Faye Meehan

The Styling and Production course focused around the main subject of sportswear. We were presented with a range of examples of different subcultures, such as ‘Casuals’ and 90s rave culture, in order to produce two final styled looks that combined conventions of sportswear with a range of different subcultures and our personal style and ideas.

During the unit we were tasked with exploring our own ideas and opinions surrounding style and subculture through means of group discussions and the creation of mood-boards. This enabled me to not only develop my knowledge of fashion, but introduced me to the outright depth and thought that went into every single aspect and detail of a styled look. In order to participate in the styling ‘masterclasses’ and produce a project outcome, we had to work together in groups. This involved all members of the group mixing their own clothes with garments provided by the course in order to produce a diverse wardrobe, working together to plan and produce a final styled sportswear look. In the first masterclass (the brief being to ‘produce one experimental sportswear look under the theme of youth expression’) we decided to focus the outfit around British culture and sexuality, specifically the stereotypes surrounding working class Britain and gay men. Through combining recognisable iconography of working class British culture (through use of an England football shirt and Adidas tracksuit bottoms) with feminine attributes of heels and a skirt on a male model, we were able to present the idea surrounding the misrepresentation of gay men. In the media, they’re often perceived using one of two stereotypes: extremely feminine or overtly masculine; mixing these stereotypes together allowed us to prove how irrelevant and unnecessary such stereotypes are.

The second ‘masterclass’ differs from the first due to the fact that it occurred during the Coronavirus lockdown, and so we were given the brief to create a styled look based off of sporting activities one could do during this period of self-isolation. I decided to create a casual look that could be worn to participate in a number of sports activities from something as simple as going on a walk to something as extreme as running a marathon. The look was made up of a vintage green varsity jacket, white sports bralette, vintage Adidas joggers with ‘popper’ detailing and white ‘dad’ trainers, accessorised with black rectangular sunglasses and gold chain jewellery. This element of diversity that this casual look provides was something that I found to be significant as I believe that people shouldn’t feel like participating in sports whilst on lockdown is necessary, it’s a difficult time for everybody and an incredibly overt ‘sports’ look could be perceived as intimidating to some.

I made a conscious effort to use vintage garments within both looks due to my awareness of the lack of sustainability within the fashion industry and the fact that it’s the second biggest pollutant in the world, with an estimated USD 500 billion value being lost every year due to clothing being barely worn and rarely recycled (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017).

Stylists have a social responsibility to not only have their work reflect what is happening in the fashion realm, but also what is happening in the World. The world is a diverse place with a need for sustainability and I believe the looks created in the masterclasses reflects this.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017) Make Fashion Circular Report. Available at: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/our-work/activities/make-fashion-circular/report (Accessed: 03/05/20). 

Throughout the Better Lives unit, I was introduced to the three core themes of the course: sustainability, diversity and social responsibility. Such themes were deeply explored within the Better Lives lectures and my chosen unit, ‘Fashion Styling and Production’. The styling course enabled me to explore the three mains themes using an element of creativity that would not be possible elsewhere in my work; styling allows one to understand the fashion industry through the following/ creation of new trends.

A current trend more prevalent than ever is the use of sustainability in fashion. ‘Sustainable fashion’ could be anything from using vintage garments, borrowing/ renting clothes, or purchasing from sustainable brands; all with the desire to reduce production of new garments using new materials. The styling course introduced me to ‘sustainable’ stylists (Lucy Harvard, Penny Lovel for Anne Hathaway etc.), an element of the profession which I didn’t think possible as a stylist’s job is often to promote the latest products. Through learning about such stylists, I was able to understand that themes of sustainability can always be a factor in how I work in the future; journalism focuses on current affairs and what’s new- there’s always new ways to be sustainable and support our planet.

In regards to the theme of diversity, the ‘Fashion Styling and Production’ unit provided examples of an array of methods/ trends of styling (such as use of the body in the 90s/2000s when styled campaigns were sexual and seductive) and eras/ subcultures of fashion (like the ‘Casual’ movement of the late 70s). However, the course focused on the diversity of products rather than human diversity, most likely as a result of a stylist’s job being to create a specific narrative through a styled look. In my future work in the creative sphere, I will ensure to combine the notions of diversity and inclusion to represent the people that make up our society- stylists rarely use the same item of clothing twice, so why should we see a lack of diversity in the media?

Stylists have a primary social responsibility to project/ create the latest trends, promote upcoming collections and to create a narrative through means of clothing and accessories. Traditionally, the social responsibilities involved with styling are adequately surface level, though arguably have the potential to create a narrative focused around a significant message (political messages, environmental messages etc.). This is something that I learned about during the two sportswear workshops, and a factor that I will continue to embrace in my future work; when a task seems primarily surface level it can always have potential to portray a secondary, deeper meaning.

After watching a number of the Better Lives lectures, I found Kate Fletcher’s presentation about nature deeply thought-provoking and awfully relevant regarding the World today, especially after the outbreak of Covid-19. Fletcher began with definitions of ‘nature’, ‘environment’ and ‘sustainability’ and later described an instance in which a society (previous inhabitants of Easter Island) was destroyed through exploitation of its own environment and resources. Her referral to a self-sabotaging society directly emphasised the importance of social responsibility, and therefore a sustainable nation. It helped me to further understand that sustainability is not a trend (as it has often been presented as) but a necessity to maintain a certain future for our planet, and not one of an apocalyptic demeanour. 

Fletcher went on to describe the co-existence between fashion and nature; she outlined nature as the “enabler of the fashion system” whilst also being fashion’s “limiting factor”. Nature is the primary material source for many fashion products, like cotton, but all fibres (both natural and synthetic) have an impact on natural systems. Arguably, the fashion system that has the greatest impact on nature and the environment is the practice of fast fashion. The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, and we are producing 400% more clothing than 20 years ago, with most women wearing 20%- 30% of their clothes and on average, disposing of them after wearing them seven times (Sustain Your Style, 2020). After conducting an Instagram poll, I found that during the Coronavirus lockdown, around 54% of people are buying more clothing, despite having nowhere to wear the items to. I found this particularly surprising as it demonstrates such a lack of regard for the Better Lives themes of sustainability and social responsibility. Not only are they engaging with a system that largely pollutes the world, but are demonstrating a lack of social responsibility by putting everyone in the fashion system chain in danger (the produces, couriers, etc.). I feel that this not only emphasises Fletcher’s point surrounding the negative impact fashion has on nature, but also the pointlessness of fast fashion- we don’t need it, it’s cheap so people feel an obligation to purchase it, despite the fact that they probably won’t wear it.

The lecture came to an end with Fletcher presenting a diverse range of sustainable fashion practices, proving that there are ways that the fashion system can have a more positive impact on the environment, such as: upcycling; more transport supply chains; better working conditions; less use of water etc. Overall, I left the lecture feeling slightly uplifted. Before the lecture, I thought of the environment and the possibility of a sustainable future in a negative light because of the excessive damage that has already been done to our planet. This lecture proved to me that we can learn from our past (the society who inhabited Easter Island) and offered options for a positive, sustainable future.

Sustain Your Style (2020) Fast Fashion. Available at: https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-fast-fashion(Accessed: 18/04/20).