Antonia-Florina Rosu

Reading through everyone’s unique experience during the Better Lives project, one blog post that stood out was Bianca Alexander’s third post. What I love about it is the fact that it seems real, not even a bit sugarcoated, and truly according to these difficult times we live in. 

She chose Mask Masking as her individual project which, ironically, corresponded with the Covid-19 pandemic. Her initial plan was to design a mask in times of need for desperate people unable to purchase one – but a useful mask. Bianca’s idea to encourage social distancing by making a mask similar to the ones plague doctors used to wear in the past sounds brilliant. Her ‘dead bloated face masks’ were supposed to scare people away and warn those around that the person is infected. 

The mask she wanted to design was not only just a fashion item, it also had a medical purpose – to contain Vitamin C and herbs in some areas, which was helpful in fighting against the virus.

However, due to the lockdown, she could not carry on with her mask project but somehow managed to change her perspective with the help of the Better Lives lectures. Instead of creating a mask from plastic, she turned to more sustainable materials.

I think she had a brilliant idea and the fact that she could not finish her project because of the pandemic was a pity. The fact that she has managed to learn and take sustainability into consideration before designing something is proof that this unit made us more responsible and much more aware.

My experience throughout the Illustration project has been very unexpected and beneficial at the same time. When we started I was a bit anxious because everyone in my group was good at drawing so I had to keep up. Our coordinator was making me feel a lot better because she was giving us the freedom to explore and create. I managed to draw clothes of mannequin figures, then we were told to paint all over them, we talked about illustrators and I have come to admire Bill Donovan. He is working with Dior Beauty and his illustrations are surreal. We also had to research sustainable designer and Stella McCartney is still my favourite.

In the end, we learnt how to draw a nude silhouette and also how to draw faces. Drawing at home was challenging for me as the lockdown restrictions in my country are very harsh. I had no acrylic paint so I had to improvise. I thought using my makeup palettes could work so I started using those colours in my illustrations and an eyeliner for the lines and contour, all on recyclable paper. The drawing I am most proud of is a sketch of Kendall Jenner’s nude silhouette. I may not be very good at drawing and I am most definitely not going to be an illustrator but it was a fun experience that made me more social responsible and much more appreciative of this field of work.

As an aspiring fashion journalist, the themes incorporated in the Better Lives Unit were not of much interest for me at first. These past few weeks have taught me that my ignorant and shallow attitude towards sustainability, social responsibility and diversity was the exact toxic mindset we should all fight against. Anyone can contribute and make a change.

I chose Illustration as my Better Lives project which was an absolute challenge because my drawing skills were non-existent. I thought exiting my comfort zone and trying something completely new alongside people from other courses would be a beneficial learning experience. Also, ditching the digital world I work in because of the journalism course for the material one in illustration seemed almost adventurous. Not only did I finally understand how hard being an illustrator in the fashion industry is, but during each course I managed to gain a sense of awareness and responsibility when working with materials. We were working only with recyclable paper, we were using our own magazines to cut and use bits for various patterns and we were researching designers supporting sustainability.

One of the lessons that impressed me the most was the one when we were asked to bring some magazines with us. We were given a white piece of paper, a scissor and freedom to create whatever we wanted. It was not only fun having Irina Shayk’s head on top of Bella Hadid’s torso and Kendall Jenner’s legs, but also inspiring and powerful. The thing I loved most during lectures was the freedom we were given and the assurance I was personally feeling that nothing I was doing could be wrong. It felt like a dress-up game from childhood.

The initial idea that the values of the Better Lives course will never be a problem in my field of work has completely changed. I have learnt that the way in which I can help may not be writing on recyclable paper, but I can use my voice to raise awareness about these issues and I can persuade people who, just like I did, think that they will not be able to make a difference. I feel like this unit was vital for how my perspective over the industry and the world itself will be for the rest of my career in fashion.

Out of so many lectures, Julia Crew’s presentation about Power was by far the one with the most profound impact on me. Her lecture managed to put an important question up to debate: in whose hands lies the power in the fashion industry?

As a future fashion journalist, I thought media would be the obvious answer but her lecture changed my perspective. It is true that the propaganda today’s media manages to produce is an important game changer, as we were all able to see especially during this pandemic. Media can shape the truth some people may want the population to believe – this way masses can be manipulated as we believe what we are being told. Our lives are so influenced by the media and all its tools that more and more people have begun to suffer from different diseases such as anxiety and depression, trying to match the edited lives of some Instagram influencers.

Another source of power is money and this part made me think how irresponsible we usually are when shopping. I thought it was unfair and heartbreaking that some people are growing billion-dollar empires while others work for them and barely manage to afford a decent life. I finally understood how this industry supports the economy and how we, as buyers, encourage exploitation of employees if we do not begin to ask the right questions and act.

However, after this lecture I began to think that the true power lies in the hands of the consumer. We have the money, we decide what to buy, therefore we are the ones influencing trends, prices and even the whole industry. With the right education, we are the dictators of the way this whole industry is heading to.