Aoife Madeley

For the Better Lives project in regards to ‘Fashion Activism’, conducted in a group of 6, we were assigned a brand and given the end goal of creating a moving image for the brand. Our brand was ‘Nubian Skin’: a lingerie brand for women of colour. The end product of our group work had to fit in with the brands current identity therefore making research an integral part of this process. We assigned different group members each a different aspect of the brand to research such as history, sales, social media and ambassadors in order to gauge a well- rounded view of ‘Nubian Skin’ and their overall ethos. I feel that this helped to further my skill set when working in a group as I was able to see the efficiency of assigning roles to different members and regrouping at the end. 

Attending the group lectures at the start of the unit was a really enjoyable experience. It was interesting to meet students from other courses and to see all our different approaches to working come together. I found the focus on visuals during this part of the course to be particularly enjoyable as we learnt about individuals such as George Melies, a French illusionist and film director, alongside looking at more modern approaches to moving images such as Nick Knight’s video for the 2016 British Fashion Awards entitled ‘Up’. 

Before these lectures, when presented with the task of curating a ‘moving image’, I would have immediately thought of simply creating a traditional, advertisement-style video. This links to the early days of cinema moving image which was mainly used to promote ready-to-wear collections and was deemed to be unsophisticated by a number of couture designers. Over the course of the Better Lives unit, I was introduced to other mediums of moving image which can work just as effectively. This taught me the importance of being open to new ideas and not being restrictive when working creatively showing the diversity of this unit. We learnt about the use of GIFS from brands such as Versace, Moncler and Kate Spade as well as publications such as TWIN MAGAZINE which are an accessible medium for customers. Other mediums of moving image include interactive films such as one created by FarFetch and also an interactive film from Heliot Emil in which you are able to pick between camera angles when watching their show. 

During the unit, the Coronavirus pandemic impacted our teams way of working greatly. We had previously planned to create a traditional style of moving image – staying true to the neutral tones of Nubian Skin – which would have preferably been filmed outside with a number of different people featuring in the film – focusing on the inclusivity and responsible ethos of Nubian Skin. Due to lockdown, it was apparent that this was no longer possible. Although we struggled at first, we used our WhatsApp group chat to communicate regularly as a group and used Zoom to interact with one another. After discussions as a group, we decided that we wanted to push the masculine element of the brand as the presence of men in their campaigns in something which lacks in Nubian Skin. This furthered the diversity of the brand. We decided to create a GIF which can be used across the brands social media platforms and is a sustainable, paper-free method of advertisement:

Link to our moving image: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/a2542007-913f-4082-8a71-ddbc63d77b7e

After being presented the lectures that taught me about the importance of collaboration, emerging technologies within fashion and perspectives in industry alongside an array of other thought-provoking topics, I found that the interactive lectures taking place under ‘Fashion Activism’ helped me to expand on these ideas.

In these lectures, we were shown the importance of the three pillars of the Better Lives unit –  Sustainability, Diversity and Social Responsibility – and their prevalence in the 21st century as these pillars are becoming the underlying values of many fashion brands. We studied brands such as Christopher Raeburn, Veja and VIN + OMI to explore how their sustainable ethos can be achieved in industry.

In my Fashion Activism group we all agreed that we wanted to carry a sustainable message in the work that we did. As a task we had to pick a group name, colour and an image that represented us. We chose the name ‘VALOROUS’ – a synonym for the word ‘bold’ – the colour blue and a picture of the ocean.  This was chosen as we believe that it is important to be ‘bold’ in decision making and to stick to your morals in a pressurised working environment. E.g. maintaining a sustainable ethos throughout your work. We thought that the image of the ocean and the colour blue linked nicely with this as the ocean holds a great deal of power – corresponding with the chosen colour – but still needs to be protected by those championing sustainability and environmentally friendly practice. 

We also looked at diversity. Previously in other units on my course, we had established that the term ‘Inclusivity’ is often preferred over the term ‘Diversity’. This can be succinctly explained through this quote from Liz Fosslien: “Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice at the table, and belonging is having that voice be heard”. It was interesting to explore the idea that many brands exploit the values of ‘Diversity’ and ‘Inclusivity’ in order to create a higher number of sales and to ‘tick boxes’. This taught me the importance of investigating into the work of others and not accepting everything at face value e.g. information from a TV campaign for a fashion brand or a brand claiming to support a particular charity or ‘cause’. It is vital to research the motive behind a brands work.

Furthermore, we discussed the significance of social responsibility and the value of having an ethical production line. We investigated brands such as American Apparel who place importance on the transparency of their workers and their working conditions. Looking at a brand as successful as American Apparel who are able to maintain the 3 pillars explored in Better Lives taught me how it is possible to maintain a strong set of morals in your work and still flourish in a commercial environment where there is a great deal of pressure to mass produce and cut corners – particularly in the fast paced 21st century. 

At the start of the unit, I found that although I was aware of all three of these pillars of the Better Lives unit and their importance in industry, I was always better acquainted with the sustainable aspect of this more than the other values. Throughout both the general Better Lives lectures and the focused Fashion Activism ones, I have seen and learnt the importance of levelling all 3 of these pillars in my work and not placing one above the other. 

Led by Claire Swift – Director or Responsibility at London College of Fashion, the Better Lives lecture that impacted my way of thinking the most is the one entitled “Collaboration”. A large aspect of the Better Lives unit is working in teams. As someone who often takes the preference to work individually, this part of the unit initially appeared to be one of the most challenging. The dedicated lecture on this topic helped my working methods greatly. 

Swift informed us as to how, as an individual, you don’t have “every single aspect of every piece of knowledge”. You rely on other people’s skills to contribute to producing something which is what brings a team together. On the Better Lives unit, you work with students from other courses who each possess a different skill set. This makes the collaboration element of the unit one of the most important. As we are yet to meet our team members, I found that this focus on the relevance of teamwork prepared me for meeting my team in the lectures taking place later on in the unit. 

We were shown a number of examples of collaborations in the fashion industry such as David Sims campaign for Vivienne Westwood’s collaboration with Burberry. This partnership brought together punk and tradition. Other examples include Dolce & Gabbana and SMEG. This showed us how working as a team in a collaborative effort is commonplace in industry and can lead to some very successful, profitable results. We were shown how accomplishments are often achieved in a group situation as group members are able to build on each other’s ideas with innovation emerging from the bottom up. 

Swift introduced us to the concepts of Belbin’s team roles curated by Dr Meredith Belbin and Tuckman’s theory which presents the stages of group development. This informed me that there is a systematic skill required in order to excel as a team which is not something I had previously considered. These theories explore the fluctuations in the harmony of groups. We were taught about a concept called the ‘GroupThink Theory’ established by Yale psychologist Irving Janis. This occurs when a team is experiencing certain conditions that lead to a flawed decision being made. This result can be detrimental and destructive to the team.

Brainstorming is something that I have had experience with throughout my academic career  but have always felt it wasn’t a very productive method of working. In this lecture, there was a focus on brainstorming ideas and how to utilize this approach efficiently. We were informed as to how there should be no criticism in brainstorming and that the more the ideas the better. These ideas can be made into combinations with previous ideas for an optimum result. 

Overall, I found that this lecture has helped me to feel more prepared for the rest of the unit. When considering the values of the Better Lives unit – Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Diversity – I think that a collaborative approach will be very beneficial. I think this will particularly be the case in terms of the ‘Diversity’ element as it is important to hear and include a wide range of viewpoints in my work. The opportunity to meet and work with a variety of people who I have never met before is very exciting.

Led by Claire Swift – Director or Responsibility at London College of Fashion, the Better Lives lecture that impacted my way of thinking the most is the one entitled “Collaboration”. A large aspect of the Better Lives unit is working in teams. As someone who often takes the preference to work individually, this part of the unit initially appeared to be one of the most challenging. The dedicated lecture on this topic helped my working methods greatly. 

Swift informed us as to how, as an individual, you don’t have “every single aspect of every piece of knowledge”. You rely on other people’s skills to contribute to producing something which is what brings a team together. On the Better Lives unit, you work with students from other courses who each possess a different skill set. This makes the collaboration element of the unit one of the most important. As we are yet to meet our team members, I found that this focus on the relevance of teamwork prepared me for meeting my team in the lectures taking place later on in the unit. 

We were shown a number of examples of collaborations in the fashion industry such as David Sims campaign for Vivienne Westwood’s collaboration with Burberry. This partnership brought together punk and tradition. Other examples include Dolce & Gabbana and SMEG. This showed us how working as a team in a collaborative effort is commonplace in industry and can lead to some very successful, profitable results. We were shown how accomplishments are often achieved in a group situation as group members are able to build on each other’s ideas with innovation emerging from the bottom up. 

Swift introduced us to the concepts of Belbin’s team roles curated by Dr Meredith Belbin and Tuckman’s theory which presents the stages of group development. This informed me that there is a systematic skill required in order to excel as a team which is not something I had previously considered. These theories explore the fluctuations in the harmony of groups. We were taught about a concept called the ‘GroupThink Theory’ established by Yale psychologist Irving Janis. This occurs when a team is experiencing certain conditions that lead to a flawed decision being made. This result can be detrimental and destructive to the team.

Brainstorming is something that I have had experience with throughout my academic career  but have always felt it wasn’t a very productive method of working. In this lecture, there was a focus on brainstorming ideas and how to utilize this approach efficiently. We were informed as to how there should be no criticism in brainstorming and that the more the ideas the better. These ideas can be made into combinations with previous ideas for an optimum result. 

Overall, I found that this lecture has helped me to feel more prepared for the rest of the unit. When considering the values of the Better Lives unit – Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Diversity – I think that a collaborative approach will be very beneficial. I think this will particularly be the case in terms of the ‘Diversity’ element as it is important to hear and include a wide range of viewpoints in my work. The opportunity to meet and work with a variety of people who I have never met before is very exciting.