Katherine Zuleta Gil

About Katherine Zuleta Gil

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Blog 3 Project outcomes and personal development reflection- Fashion Activism Film

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I and my five teammates worked on a collaboration between Lazy Oaf x Time to Change ( a mental health awareness organisation)

Sustainability

In regards to social sustainability, our aim was to eliminate the stigma of mental health, remind people that those with mental health conditions are socially equal to those without and ‘its OK not to be OK’.

Before the lockdown, our group had brainstormed some amazing ideas to communicate our message. During the lockdown, I questioned how we were going to manage to complete the task without being able to meet with each other. I realised we were going to have to forget our original plan to shoot in the underground and oxford street with the massive crowds of people! Not really something we could achieve with the UK on lockdown.

Being in isolation as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak we had to find a way to create a film using only what we had at hand. Individually we all vlogged ourselves and our homes instead, which in a way was a little more realistic and relatable.  This process of quick changes and struggles has taught me to think outside the box and to problem-solve creatively.

Diversity

It was very important to get the message across that mental illness can affect anyone of any age, gender or race. I felt we were going to experience some difficulties in regards to casting; however, during a Zoom video call looking at each other, we realised we as a group are very diverse! We would model for our own film. We agreed to grab family members to be part of the video for more age diversity. But understandably not everyone feels comfortable being on camera so we weren’t able to delve much into age diversity, I did, however, include my 1-year-old brother, I think it may have given the film more of a cute factor rather than a clear message of age diversity.

What we did do successfully, however, was demonstrating everyone’s different coping mechanism, from spending time with friends/family to being alone and unwinding. We all react uniquely to everyday events, what affects one person may not affect another.  ‘Time to change’  aims is to de-stigmatise different mental health conditions. I do believe we could have made the different mental health conditions clearer,  it was challenging to get everyone’s ‘struggle’ clips in time to give our team member enough time to edit the final video thoroughly. Not everyone was managing to attend our zoom meetings, keeping up with the group chat or the deadlines set. The time difference between our team members made discussing our opinions on the final outcome and changing it difficult too. Furthermore, I have now learnt that the person who finalises a project must be a person who has been committed to the project from the beginning in order to ensure that the final outcome is what was discussed. Although we did all think it was a beautifully touching film and the process was enjoyable.

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  1. Adrienne Van der Merwe: Blog Post 4: Peer Review: After going through many equally well written and thought out blog posts I decided to…

Blog 2 Themes reflection tasks: Collaboration and Cultural sustainability

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In regards to the theme of social responsibility I particularly found the lecture by Claire Swift on ‘Collaboration’ useful for my work in the near future.  She began by first explaining that to start each person must know their discipline and their role within the team and that collaborations can lead to great ideas and energy that lead to something called ‘group genius’ which she described as ‘sparks’.  Practising deep listening is important and as a team, we should build on each other’s ideas, and ask innovative questions. She spoke about the different roles in a team that NATURALLY form, you get people who are more action-orientated, people-orientated which I believe I may be and those who are thought orientated. Knowing this I now understand why some team members may work differently to me but together this difference is what creates success. Claire also spoke about the Tuckman’s theory that says each group will go through the stages of forming, storming    (where most conflicts occur) norming ( where everyone has come to an agreement) performing ( everyone creating great things) and adjourning. From this, I have learnt that it is normal to have conflicts at the beginning of a group and to not get worked up about it. Everyone in a team has needs and so it is important to celebrate great ideas so everyone has the confidence to speak, criticism is okay after the team is done generating ideas and its vital to accept criticism by listening to a point of view and not taking it personally.

In regards to sustainability, I found ‘Cultural sustainability’ by John Lau an interesting topic that has made me aware of how I can help in the future.  Cultural sustainability aims to keep cultures alive without misrepresentation and appropriating them. To do this we must understand culture, research and take the time to see the object, language, music, textile through the eyes of the ones who make it, wear it and use it. It requires respect. Without understanding a cultural garment it simply becomes a costume which takes away thousands of years of history and identity. Misrepresentation in film and fashion shows that take inspiration from inaccurate representations of cultures destroy their meanings and lead them to be used as trends. Appreciation of a culture IS NOT using cultural clothing and styles as a costume.  One way of appreciating is by working in collaboration with the people from the culture to create new designs and giving back to them and giving them credit for giving you the knowledge behind it. In fashion shows use models from the culture you’ve taken inspiration from, models who understand the significance of what they are wearing and clearly communicate with the audience letting them know the true meaning of what they are seeing. Cultural sustainability is something that I will look into before ever drawing inspiration from a cultures design. A future without culture is a future without individual identity, so I will play my part to sustain it.

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Blog 1: Inclusivity

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Inclusivity 

The first ‘Better lives’ topic that really caught my attention and changed my view of the world was ‘Inclusivity’ a lecture by Laura Salsbury. Inclusivity was something I’ve always taken for granted up until recently that I began having allergic reactions to every skin product I have been using. I have been suffering from dermatitis for 10 years but for the past year, it has become extremely painful. There are three ingredients that happen to be in pretty much every product the ‘regular’ person uses every day, Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl betaine, and fragrance. This is seen in shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand wash and cream, all which are everyday essentials. It has meant getting to enjoy products like body scrubs or body oil or even just a perfumed hand cream impossible for me and others with skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and sensitive skin to use.

There is a lack of inclusivity in regards to toiletry products and those with skin sensitivities

The definition of ‘Inclusivity’ by British Standards, 2005 is “ the design of mainstream products and/or services that are accessible to and usable by as many people as reasonably possible … without the need for special adaptation or specialized design” There is a lack of inclusivity in regards to toiletry products and those with skin sensitivities.

I have many times walked into my local drugstore many times to find only a tiny section dedicated to ‘skin conditions’ which only offers a small selection of cream and body wash. I also remember walking into the Body Shop and realizing I couldn’t use any of their products because they were all so heavily fragranced.

 I have had to search all over the internet for products that I can actually use. I found a company called ‘Bria Organics’, this company is one of few who offer hypoallergenic products like shampoo ( which you cannot find at all in a regular drugstore) and it made me so happy to think FINALLY I don’t have to wash my hair with gloves on in attempt to protect my hands, the price stands at £14.95 200ml which is on the pricey side but that is all that is available for people with skin sensitivities.

How can we make Toiletry products more inclusive and why? 

Laura Salsbury said ‘ It is believed that by understanding diverse needs like age, gender, ability, culture one can create better insights into products’. In 2015 it was estimated 15 million people in the UK suffer from eczema/ atopic dermatitis, costing the NHS roughly £169 million on prescriptions a year. If companies were to focus first on caring for their consumers rather than the aesthetic of a product ( like fragrance) there would be fewer people suffering from these painful skin conditions. And as seen with the ‘Extreme User Circle’ more people would be able to use their products which business-wise is a positive thing overall because it would expand the companies range of consumers.

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