Tanvi Dass

Themes Reflection

The three pillars of the Better Lives Unit- social responsibility, diversity and sustainability have played an integral role in shaping my creative practice. It is only after the Better Lives Unit that I have truly understood the importance of these pillars in making the ever-changing fashion industry pertinent in contemporary times. The lectures have been a great tipping point, enabling me to broaden my outlook as a fashion styling and production student. 

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the only certainty is the uncertainty and nobody knows what the new normal is going to be, the lecture on Empathy made me realise how important it is to be compassionate. Empathy is defined as “the art of stepping imaginatively into the shoes of another person, understanding their feels and perspectives and using that understanding to guide your actions.” This lecture also got me thinking about how misogynistic fashion has become and how brands are often using female models as objects of provocation. A case in example is  the 2004 Gucci campaign which featured model Carmen Cass with a ‘G’ shaved into her nether regions.  I kept these points in mind when doing the fashion activism project in which we had to design an ad campaign. This lecture definitely helped sensitise me to these issues.  (Arts Moodle: Log in to the site, 2020)   

The representation lecture made me realise that diversity and representation are words that have been hackneyed by professionals in the fashion industry to such an extent that their meaning has been devalued. After attending this lecture, I realised that traditional notions of beauty like fair skin and long hair are really passéand we need to redefine our ideas of beauty. My  future projects will include models from different ethnicities and I would like my team to include professionals from varied backgrounds. It is wonderful working with symbols and other forms of representation from various cultures, but diversity should not come at the cost of social responsibility. I would definitely study the background of these cultures and the relevance of the said symbols in these cultures before using them in my work. (Arts Moodle: Log in to the site, 2020)

Kate Fletcher’s lecture on nature was an eye-opener for me as it showed the colossal  amount of  damage caused by the fashion industry to the environment. It made me question my work practice. Before this lecture, I had never paid attention to the source from where I was getting all the apparel and accessories as also the composition of the material used for my photoshoots. I have realised now that, to sustain in this world, we need to use materials compatible with our environment. Plastics and synthetics  certainly need to go on the back burner now. It would also be better to buy second hand clothing, refurbish existing items or else buy materials that do not violate the environment that we live in. (Arts Moodle: Log in to the site, 2020)

We need to change our thinking, our work practices and our society. “Clothes aren’t going to change the world. The women who wear them will”- Anne Klein. 

Bibliography:

Moodle.arts.ac.uk. 2020. Arts Moodle: Log In To The Site. [online] Available at: <https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/885573/mod_page/content/22/Better%20Lives%20Lecture_Lorraine%20Gamman_Empathy_2020.pdf> [Accessed 12 April 2020].

Moodle.arts.ac.uk. 2020. Arts Moodle: Log In To The Site. [online] Available at: <https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/885576/mod_page/content/21/Better%20Lives%20Lecture_Teleica%20Kirkland_Representation_2020.pdf> [Accessed 12 April 2020].

Moodle.arts.ac.uk. 2020. Arts Moodle: Log In To The Site. [online] Available at: <https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/885569/mod_page/content/25/Better%20Lives%20Lecture%20Kate%20Fletcher_Nature_2020.pdf> [Accessed 12 April 2020].

 Project Outcomes and Personal Development Reflection

The theme for my Better Lives Unit project was ‘Fashion Activism’, pertaining to creative direction. Creative direction is the intersection where art direction and design meet strategy(Arts Moodle: Log in to the site, 2020). In the first lecture we were divided into groups, where we were assigned a brand and were asked to ideate, test and deliver a moving image content for social media that is  persuasive, compelling and stylistically appropriate to the brand. We decided to make the moving image piece in the form of an online film.The brand that my team members and I were assigned was Lazy Oaf X Time To Change, which is a limited-edition seven piece collection focussed on reducing the stigma attached to discussing mental health. 

For the film, my group members and I have tried to visualise the idea of mental illness. All of us  read the brand’s tag line “its okay not to be okay”, which helps break free from the preconceived notions attached to mental health. We kept the duration of this film quite short to make it more effective. The black and white effect symbolises how individuals suffering from mental health disorders tend to think in extremes and finding a golden mean is back breaking for them. The use of T.V. static gives the film an uncomfortable vibe, encapsulating how people with psychiatric disorder feel cognitively distressed . To further develop the concept, we used a lot of repetitive noises to apprehend how anxiety has the tendency to make a person overthink.The brand is known for it’s laid back and minimalistic styles and, keeping that in mind, we styled our looks accordingly. The simplicity of our clothes does not divert the attention of the viewers from the message that we are trying to communicate. 

We have tried our best to incorporate the pillars of the Better Lives Unit. However, we had to alter some of our initial ideas due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.We had thought of featuring a diverse group of individuals ranging from different age groups, genders and social classes to show that mental illness does not discriminate. We had also planned on shooting this film in a park to invoke the feeling of calmness for people suffering from dementia. But since both these ideas were next to impossible to achieve as my teammates and I were in different corners of the world, we decided to shoot individually and then compile all the matter at the end. The fact that we all came from different ethnic backgrounds helped make the film more relatable, highlighting the fact that anyone can suffer from mental health disorders. Thus we were able to capture the essence of diversity. Our brand collaboration directly relates to the theme of social responsibility. We have made this film such that it makes the audience realise that mental illness is not something to be embarrassed of as it has a biological basis just like any other medical illness. This, I feel, would also help in reducing the taboos attached to mental health. After all “you are so much more than your disorder”.

https://web.microstream.com/video/31690d16-d8a4-43ad-8202-9fbac412fc

Bibliography:

Moodle.arts.ac.uk. 2020. Arts Moodle: Log In To The Site. [online] Available at: <https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/836371/course/section/337357/Creative%20Direction%20for%20Fashion%20Week%201.pdf> [Accessed 5 May 2020].

Lecture Reflection 

The Better Lives lecture that I found to be the most impactful was the one on Power by Julia Crew. Power and its relation to fashion and sustainability has helped me in understanding this topic from various perspectives. This has made me realise that power is not always a negative force, but can also be positive. Being a fashion styling and production student, the relationship between ‘power and media’ has been a real eye-opener for me.

Malcom X, a human rights activist, rightly said “the media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” In contemporary times, the power of media and advertising is unparalleled and this is driving consumption of fashion products to such an unprecedented level that it is not sustainable in the long term. Statistics show that we buy four hundred percent more clothing than we did just two decades ago, and of the hundred billion garments that are produced annually, it is estimated that up to seventy-five percent of these will eventually end up in landfill or be incinerated.(Arts Moodle: Log in to the site, 2020)

Instagram, the fairly young social media platform, with one billion active users per month, actively promotes unsustainable consumption of clothing which has further deepened the issue.

Approximately two hundred million users follow at least one fashion account, which they feel gives them inspiration for the looks they can create for themselves. Almost eighty four percent of Instagram users are influenced into making a purchase based on content generated  by strangers who have experienced the product or service. .(Arts Moodle: Log in to the site, 2020)

Furthermore social media platforms tend to exert a subtle  mental pressure on its users. Most of us avoid posting too many photographs wearing the same outfit. This further adds to mass consumerism. 

However, media and communication have also played a huge part in the growing success of sustainable and ethical fashion. It’s ability to educate, share stories about brands, alert consumers about the vast choice available, both high end as also economical, is slowly bringing about a change in consumer behaviour. (How Social Media Is Driving Sustainability and Ethics in the Fashion Industry, 2020)

 In spite  of the fact that the problems in the fashion industry often tend to  leave me feeling overwhelmed and a little powerless, this lecture has taught me that each one of  us has the power and ability to bring about a difference. Instead of blindly following trends put forth by others, I intend to create sustainable fashion campaigns which emphasise restyling old outfits with different accessories to create a totally new look. Classic pieces with a touch of the modern thrown in can result in a very trendy look. ‘Mix and match’ is the phrase of the day. Refurbishing old outfits by tweaking them can produce an absolutely original look which keeps you ‘looking very much in fashion’ and at the same time ensuring that you do not drill a large hole in your pocket.

 Fashion has been and will always remain an integral part of our lives because, as Bill Cunningham rightly said “ fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life”.We just have to give it the power of sustainability! 

Bibliography:

Moodle.arts.ac.uk. 2020. Arts Moodle: Log In To The Site. [online] Available at: <https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/881368/mod_page/content/33/Better%20Lives%20Lecture_Julia%20Crew_Power_2020.pdf> [Accessed 10 April 2020].

Magzter.com. 2020. How Social Media Is Driving Sustainability And Ethics In The Fashion Industry. [online] Available at: <https://www.magzter.com/article/Fashion/FASHION-AVENUE-NEWS/How-Social-Media-Is-Driving-Sustainability-and-Ethics-in-the-Fashion-Industry> [Accessed 10 April 2020].