Touch-Theera Touch-Phong

The Better Lives project that I participated in was the Fashion Styling and Production project titled: ‘In and outside of fashion: Sportswear Fashion language and subcultures.’ This project was actually my top pick so I was incredibly grateful that I got to be a part of it. The main reason I decided to select this project was because of my personal interest in styling. As a PR student I don’t get a lot of opportunities to work on styling-related projects however I had the chance to participate in a styling workshop during the first semester which provoked my interests and ultimately helped me decide on selecting this project to work on. I was also intrigued by the concept of sportswear fashion and how it could be translated into styling. Prior to starting this project my main knowledge of “sportswear fashion” was by seeing trends on both the runway and the highstreet, and how sportswear as fashion became an actual trend. More recently people have been giving more importance on self-care and working out, which led towards the majority of clothing brands to produce and put out their own lines and versions of sportswear. On the other hand I didn’t have much knowledge on subcultures at all so I wasn’t entirely sure on that aspect at first.

The FSP Better Lives project consists of lectures which educated us on the basic principles of styling, and also the different sub-cultures in relations toward sportswear. We also had two masterclasses which required us to style our very own sportswear look, the first masterclass taking place just before the break while the second masterclass was done online. I unfortunately wasn’t at the first masterclass so I had to do one at home which I thought was actually really interesting as the styling prompt was incredibly relevant towards the current situation which we are all dealing with. We were to create a sportswear look inspired by how many people are working out and staying physically active during this lockdown period. We also had to keep in mind a relevant subculture which relates to the look and also the Better Lives themes as well. The subculture that I took inspiration from when creating my look was predominantly how sportswear was represented during the 80s-90s-early 00s period. When thinking of sportswear in fashion I’d tend to associate it to the early 00’s Fila and Adidas trends, and how that style of sportswear continues to make a comeback in our current day fashion.

After completing this project I’d say that something which I can work on is doing more research on a subculture so that I can give my look a whole different meaning. I also tried my best to keep the Better Lives themes in mind when styling looks, in which I think that the theme which jumped out at me the most was sustainability, especially because I used pieces from my own wardrobe, and whilst looking for pieces I was able to look through the clothes that I owned and was able to see how I should be wearing more of some of the pieces or even give it new life by upcycling it to create a whole new piece which can work for different looks.

Since embarking on the ‘Better Lives’ unit, I’ve been doing my best in keeping the three main themes in my mind, especially when it comes to decision making. I’d say that the theme I’ve been engaging with the most so far would be sustainability. I’ve definitely been noticing how sustainability has been impacting my shopping habits. I’ve made it my mission to make sure that I do more research on the products that I buy, trying to think about it’s production process and not just about the final end product. I’d say that this has made me become more of a conscious consumer. However I think that the theme that I’ve learnt about the most so far would be diversity. This unit has taught me that my previous knowledge of diversity has been quite brief and I still wasn’t thinking about the different aspects of diversity. Watching the diversity lecture brief with Shahidha Bari has taught me that race isn’t the only aspect of diversity, and that there are many variations to how the term ‘diversity’ can be defined and explored. The ‘Better Lives’ project that I’ve been involved with is the ‘Sportswear Fashion Language and Subcultures’ (Fashion Styling and Production) project, and from listening to the lectures I’ve been learning about how diversity can affect the styling practice. It is important for brands and stylists to consider how their decisions are being portrayed in the looks created. Cultural and class appropriation has become a controversial topic that arises from how designers are creating their looks for the runway. It is important for stylists and designers to stay within the fine line of appreciation and appropriation. Sure, it may seem to be a good idea to take elements of other classes and cultures to mix with the different looks created, however when the runway isn’t representative of the actual people in that class or culture, it can be seen as an attempt of brands trying to be diverse without actually being inclusive. An example of cultural appropriation is the use of dreadlocks for the Marc Jacobs SS17 show and in terms of class appropriation, Moschino and Burberry have been condemned for creating the “upper-class image” look with trends that’ve been lifted from the street rather than being inspired by the abstract (chav, e.g Moschino’s McDonalds).

As a PR student I do believe that all 3 of the Better Lives themes will have an affect on how I work in the future. In terms of sustainability I’ll find more innovative ways to promote different brands without creating excess waste such as more sustainable PR packages to be sent to the press. When creating content with different brands it’ll be vital to make sure the brand is actually socially responsible and not just have that be a brand image sellpoint, but to actually make sure that it is part of the brand values. Another point that I would like to highlight is about making sure that I try to be selective with the brands that I work with. Hopefully whatever brand or designer that I work with has the concept of being diverse and inclusive a part of their brand identity.

Julia Crew, ‘Power’

‘Power’ was one of the first lectures I watched and it continued to stick with me even after watching other lectures. When thinking of the fashion industry I’ve never really considered how power is a concept that is prevalent and can be seen in many aspects related to fashion itself. Watching the lecture reminded me of how powerful the industry is and how I myself have been overlooking many of the elements that have been mentioned in the slides. Fashion is such a powerful medium and can be used to show status and establishing a social hierarchy. It is a medium to visually communicate social status and class. The industry itself also has the power to produce large sums of money, however its not been evenly distributed towards everyone, only towards those with upper class status-mainly being pale, stale, males. The industry has helped put people -tiny minorities at the top- however the wealth isn’t being evenly distributed. The media also is powerful for brands, as it has a lot of power in promoting the brands to a large audience. Influencers with large followings have the power to reach a large audience without having to do much.

After this lecture I think that one way in which it has shaped my thinking on how fashion can create better lives is the fact that fashion is a powerful medium that can be highly impactful, on both large and small scales. As consumers, we have the power to decide what items we choose to buy and what brands we choose to support. As a PR student, we have the power to choose how we would like to communicate towards others, including the message we would like to have come across to others. For me as an individual I think that something I should aim on doing is being a more conscious consumer and being more selective when deciding what to buy and what brands to support. I can choose to support brands which awards decent work with fair pay, as that is a fundamental human right and as labourers in many countries aren’t receiving legal minimum wages, if I as a consumer started doing more research and being more critical of brands and products I want to buy and support, brands will acknowledge us when they see our actions and listen when we speak.