Gabija Pociute

Themes reflection 

reflecting on how the Better Lives themes 

The fashion world has always been changing and it will always continue to. We have gone through many substantial changes, some greater than the other. Diversity has been and still is a huge topic in the fashion industry, it’s what has widely been missing across all the platforms of creativity. Vogue came about in 1901 and all the models were socialites. When looking back at magazines it was obvious that there was no diversity as only white models were used at all times and only in 1959 China Machado,  was the first model of colour to appear in the magazine. This has greatly improved over time however to this day we still have issues with this topic, which sparks questions whether artists carefully think through their choices when creating a result. There have been many times where artists or photographers treat people of colour differently than others in the same work environment. As a practitioner, I would never want to create such an atmosphere in a creative workspace and my intentions are to treat people with respect despite what their ethnicity is. Acceptance and equality are still missing within the fashion industry and I hope through my actions of respect it will create a domino effect on other practitioners.

Another huge issue we face in fashion is sustainability. One of the major big changes has been how we produce clothes, as there are many large companies which manufacture clothing which creates consequences that we did not have to face previously. It creates massive causes to the environment such as waste pollution and carbon emissions. Most are aware of these causes but choose to do nothing to help this issue be improved. Many fashion designers right now are working with sustainable materials and really considering how we can reuse materials in a smart and creative way to even possibly push this idea further onto other designers as well as artists. This should definitely have a great influence on the fashion industry and society as we should be more considerate of our choices with clothing. Many people including myself have started to purchase clothing from charity shops for a change and this has initiated a massive difference in how much fast fast-fashion we consume. When planning for my own shoots I always turn to charity shops for styling pieces as you can find some rare and unique items. As these are usually used clothing items I don’t feel as bad experimenting with them by painting or cutting them up, which makes the whole creative process more fun. Overall this is one of the elements that gives me the freedom to do whatever I want and form diverse image outcomes.

Peer review task

We were asked to reflect on one of our peers’ work and how they incorporated better lives themes. I have chosen to reflect on Desi Bogdanova blogs. I will be mainly looking at the third blog post as it striked me the most. In the first blog post Desi is referring back to one of the lectures about empathy, and how social responsibility plays a part when confronting issues. It really creates a link with the final look she created and the idea behind it. References of relevant artists are mentioned which show a clear understanding of who is involved with these themes and how they are further evolving.

I choose to mainly reflect on the third blog post as it refers to an issue that is relevant to all of us at the moment (COVID19). I thought that the way this theme was approached was really fun and a clever way to explore the theme and portray a narrative using the items around the home. The look “quarantine queen” was quite prop-based which made it a lot more engaging to a viewer and the choice of minimal makeup suited this look well and let the props speak for themselves.

I thought the elements such as the tissue paper and face mask made you look at the photo more just because of how they were placed which reflected on the themes of fashion mistake and social responsibility effectively. 

From a fashion photographers point of view, the images formed when capturing this look are captivating, it grabs your attention instantly. I also think that the angles and crops chosen for the photos work really well and overall form a series of strong images which could be seen in an editorial. I particularly found it interesting to read her take on the pandemic and how the panic of the public was unnecessary leaving others in worse conditions. Looking at Desis blogs I can definitely see how she has taken what she has learned from the Better Lives lectures and applied it to create her final look. I particularly like the choice of the topic being about global pandemic as it is something that all of us are dealing with at the moment. I think it was approached in a well thought out way as it focused on a serious issue however portraying this in a more free and creative way.

It would have been quite interesting to see how this idea and look could have been taken further and if this issue could be portrayed in another creative way. I hope that Desi is committed to exploring the themes of better lives in her further works.

Project outcomes and personal development reflection

My project involved experimenting with various and specific objects to use for a makeup look in order to convey a message behind it all. I chose to explore the theme of fashion mistake using objects found around the house and seeing how I can incorporate those items within my look. For the first look, I wanted to delve into the idea of ‘sharp’ and ‘round’ therefore I decided to use hairbands and hairpins to put together my look.  I started with a natural base and some blush, I placed the hairpins under my eye to mimic eyelashes and on the other side of my face the hair bands overlapping over each other. The main focus was to form a contrast between these two elements by using my face as a canvas. As I picked these two objects it made me realise and think about the consumption they intake. We constantly buy more since they are so easy to lose and be misplaced. This also raises an issue in terms of sustainability, as hairbands are made from rubber which is not environmentally friendly. Therefore the whole idea behind my look became more to inform about this issue and remind people to look after their stuff and place these in places where it will be noticeable. I then researched some artists and designers who used rubber bands to create something original. A Japanese designer Rie Sakamoto created a collection of clothes out of rubber bands.

For the final look, I definitely wanted to develop this idea further and take inspiration from the research found. The few examples of artists’ work found seemed to have quite colourful themes which inspired me to approach the final look with a bright and vivid colour scheme. Referring back to the initial concept of ‘sharp’ and ‘round’ I chose to do a blue line inspired eye look on one side, placing the hair clips within the lines. On the other side, I did a pink dramatic blush all around my cheek and placed the hairband on the side of my face. I used eyeshadow to shade the inside of the hairband and form an almost 3D like effect. The final look came together and it portrayed the idea well, even though the colours were quite bright it did not overpower the face and the objects used were still noticeable.

Creating these looks made me realise that makeup can have strong narratives behind the ideas and techniques. It can be a great way to express thoughts or issues you stand for and show your interpretation of it using the makeup.

Themes reflection 

The fashion world has always been changing and it will always continue to. We have gone through many substantial changes, some greater than the other. Diversity has been and still is a huge topic in the fashion industry, it’s what has widely been missing across all the platforms of creativity. Vogue came about in 1901 and all the models were socialites. When looking back at magazines it was obvious that there was no diversity as only white models were used at all times and only in 1959 China Machado,  was the first model of colour to appear in the magazine. This has greatly improved over time however to this day we still have issues with this topic, which sparks questions whether artists carefully think through their choices when creating a result. There have been many times where artists or photographers treat people of colour differently than others in the same work environment. As a practitioner, I would never want to create such an atmosphere in a creative workspace and my intentions are to treat people with respect despite what their ethnicity is. Acceptance and equality are still missing within the fashion industry and I hope through my actions of respect it will create a domino effect on other practitioners.

Another huge issue we face in fashion is sustainability. One of the major big changes has been how we produce clothes, as there are many large companies which manufacture clothing which creates consequences that we did not have to face previously. It creates massive causes to the environment such as waste pollution and carbon emissions. Most are aware of these causes but choose to do nothing to help this issue be improved. Many fashion designers right now are working with sustainable materials and really considering how we can reuse materials in a smart and creative way to even possibly push this idea further onto other designers as well as artists. This should definitely have a great influence on the fashion industry and society as we should be more considerate of our choices with clothing. Many people including myself have started to purchase clothing from charity shops for a change and this has initiated a massive difference in how much fast fast-fashion we consume. When planning for my own shoots I always turn to charity shops for styling pieces as you can find some rare and unique items. As these are usually used clothing items I don’t feel as bad experimenting with them by painting or cutting them up, which makes the whole creative process more fun. Overall this is one of the elements that gives me the freedom to do whatever I want and form diverse image outcomes.

Fashion is a life force of human togetherness as well as being a system and visual judgement of capitalist powers that affect our togetherness. People are usually drawn to the good side of fashion however there is also a dark side. There are many different players who hold the power and the responsibility : designers, brands, government and consumer. This shows that there is a balance in who holds the power and its change between each player equally.

There are different interpretations of what power is. Fashion itself and clothing is powerful, it is a silent but a very visual representation of one’s identity and how we present ourselves has the ability to communicate different messages to different audiences. I think that fashion gives us an opportunity to showcase who we truly are and who we want to be seen as by others.

Fashion has been used to portray power since a very long time ago, looking back at royalties as an example. They would wear handcrafted textiles and luxurious jewellery to represent and showcase their wealth as well as their status. Another example of power in fashion is the military dress, it was always loaded with symbolism and often emphasised masculinity by creating broad shoulders and sharply tailored structures. They often had symbols and embroidery of stars and eagles which represents power.

In terms of fashion, it would be ideal to trust the power of creative vision however that does not reflect the complicated nature of fashion. Power creates a divide between people working in the same industry through wealth. The fashion industry has given the opportunity for some people to become very wealthy while virtually enslaving others. Large companies that sell big volumes of clothing also employ millions of people to make the clothes however they don’t earn enough to pay for basic necessities. This has been a big ongoing issue within the industry which needs to change as fair pay should be a fundamental human right. Despite this politicians say raising wages will drive companies to produce clothes wherever cheaper. This really shows how the inequality gap is strong and massively influenced by many elements, therefore we should use our togetherness in fashion to overcome issues and find compromises which create equal and fair lives for everyone involved.

We also have the power as a consumer as we are the ones who decide where and how to spend our money. We drive the new trends and speak through buying an item of clothing, each purchase is a vote. As a consumer we should be engaged in who makes our clothes and under what conditions they are made, so we can really understand what money is being spent on, otherwise, we are contributing to the exploitation of others.

I believe that power plays a big part in the fashion industry as it controls and it depends on how a lot of changes happen. The idea of power has a strong effect which can be good or bad, however since we know what capabilities it has we should change how we use that power to create a better place for every one taken part in the process of fashion.