Emma Bell

Blog 3 – Project Outcome Reflection

For my project, I chose the In and Outside of Fashion: Sportswear Fashion Language and Sub-cultures project and so I wanted to review one of my peer’s blogs who did the same project. Whilst looking through many, I found Louise Nabridnyj’s third blog and first wanted to review it because of the amazing photographs. 

I thought that her use of photography really enhanced the detailed discussion of the Better Lives themes, such as diversity in relation to various sub-cultures; social responsibility in improvising accessories and using material found at home rather than going out to the shops to buy new things during the pandemic; and sustainability in up-cycling old or unwanted garments. 

Her discussion of diversity when talking about the first physical masterclass was interesting. She talks about how she mixed different fashion trends like normcore with sportswear by using uncommon garments and accessories, such as a bra on top of a t-shirt and dress which evokes the feeling of a sports bra. I noticed a lot of creativity in her project outcomes, which is very exciting as it shows an ability to be proactive in a range of disciplines across the fashion industry, not just in one chosen degree subject.

The final paragraph, where Louise talks about how she is rethinking her purchasing habits is my favourite part of the blog post. She cites how, “I can upcycle and swap my unwanted clothes with friends, instead of constantly making unnecessary new purchases.” Personally, I have never upcycled my own clothes. I often send mine to charity shops when they are out of use, but after reading this blog post, my mind has been changed. I would like to experiment with being more creative with my clothes to make new, practical garments. I was especially stunned with how Louise was able to make four items out of “a single pair of unworn trousers”. She linked her activity to the theme of social responsibility and sustainability, which worked very well. 

Although I loved the blog post, I would have liked to hear more about how she plans to implement the three Better Lives themes into her practice in the future alongside the information about how her mind has been changed in regard to her personal life. Her response showcased a very resourceful attitude toward styling, and I loved the styled looks she created, but I would have enjoyed reading about her degree subject and how Better Lives has informed that aspect of her field. 

Finally, the main thing that stood out to me from Louise’s blog post was her self-efficacy and resilience. During COVID-19, it was not easy to conduct a styling masterclass all on our own, but Louise not only achieved an incredible outcome but also communicated it very eloquently in her blog. I think her efforts and successes should be commended during these challenging times, as her abounding curiosity to delve further into styling made these tasks seem effortless.

Throughout the project stage of the Better Lives unit, I participated in two styling masterclasses on the ‘Sportswear: Inside and Outside Fashion’ course. The first was done physically in person before the Easter break, and the second took place over Microsoft Teams.

The two styling masterclass experiences were very different from one another considering the circumstances. In the physical masterclass, we created three different looks which related to the Better Lives themes of diversity; social responsibility; and sustainability. We were also asked to focus on a specific sub-culture and our group chose to go with the 90s rave scene. Therefore, in our styled looks, we used a lot of bright colours and exaggerated silhouettes to evoke a vintage ravey feel. By working with other students, we reached a finalised look by using all of our ideas and garments combined. This made the styled looks very diverse and exciting in my opinion.

However, after the Easter break due to coronavirus lockdown, we had to conduct the second masterclass over the internet on Microsoft Teams. We were given a brief and then two hours to create our looks that related to exercising at home during the lockdown. It was a great experience to be able to use my own clothes that have personal significance to me to create a whole new look. Using this free rein, I decided to focus my mind on the idea of emulating a football casual, but with a more active twist. This allowed me to respond personally to my lockdown experience through the use of styling. 

Personally, I enjoyed the physical masterclass more as the atmosphere of the studio allowed all of us to be more creative together. Whilst I did enjoy the freedom to make a look that was one hundred percent my own in the digital masterclass, the physicality of the first one made the whole experience feel more professional, allowing me to see what a stylist’s life might actually look like. 

I was glad to be able to experience both, however, as it has given me another faucet of communication through styling to consider. Throughout both masterclasses, I learnt a lot from my lecturers’ expertise on how to style fashioned bodies and how to use ordinary clothes in extraordinary and unorthodox ways.

Over the past four weeks, I have realised wholeheartedly the social responsibility that stylists and journalists carry on their shoulders in both the fashion industry and the media world alike. In using our styled looks to think about the Better Lives themes, I noticed that many barriers still exist in the representation of diverse genders­­­­ in the media, and also the lack of sustainable materials being used or favoured by producers and consumers. Stylists and journalists have the ability to make anything fashionable and desirable, giving them immense power. For this reason, we have to take more care with our communication, whether it be in clothes or in words, because we can change the fashion industry as the new up-and-coming professionals. I think that Better Lives has taught me to shift the focus of my future career from success in the capitalist notion to success in terms of social and moral responsibility.

Having begun a foray into fashion styling and production in the Better Lives unit, the two themes which have seemed most pertinent to me out of the three are that of social responsibility and diversity.

Stylists have the power to make things current and trendy. They decide the fashion agenda in many respects. And so, they must think of the question, ‘What message do I want to convey?’, as a message is conveyed no matter what, whether that message is intended or accidental. For example, think of the SS20 Gucci campaign which sought to highlight mental health struggles. It was met with welcome acclaim alongside backlash, with the main argument being ‘Mental health is not fashion’ (Leaper, 2019), and should therefore not be used to make money for giant capitalist companies. 

This, on one hand, underlines the need for more diversity in all aspects of fashion; yet on the other hand it exhibits the responsibility practitioners have in assessing whether the message they want to convey is indeed being conveyed in the intended way, for it is so easy for messages to become construed. 

For this reason, new conversations need to be driven forward. The current media climate is not tolerant, nor is it totally inclusive or diverse. Contrary to popular belief, women are still undervalued and abused by the media; racial minorities are still portrayed in a negative and disrespectful regard; and embodiments of young and old generations alike are fraught with ageism. True, the media is propelling forward at some rate, but we have not reached total justice for all. 

This social responsibility in increasing diversity in the fashion industry can also be effectively realised through the practice of journalism. As a fashion journalist, social responsibility is arguably the most important theme of all. Working in the media, fashion journalists are in a position to drive conversations forward. How they interact with this position undoubtedly plays out on the wide-reaching landscape of the general public’s mindset. There can be no denying that what we say about the people and situations in the stories we publish really matters. 

We have a social responsibility to represent all people fairly and realistically. Representations impact people in myriad ways. If someone does not feel seen, or represented, this can lead to a whole host of problems relating to mental health, body image and body dissatisfaction, and general wellbeing. Therefore, those of us who impact the fashion media as a whole industry are the sole bearers of the responsibility to make people feel valued, mobilised, and recognised. 

Going forward in my own practice, I predict that I will slow down in order to think more about what it is I am trying to say, and whether I am doing that message justice in the words and the clothes that I am using. Fashion is language, and just like how we have to think before we speak, I now believe that we have to add the same care and caution to our practice. Fashion impacts everyone. Now I will imagine my journalism and styling as if I were delivering a speech to the general public of the world, realising and incorporating the depth of consideration public speakers and world leaders use when addressing their nations. 

REFERENCES

Leaper, C. (2019) ‘‘Mental health is not fashion’: The story behind Gucci’s on-catwalk protest at Milan Fashion Week’, The Telegraph, 23 September. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/milan-fashion-week/mental-health-not-fashion-story-behind-guccis-on-catwalk-protest/

Overexploitation has become a very pressing issue in today’s global climate as wider society begins to realise how severely we are endangering our earth. This broad theme was touched upon in both Katelyn Toth-Fejel’s ‘Society’ lecture and the lecture on ‘Nature’ given by Kate Fletcher. Both speakers highlighted how the human sphere and the natural sphere are inextricably linked, and how this means we have a deep responsibility in caring for the planet before we destroy ourselves through the normalisation of toxic behaviour and a failure to anticipate the future.

During Toth-Fejel’s lecture, it became clear that our current societal situation is the main contributing factor to our sustainability struggles. Western modernism operates on “an economic system whose core logic is perpetual growth in a finite world” (Fletcher, 2015), meaning our societal rules and norms make it very difficult to make the necessary life-changing choices that will save our environment. This is clearly exhibited in through ecological footprints, which is the amount of land and sea area required to provide for individuals and countries around the world. When I tested mine with Global Footprint Network’s tool on their website, I found out that if everyone lived like me, we would need two whole planets for the amount of resources I use alone. And I thought I was quite good at being sustainable! Clearly, I have a reality check pending. 

Because many people are like me and are actively exhausting the earth of her resources day after day, all living systems are now in decline; a scary fact that Kate Fletcher noted in her lecture. The majority have reduced by more than 50% due to human impact (see below). Easter Island is a microcosm of this human tendency to exploit nature as a resource to our own ends. The native inhabitants supposedly destroyed themselves after they deforested the whole island to use the trees as tools to transport their iconic statues across the land as part of a tribal ritual.

The geological epoch we are now living in has been dubbed as the Anthropocene, as humans have become the largest influencing factor on the world. Until now, this has not been the case. In 2008, the Stockholm Resilience Centre defined nine planetary boundaries which were necessary for a productive earth. The theory is that if any were transgressed, the earth would fail completely. What I found exceptionally interesting was that three boundaries have already been transgressed. And what is exceptionally sad is that we’re not doing anything to change this. Fletcher put this down to there being a huge disconnect between nature and daily life, akin to the Legacy of Descartes. 

So, where do we go from here? I think that social structures need to be rethought if there is to be a sustainability transition, as capitalism is the main driver of our current problems. However, hope can be found in the fact that things can change as capitalism is manmade and, therefore, its solutions can be made by us too. If I had governmental power, I would call for true humanity to be built back into society rather than the superiority of companies and consumerist agendas which has become the norm. Through Better Lives we can hopefully all realise that this requires individual effort to recognise our faults and drive forward collaboration by taking up the reins of humility, boundaries, and togetherness.

REFERENCES

Fletcher, K. (2020) ‘Nature’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 12 February.

Toth-Fejel, K. (2020) ‘Society’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 19 February. 

Fletcher, K. (2015) Routledge Handbook of Sustainability and Fashion. Abingdon: Routledge. 

Image Credit

WWF, 2016 

Stockholm Resilience Centre: J. Lokrantz/Azote based on Steffen et al., 2015