Lucy Philip

The Better Lives themes of sustainability, diversity and social responsibility are more important than ever in today’s fashion climate. Going into this unit I was aware of these issues; however, the lectures have given me a further insight into just how important these are, not only in the fashion industry but also in the larger world. They have taught me that each and every one of us can make an impact going further into our careers, and that we should consider these themes in our future as we have a responsibility to do so.

In the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have all had an opportunity to reflect about what we most care about in our personal lives, which also link to our creative practices; so we have all had the chance to rethink how we will change our work going into the future, especially regarding the Better Lives themes. The dialogue concerning sustainability and fast fashion has expanded inevitably in this time. People are questioning whether worldwide quarantine will see the end of fast fashion. I hope that this time of reflection will have taught us that it is best to slow down and think harder about whether some of our purchases are necessary in the future. Although those in the industry know the importance of fashion, its possible that in future it may be seen as less essential and will have to justify both its reflection of, and impact on an ever changing wider society – indeed, society itself following this pandemic are likely to be more inclined to question and criticise their own levels of consumption. Considering diversity, the fashion industry has been taking steps in recent years to become a more inclusive space, but it still needs work. We have seen brands become more open and diverse in this time; however, we have also seen brands still making avoidable mistakes, for example Gucci’s balaclava jumper in 2019 that resembled blackface. The lectures on diversity also really opened my eyes and taught me that representation does not only consider race, gender, and body shape, but also people of all ages and disabilities, which should be represented more in fashion.

The Better Lives themes will change the way I work in the future as I hope to work with many sustainable brands that support ethical practices. Personally it has also made me want to try harder when making purchases myself, and really think about whether I will wear the said item of clothing for a long time, and if not, I won’t buy it. I have also learnt to research brands properly and how ethical their practices are, and recently I have been engaging with Depop and more sustainable brands more than ever. In my future I also want to work with a diverse range of models for my photography. In the end I want my work to have an impact on people, and for people to feel represented and seen. 

Well-being is a prominent issue in today’s fashion industry, and these lectures emphasised the importance of tackling this issue. Although fashion can enhance individual well-being with the freedom of creativity and expression, it can also have a detrimental effect. Mass production has helped to shape the idea that more is better, which leads to higher expectations which are harder to satisfy. Along with this, the spread of Eurocentric mass media has led to misrepresentation and racist values, leaving people feeling undesirable not only in the industry but in everyday life.

The lecture on well-being, presented by Jekaterina Rogaten introduced me to different kinds of well-being: hedonic well-being and eudemonic well-being. According to hedonic well-being, our positive emotions need to be outweighing the negative ones, and over time, it becomes necessary to consume more and more in order to maintain the same level of happiness; however this ideology has been over-exploited by commercial companies in order to maintain and increase growth of their brand. It has also been proven misguided by some trends, such as the practice of minimalism, which takes the ‘less is more’ approach. Social media has brainwashed society to believe that we constantly need more, and this is unsustainable not only to humans but to the environment which we take advantage of. Eudemonic well-being – rather – emphasises the pursuit of meaningful experiences to allow a happier life, which is a more realistic approach to long-term well-being, not only for human kind but the planet too.

Although the fashion industry has made big strides in representing a more diverse community, the media of those not represented, or misrepresented can greatly impact well-being. The lecture on representation presented by Teleica Kirkland helped me understand that the industry really isn’t doing enough, and that global companies are still making backwards mistakes that can easily be avoided. When the industry is still presenting a mono-culturalist ideology, this persuades people that they are not good enough and undesirable, which is why it is so important to represent not only people of colour but people of all shapes and sizes, and if done right, can help construct a more welcoming and diverse space. However outrage-marketing is unfortunately still a tactic that brands are turning to for their own personal growth. Companies have engaged in cultural appropriation without sufficient respect for those cultures. The right way to go about this was evidenced by the video shown to us in the lecture: the ‘Wafrica’ project, which was a perfect example of two cultures coming together as one and connecting with each other, and manifested an outlook that big corporations should be practicing.

Overall, these lectures have helped to shape my understanding of how the industry can do better to improve the lives impacted by the fashion industry, and have directed me towards what I as a student and in my future career can do to improve the well-being of both the average consumer and the many minority and under-represented groups.