the materials, products and fabrics we use. In a second stage, It would be great if we all dedicate a part of our practice to inform the Society about what is going on in terms of Sustainability and Fashion Responsability, at the same time we destine a bit of our outcomes to social causes related with the current Fashion problems.