Jordan Stamp

Having looked at as many of the blogs as I can, I have lots of newfound perspectives from those of my peers. The responses to the unit have helped connect me to the themes beyond the insight of my own. I’ve chosen to review Solomiia Zakharkiv’s third blog post as I found it to be the most intriguing. 

Solomiia demonstrated outstanding research throughout her blog. Her delivery on her knowledge about the brand ‘Nubian Skin’ was presented to the reader clearly and precisely. After reading, I felt I knew a lot about the brand, and I explored it further because I enjoyed what the brand stood for. The theme of diversity runs undoubtedly throughout the brand, and definitely within Solomiia’s blog. It opened my mind to the term “nude” and how there’s a large misconception of it being one colour, in which Nubian Skin successfully redefines with its products and their choice of models.

I noticed the blog was distinctly structured. Solomiia shows the progress of her project. The start of the blog showed her understanding of the fashion industry before the unit, as well as the beginning of the alteration of her mindset with her fresh knowledge and interest in creative direction. After she had started, her aims and intentions for her project were made evident. I was attentive to her compliance with the current Covid-19 situation because she mentioned how it would modify her team’s ability to create the film the way they originally had imagined. But the challenge only enhanced their perseverance. As a reader, it was obvious they kept the unit’s theme of diversity well in their mind. This was shown in their reflection on their exploration of Nubian Skin. Within their outcome, they mentioned an improvement of adding more male representation to the brand to develop more ‘transparency’. I found this to be an effective response to the unit.

Solomiia finished off the post by summing up her experience of the Better Lives unit. She clearly states her personal outtake from this project and that it will impact her perspective in the future. The message was conveyed well that the main focus of the project was about empowering all individuals of all genders, ethnicities, etc. Her voice, although in a team, was definitely proactive in the project and I believe her contribution was useful to the unit. From reading this, I think I would be interested In experimenting with film and advertisement, since it is a good method when conveying important messages that society needs to be made aware of. o

https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/author/18007401/

I was lucky to be able to choose ‘Make-up Break Down’ as my project as I knew it would be an amazing addition to my skills as a fashion styling student. In addition to this, make-up is a passion of mine outside my studies. Even simply from attending the lessons and watching the teachers’ presentations, I was inspired and was able to foresee how I could incorporate some of the looks into my future stylings.

When starting the project, I didn’t have any particular ideas as to what my final outcome would look like, I was just having fun being experimental. It was the lesson on contouring that I connected with the most. We were taught how to highlight and shade the face using technical knowledge that was explained really in depth, with expert information on the colour theory. After I’d created the look from that session, it reminded me of a geometric style which I decided to research further. I also liked how the face was shaped and broken up into different sections which gave a mannequin-like impression. I played around with the prominent features, such as the cheekbones and jawlines, to make the contrast between light and shade even bolder. With social responsibility and diversity in my mind, this lesson showed me that it is important to be able to embrace your features and the features of others. With an increase in representation, people would become more accustomed to the variety in faces shapes, sizes of features as well as colours (of eyes and skin tones), meaning it is easier to accept your own and others’ individuality. Therefore, diversity is especially important.

In the meantime, lockdown was enforced, and we continued our sessions online. I started experimenting on myself with limited resources which actually pushed my creativity and created some interesting 3D looks. This benefited the sustainability of my project, by reusing and recycling materials including paper and beads that I already owned. Other topics we were exploring were called ‘fashion imperfection’ and ‘fashion mistake’. These helped me to analyse my work and the work of others beyond just aesthetics, and rather composed my interpretations of stories for each image. A skill to improve my ability as a stylist, as well as a make-up enthusiast.

In such a pandemic, we are all socially responsible to look out for each other by staying home, subsequently the theme has never been more urgent. As a result, the look I created was structured because my previous work focused a lot on contrast, so I wanted the structure to conflict the current situation. Whereas prior to, many of us had a set routine in our lives (for example with work or education), and now that structure has been disturbed. I used white eyeliner to construct this by outlining the main bones of the face. Likewise, I attached some string to the opposing side which demonstrated the home element well.

The entire experience broadened my perspective greatly and I am confident I will transfer these skills to all future projects, as well as to general daily inspiration.

Having watched all the lectures, and started my Better Lives project, I already have a deeper understanding of the unit’s themes. The words ‘diversity, social responsibility and sustainability’ seem to be linked in their meaning and interpretation and I feel that I can put them all into perspective with any future personal outcomes, as well as past. Previously I’ve been aware of these three terms, but I looked at them in a light unrelated to fashion, and my creativity tended to be separate from what I knew about current issues in society. Only since coming to London College of Fashion have I realised the real importance of the themes and the mass impact they have on all areas of life, especially within the fashion industry.

Diversity is the theme I hold closest to me as a mixed-race girl who has grown up in a small and well-off town, where being a person of colour is rare. It wasn’t until about three years ago that I realised there was a great lack of representation within the media as it was mostly white celebrities that I could name (of course race being only one of the many factors that contribute to full diversity). Fast-forward to today and there have been significant developments in ethnic diversity within such a short amount of time and I believe social media has allowed for more opportunities to create this awareness. It is important that we notice these positives. However, there is still a long way to go to ensure true diversity, to create a society where people of all genders, races, sexual orientations, abilities (and more) are represented equally. It should be ordinary for every single person on the planet to see themselves similar to someone who is broadcasted in the media in any kind of way.

Lifestyles without sustainability leave no room for life at the end of the day. The urge for it has never been greater and it is clear that survival relies on this change. From my new knowledge on this topic, what stood out for me the most was the variety of ways sustainability was possible. The fashion industry is one of the worst polluters, so it is important to get to the root of the problem by adapting materials and equipment to more environmentally friendly versions. However, for those not involved in the previous process, there are still so many solutions that are less complex. As a stylist, I am able to be more conscious about the resources that I buy (whether it’s clothes or materials for a shoot). This also applies for anyone purchasing anything.

Social responsibility is relevant to almost anything and there is an aspect of unity about it. Individually everyone holds responsibility that, when put together, creates a greater impact on the topic. This may be the duty to be sustainable for our planet, or the obligation to be inclusive for the well being of everyone. For even the most opposite of people, social responsibility is a common ground.

Unsure of what to expect from this unit, I came into it with an open mind in order to fully appreciate the knowledge on ‘diversity, sustainability and social responsibility’, which I’ve never delved into in relation to fashion. All the lectures were inspiring to watch and really showed how powerful the work of any individual can be to change society for better, and how possible it is for anybody.

I particularly took note of Teleica Kirkland’s lecture on representation. At the beginning, she highlighted the link between mainstream demographic and capitalism. I was curious to understand the historical connection to today’s society. I also took note of the term she used, ‘Eurocentric’. It is the idea that the European standard surpasses those that oppose it, and can refer to beauty, music and other aspects of culture. Within a western society it was made easy for this ideology to come to light, as other demographics are a minority, and so are wrongly suppressed. It is clear to me that no matter how aware people may be, it is only when they truly understand that change can be made.

Within this western culture stereotypes are predominant. The implication that a person’s skin colour can be seen as a weapon, is one of the biggest issues society faces. With concepts such as these, it is impossible for diversity. For some, this notion may be present subconsciously, which is why the awareness of suppression (whether someone sees it directly or not) and the urge for representation is extremely important. Particularly applicable to those who fit the European standard. This lecture was a great source of wakefulness. It is shameful that most of the stereotypes of people of colour are portrayed in a negative light. Examples include associating a black man to be a drug dealer or a black woman to being aggressive. In reality, these are things that are separate from the colour of someone’s skin, and these such labels should not be deemed as ‘okay’ in the western culture.

Also, from this lecture, I picked up on the idea that having lighter skin or curly hair is ‘admirable’. Teleica used examples such as Beyonce to emphasise this. There clearly needs to be a big change in the representation of female music artists, where darker skinned women are also greatly presented in the media (particularly in the hip-hop industry). On the contrary, I believe women with such features are also stereotyped heavily. Many use the term “you’re being light-skin” which generalises people of this nature to being rude, big-headed and snobby. Furthermore, women of this race are highly sexualised and, in many opinions, do not meet the standards that are “wife material”. The idea that the attributes of one’s appearance are connected to the attributes of their character should not be assumed in such a way.

After watching this, it is obvious that there needs to be equal representation for all genders, ethnicities, etc. This would reduce the previous stereotypes and show that anyone can be anything, regardless of their skin colour, sexual orientation and more.