Rafal Miszczak

The blog that particularly caught my attention is the one written by Fashion Styling and Production student – Maja Majchrzak: https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/05/11/blog-post-1-28/

I decided to write about this blog because its reflection about the Crew J. lecture (2020) entitled ‘Power’, which also impressed me a lot. This is a fantastic reflection on how the fashion industry connects with themes of sustainability, diversity, and social responsibility. I am excited that the author decided to write about the same aspects that also touched me during the live stream of this lecture. In the presentation of ms. Crew also my attention was caught by given facts about the conditions and standards of work performed by garment workers in developing countries. I think it is very important to remind people of this type of injustice in the world and make people aware and then make changes to improve the lives of others and ours. I am full of admiration for the statistics provided by Maja. It is crucial to give the number of people who create basic products for us and cannot afford to lead an ordinary and dignified life themselves.

I support what she wrote, especially about the power of the media where the production of the program “Love Island” increased the demand for clothes of the brand promoted in the series, and this type of power could also be used for more noble purposes that will bring change, not just profit. It is simply fair to pay employees decent wages because sometimes the prices of making products for the needs of the brand are nothing compared to the great profit that is earned on them.

For Maja, as well as for me, Julia Crew’s words influenced our way of looking at the essence of making the right choices as a consumer, thinking in a sustainable way can affect the world we live in, and even lead to a change for the better. I am very glad that as examples of striving for good changes were actions taken by Vivienne Westwood, which is one of my biggest role models and Extinction Rebellion, whose actions I have supported since they started their revolution.

I truly believe that Maja has reflected fully on the themes of diversity, social responsibility, and sustainability in her blog. It is very good to know that other people also strive for equality and justice.

The theme of my Better Lives project was character development. One of the most memorable workshops for me was aging with the use of makeup techniques. The task was not easy. From a charming young friend, I had to create an older version of herself. Classes have really changed my way of looking at the concept of age. I did not want to limit myself to only covering the model’s face with wrinkles made with cream products. I also wanted to show her appearance by giving her a completely new personality as an older person. I wanted to get to know my friend better so I listened carefully and asked questions. The first impression, as well as the cognitive process, is very important. I found out what girl’s approach to aging was and how she imagines herself in old age. I liked the confident attitude and found many common features and interests with her. In relation to this project, I wanted to look on this task ‘out of the box’ so I decided not only to emphasize the features of the face in places where they will change over the years but also to create a caricature version of make-up done by an older person, which can be seen in comedy film references or on the streets. We both agreed that the outcome is undoubtedly the appearance of a typical stereotypical cat lady, that is a fan of peeping neighbors and smoking cigarettes during a favorite show. I think this experience gave me new analytical skills that opened my mind to creating a concept of a character based on cooperation with other, completely new people and what I learned about them in a short time. I think that this type of skill that I can also transfer into creativity in the field of costume design, by combining the common features of the character and the performer to create a garment that will allow him to empathize with the role of the new character, giving a sense of change and finding himself in a new ‘skin’.