Taanya Garg

As a Fashion Journalism student, I wished to take up a pathway for my Better Lives Project that supports my current practice and Messaging Fashion naturally became my selected choice. PR and Journalism are mutually dependent on each other – better explained as two sides of a coin. They are both distinct but cannot exist without each other. I better understood this relation after understanding a PR’s creative’s role in depth.

After introducing us to the discipline of PR and Communication, the tutors of Messaging Fashion allocated us a fashion brand and a cause that the brand will respond to. Divided into a group of peers across different disciplines, we had to evaluate the brand values and develop a social responsibility initiative around this cause that is authentic to the brand. 

Of all the suggested brands, I chose WALES BONNER. This eponymous label was founded by a Central Saint Martin’s graduate and addresses the politics of identity, sexuality and race with a sense of multinationalism. After analysing these values, my group came up with a variety of ideas on how we can select a cause and shape our campaign. 

I had found myself inclined to the concept of Gendered Pronouns for a long time. It fascinated me that something as miniscule as a pronoun can have a profound effect in shaping our identities. Knowing the correct usage of pronouns is a definitive way to respect and acknowledge a person’s gender in everyday conversation. I pitched in this idea to my group and we all reached a mutual consensus that this is a good cause that aligns with our brand’s values. Sophia and Leigh, our tutors for Messaging Fashion, seemed to agree with our decision and encouraged us to research further in this direction and develop this idea into a campaign. 

I was fortunate to be part of a group where everyone was motivated and contributed to this project which made working collaboratively a fruitful and enriching experience for everyone. Furthermore, the multitude of perspectives from all my peers challenged our strengths that resulted in a strong project outcome. Working remotely and keeping each other posted through different time zones proved to be a challenge. We overcame this by distributing equal work amongst ourselves and using WhatsApp, Instagram and Google Slides to work effectively. I undertook the responsibility of writing the Press Release for our campaign – #SayItRight. From selecting the relevant fonts, penning the words concisely, deciding the press release’s date, making it look visually appealing to ensuring that the brand’s message is conveyed to the targeted audience, I found this process very rewarding. The skills I picked up during this unit helped me advance my expertise as a journalist. 

I always believed that I was at my most efficient when working on individual projects. However, working in a group allowed me to understand the importance of collaborations. Amidst a global pandemic, we often struggle to think creatively due to lack of inspiration from the outside world. In a group, accountability increases which further motivates us to complete work on time. I also found the constructive criticism and guidance from my tutors and peers very beneficial. To conclude, working collaboratively and accommodating everyone’s inputs in the project helped in its successful completion.

Image Credit:

Taanya Garg (2020)

The fashion industry has long been criticized for its unethical practices that has led many conscious individuals around the world to stand against the industry’s sustained exploitation of human, animal and natural resources. The core themes of Better Lives unit – Diversity, Sustainability and Social Responsibility addressed these issues and allowed me to explore how these values can be encompassed in practical settings.

It isn’t hard to see that this industry has an unmistakably hefty carbon footprint, is responsible for animal cruelty and jeopardizes the safety and health of millions of workers who go unnoticed in its hidden supply chains. However, we as young creatives can use fashion’s influence to shape our world in a positive way and ultimately dictate the new future- one that is sustainable, ethical and ecological. 

Online lectures and lockdown gave me ample time to reflect on my practice as a fashion journalist. Journalism is essentially the voice of the voiceless, a powerful tool that influences society and bridges the gap between brands and consumers. The pathway I selected for my Better Lives Unit is Messaging Fashion. Despite having theoretical knowledge about Public Relations, I found myself better understanding PR’s role in fashion communication when I put myself in its shoes and got first-hand knowledge about it from its tutors. Messaging Fashion especially encouraged us to incorporate the themes of diversity, sustainability and social responsibility in our projects. Working in groups, we were allocated a brand and asked to design an initiative around a social responsibility cause that is authentic to the brand. The list of brands available to us for selection all reflected the Better Lives themes, making me understand that partnering with ethical brands is the first step towards a responsible fashion career. 

I always associated sustainability as something relevant to practices that are more hands-on – like fashion designing which can directly be linked to sourcing of sustainable fabrics.

However, after engaging with the Better Lives lectures, I realised that journalists can support sustainability by writing about ethical fashion brands and bring them to spotlight by highlighting their positive efforts in battling fashion industry’s wrong doings. Promoting transparency within fashion’s supply chain and spreading awareness through words is how a journalist can combat these moral issues. I have always admired fashion journalists like Elizabeth Paton, who recently wrote an article for New York Times – Luxury’s Hidden Indian Supply Chain. Her investigative style of writing that explores business, tech and sustainability inspires me to pen my thoughts on similar themes in future and bring consumer awareness.

This unit also made me value connections by working collaboratively. Working with a diverse group of people, not just at the face of a campaign but also at the rear of it ensures that important messages don’t get lost in the translation. I hope to use these learnings from Better Lives unit to fuel my growth as a fashion journalist in future.

References:

Paton, E. (2020) Luxury’s Hidden Indian Supply Chain. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/style/dior-saint-laurent-indian-labor-exploitation.html (Accessed: 26 April 2020).

The lecture that caught my interest was ‘Emerging Technology and the Fashion Industry’ by Dr. Nick Almond, Associate Dean Learning Technique and unit leader of Better Lives. Technology is a pillar that supports many industries, and fashion is no exception. Both fashion and technology run on trends and it is interesting to see how both of them have evolved over time. I particularly found the Theory of Affordances (Gibson, 1977) interesting that explains how a single tool can have several potential uses. Also, the Technology Acceptance Model that predicts the acceptability of a tool, explaining that the ultimate purpose of technology is utility. A new technology can only work if it useful or better than existing technology, in which case it displaces it.

Blockchain technology

Blockchain technology is a structure that stores all the transactional records, allowing it to remain unaltered and transparent. Who can forget the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh five years ago that took lives of 1,138 workers and left many injured? ‘Who made my clothes’ campaign was triggered in response to this very incident that demanded radical supply chain transparency and fairer and safer working conditions for factory workers. Blockchain will hold brands accountable that exploit workers’ rights and allow mass collaborations with fairer rewards. Second-hand clothing market will see a boom as buyers will be able to purchase garments by tracing its sources and not worry about being ripped off. 

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the intelligence demonstrated by machines that try to mimic human minds. They are essentially pattern seekers and are optimized for finding the best outcomes. It is now emerging as a powerful tool in fashion retail as seen by the rise of AI assisted stylists. Studying past trends and patterns, AI is capable of predicting what consumers want before they know about it. YOOX is an online lifestyle store among many others that has a virtual influencer- Daisy as the face of the brand. Virtual Reality and Augmented reality are already joining forces with fashion as many brands are now promising immersive shopping experiences. 

Many companies are banking on these technologies without realizing the unethical consequences that follow. Thomas Frey, a futurist, has predicted that 2 billion jobs will disappear because of AI by 2030. It is not a hard guess that though AI may prove to be beneficial, it has its own drawbacks. Many companies that are looking for efficiency don’t care about human cost. Furthermore, many creators themselves are not aware of their machine’s capabilities and there’s quite a chance that they may not have been built with the best motives. XR is a revolutionary piece of technology that can allow us to reshape our reality and perception. However, the extent of it cannot be predicted. We stand at a risk of blurring our physical realities with the digital with no knowledge how that might negatively impact us. Digital influencers also pose ethical issues as many of their creators are usually those who find a way to manipulate image and identity through a corporate face. 

As fashion students, it is important for us to recognize and understand emerging technologies that will allow us to advance our practices, all the while being ethical with their use to make space for collective good. 

References:

Almond, N. (2020) ‘Emerging Technologies in Fashion’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 11 February