Abby Rosen

My chosen project for the Better Lives unit was Messaging Fashion. I was excited for this project as it gave me an opportunity to learn about branding and PR, something different to my course Hair and Makeup for Fashion. After being introduced to the theme of social responsibility from the Better Lives lectures, this project allowed me to grasp the understanding of how important the social responsibility of a brand really is.

A brands missions are not only to sell products and services, but to create values that inspire consumers and bring about change. In our sessions we looked at brand values, and how brands use social responsibility to improve brand reputation. Brand touchpoints, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and a brand personality are all what is needed for a successful, ethical and relatable brand. We further learnt about brands building relationships with media outlets, to ensure the most affective media will deliver the message from the brand. This could be traditional media, although the industry has increasingly learnt to rely on social media as a tool of communication. This has become more apparent than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media has become vital for brands to communicate to their audience and deliver messages during these unprecedented times.

Our task for the project was to, in groups, create and present our own social responsibility initiative for our given brand. We had to formulate innovative ways to promote our concept to the target audienceof the brand, and also produce a media outcome to relay our brands key message and raise brand awareness.

My groups brand was PATTA, a black owned company and streetwear brand. It started as a small business for friends and family and it developed to a brand who defends the urban culture. PATTA has their own non-profit organisation, with the purpose of helping the growth of young adults through arts and cultural entrepreneurship. We considered the impacts of COVID-19 and how PATTA would respond. We thought of creating a ‘COVID-19 Collection’ where proceeds go to the PATTA Foundation, specifically by supporting underprivileged young people who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and giving grants to fund their basic living expenses. This would embody the brands community values and express how a brand like PATTA might actually respond to a pandemic like this. We also considered how we can use Instagram as an outlet for connecting and inspiring PATTA’s audience during this time. Lastly, we created our own press release mock up to be presented on HYPEBEAST, our chosen media partner. This is due to the crossover in target audience and the global reach that HYPEBEAST has.

Overall, what I can take away from this project is understanding the importance of social responsibility of a brand, and the impact a brand can have on making global changes. Not only will this inspire me to consider my own social responsibility when creating projects, but also motivate me to associate with brands that have values that I abide with.

As a hair and makeup for fashion student, the themes of the Better Lives lectures has awakened the way that I should approach my work and practices currently and in the future. 

There was a point that sparked my interest from the ‘Introduction to Diversity’ lecture, by Shahidha Bari. The idea of diversity not only being about representation within the industry, but the literal diversity of a product or garment, in terms of diverse humans producing the product and the concerns of exploitation that surround the matter. Perhaps I hadn’t really considered where my products are coming from and the large range of people who are involved. From the very beginning to the very end of a product or garments lifespan, it is coming into contact with diverse people and places around the world. From the initial production, to shipping and to selling of that product, there is a journey that we must be aware of. 

I watched a three-part documentary on BBC called, ‘Beauty Laid Bare’ which investigates the beauty industry in depth. I learnt that an even playing field for workers in such a huge industry can be difficult to achieve. The rich and powerful at the peak of the industry means so many are left short-changed and exploited at the bottom. As a hair and makeup student and hoping to stay apart of this industry in the future, I feel a responsibility to challenge this. Feasibly, it seems that not much can be done as a student to change this huge and deep-rooted issue within the industry, but from what I have learnt from the Better Lives lectures is that effective changes, even if they are small, can eventually make a difference.

This is why I have been thinking about my own work and what I can do to raise awareness on the topic of exploitation of workers within the industry. I’ve been thinking about collaboration with people with the same purpose to have a larger reach. I also think that I can make a change by ensuring my hair and makeup kits are filled with products that contain ethically sourced ingredients, perhaps made in the UK. This is to try and reduce the risk of workers in third world countries being exploited to make products in dangerous conditions, with a low wage for vigorous long hours. I think that taking the step to support or work with ethical fashion and beauty brands will encourage the fair treatment of workers and aim to eliminate exploitation as much as possible.

My chosen project for Better Lives is Messaging Fashion. We have been looking at PR and brand values in the first few sessions, understanding how different brands can work for a particular cause as they have such social responsibility. Think links in with how I believe I should adjust my way of working. I should be more aware of the brands I use and promote and also know that I have a social responsibility to do so.

References:

Shahidha Bari (2020) ‘Introduction to Diversity’ [Lecture]. Better Lives. London College of Fashion. 10 February 

Beauty Laid Bare (2020) BBC Three, 2 February. Available at: BBC iPlayer (Accessed: 10th April 2020)

Over the past two weeks, watching and engaging with the Better Lives lectures has enlightened me on topics of concern in the fashion industry, but has also showed me how themes such as, diversity, power and sustainability can cross over and link together. These concerns within fashion are complex and is something that is embedded into all aspects of the industry. I feel as though it is hard to distinguish just one topic of concern that has impacted me, as they all have a critical and equal impact on the future of the fashion industry and also the planet.

All of the points of concern within the fashion industry intertwine. One leads onto the next, like an inescapable cycle. This came to light after listening to the lecture, ‘Fashion Sustainability and Power’ by Julia Crew. In particular, the ‘Power and the Consumer’ section of the lecture stood out as the biggest link between the concerns. As consumers, we have great power, and with this power comes great responsibility. Julia explained that every time we make a purchase we are ‘voting with our wallet.’ We are voting on the brands in which we support. We need to know that the people making our clothes are being paid enough, otherwise we are contributing to the exploitation of others, equally we need to know that what we are buying is made in an ethical and sustainable way. With each purchase we can vote for or against humanity, equality and the planet. 

The ‘Power and Media’ section of the lecture also highlights the crossover of concerns in the industry. The recent inflation of advertisement in fashion is a problem for many reasons, one being that it encourages consumers to buy more clothes than they need. It is not sustainable as it contributes to the notion of wearing something once and then throwing it away, known as the phenomenon of fast fashion. In addition to this sustainability issue, there is also a concern of power when discussing fast fashion. Fast fashion keeps rich richer and poor poorer. The industry creates extreme wealth for some, while practically enslaving others. The demand for the production of clothes at a rapid rate increases the amount of sweat shops and exploitation of workers. This power imbalance between the rich and the poor lead onto diversity issues within the industry too.

In final reflection, I think that as a hair and makeup for fashion student it is going to be a challenge to tackle these areas of concern within the industry as they seem so global and irreversible. Yet, as Julia Crew concluded her lecture, she mentioned that even though issues like these can make us feel powerless, we do have a voice. It can be hard to comprehend the future of fashion, as the world moves at such a fast pace, and the scale of concerns seem so large. However, it is our responsibility as fashion students to work together, be creative, innovative and change the future of fashion.

References:

Julia Crew (2020) ‘Fashion Sustainability and Power’ [Lecture]. Better Lives.London College of Fashion. 10 February.