Lukrecija Zemaityte

For the Better Lives unit I have chosen to explore critical design approaches which are now currently being used by artists and activists to confront modern crisis. I was given a project allowing me to explore various contemporary ‘wicked problems’ and potential implications they might cause in the future.  Climate change is one of them. As stated in the Pulse of the Fashion Industry report fashion industry was accountable for throwing 1.7 billion tones of carbon dioxide into the air in 2015. (Petty, 2019) It is a second largest industry to be so impactful on the climate. As socially responsible community we have to make sure our footprint becomes less severe before it costs too much, as it was depicted in my dystopian picture of the planet. My project examines future scenario of the climate change that becomes impossible to live in: some places are destroyed by floods, or in contracts become deserts, air is too toxic to breathe, marine life becomes extinct. Humankind is forced to take an extreme action- to look for a brighter future and turn planet Mars into a new home. Meanwhile, nature is reclaiming its Earth. Buildings collapse and animal species thrive. While working on this project and conducting all necessary research I was devastated by seeing the impact we have made so far and even more doubtful about my life in the future. “Reaching zero net greenhouse gas emissions will require far-reaching changes in human activity, which in fashion terms includes changing both the way we produce clothes and how we consume them.” (Petty, 2019) Sustainability has to grow in our habit. During the Better Lives project I understood that the way I could best practice sustainability is becoming an active member of a second fashion market. I was excited to find out this market could be upgraded by adding Blockchain technology to it, which would allow people to track the supply chain and its origins. This would allow people to engage with sustainability even more. Another idea which gained popularity among fashion community is to buy less. By rethinking the disposable nature of fast fashion we could reduce the wastage sitting just in our closets untouched for months. To tackle climate change, we must practice new ways of thinking and create an ecosystem sensible to the crisis.  “ The truth is, that we live in a paradise that has been degraded and destroyed.” (L.D. Caprio, 2016) and it is our time to make right decisions.

The main three topics that we had to engage with this unit was sustainability, social responsibility and diversity. In the beginning of the unit I was quite skeptical, as we encounter these topics very often in our daily routine. Subsequently I was surprised by how lecturers were able to deliver all classes with me having some after-thoughts and reflections on different societal crisis. I understood why it is so important to enlighten my generation, so that we could shift our future to a brighter one. As a community we have to learn to be socially responsible as we have to embrace thoughtful decisions which would be measured in prosperity of a humankind as well as the planet. In her lecture about power and responsibility in the fashion industry Julia Crew mentioned that according to Oxfam it takes four days for a CEO from one of the top five global fashion brands to earn what a third-world country garment worker would earn in a lifetime. It creates a huge economic injustice, causing the rich to get richer and the poor to face tremendous poverty, harassment, and a risk of injuries by working in inhumane conditions. I have found it interesting how Nick Almond in his lecture about emerging technologies presented a new shift for a Blockchain technology to be adjusted to the fashion industry and how it would allow people to track the supply chain of the clothing. It would make it easier to see where your clothing pieces origin from, leading to choosing more responsibly and taking fair-trade more seriously. Another great use of blockchain would be detailed tracking on the composition of the item creating a larger space for sustainability in the life of modern society. By choosing more sustainable materials our community could diminish the footprint of the fashion industry, which is the second most impactful one on the planet. My personal project for this unit was based on climate change and by exploring it I found ways to go green suitable for me. However, there are two ways to look into sustainability, what I have never considered before. John Lau’s lecture about cultural sustainability gave great insights on how we should sustain culture as well as planet. It is extremely important for us, as socially responsible individuals, to spread awareness and prevent cases of cultural appropriation to become a fully diverse community. By embracing and observing this cultural diversity we have around the globe, we can grow, learn and develop.

The lecture I have chosen to reflect on was about emerging technologies in fashion delivered by Nick Almond. We live in a age of a “rapid technological change” that could not be imagined without the role of technology in contemporary life of a humankind. Fashion industry is one of the quickest to adapt by adopting all newest inventions that revolutionized our everyday choices. Nick Almond talked about a theory of utility, which was essential to identify before introducing something completely new to your target audience- the concept has to have a value for a user or a participant and it must be easy to comprehend to be approved by the public. Subsequently he analyzed some significant moments implemented by the industry, such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Augmented Reality. I found it extremely interesting to hear the idea behind Blockchain technology being modified to track the supply chain of clothes. As many of my generation individuals do, I feel the need for clarity which would help to promote sustainability, especially in a second-hand fashion trade, which is usually full of disinformation or lacks details about authenticity and origins of the clothing. In addition to this technology would bring some transparency in designing collaborative projects what is crucially important for me and my peers as we grew up in the era of an interactive industry. For this reason N. Almond introduced us to Artificial Intelligence, what I found to be a powerful tool to use in the future. “Generative Design” ruled by AI would quicken designing process affecting production.  Since this technology guides itself through various patterns it can “predict what consumers like before the know they like it” (Almond, 2020). For me, as a Public Relations student this can be a valuable service as I have to be up to date with upcoming trends and tendencies. X Reality is one of those trends. Combining it with fashion shows is popularised by the new wave of designers and allows to create multiple new realities where the whole environment, models and clothing pieces could be distorted unrecognisably. As a future industry professional I am mesmerised by a new customer experience it could create- from digital influencers to an in-store immersive experience. Collaborating with influencers is an inseparable part of a fashion industry and it would be exciting to try to work with a digital influencer. However, allowing such technologies manipulate our reality create much room for discussions and controversies whether it is professionally ethical to work with a non-existent human over a real one with a diverse background and history. Also, I believe that we should not let technology to control the industry and our life so much, as it blurs boundaries between a real and a digital world, leaving people questioning what is real and what is not. We are on the barrier of a revolution in fashion, and I am sure my generation will be the ones to shift it into a brighter one.