Chloe Palmer

Throughout the Better Lives project, the subjects that have become the most important and relevant to me were diversity and social responsibility. Throughout the process of engaging with the lectures and participating in workshops, my thoughts of how these themes apply to my every day practice has developed in a positive way.

After the lecture portion of the project finished, I became aware of how these themes are becoming increasingly present in our daily life. Throughout the ‘Make up Breakdown’ specialism designed for makeup design in fashion, I was introduced to the techniques of colouring, colour theory and contour to begin with. The skills I have learnt from the colouring class has allowed me to assess which tones of foundation work on different skin types and colours; a very important skill in the ever-increasingly diverse industry as it means everyone is catered for and no one is left out. The first classes were designed to introduce us to the fundamentals of makeup so that we could go off and be free to create our own designs based on the themes ‘Imperfections’ and ‘The Fashion Mistake’. These themes pushed us to create designs that celebrate these concepts and highlight the beauty in having what society perceives as ‘flaws’.

My designs were based on using found object around the house (due to the fact we could no longer access the workshops) to play on the idea of the fashion mistake. My first design was inspired by over-the-top accentuated eyelashes using large strips of foil adhered to my eye area to create drama. For my next look, I developed my ideas to highlight the fashion mistakes of the 80s by involving the concept of colour theory and playing with conflicting and complimentary colours in an eye and contour look. Through using only materials from around the house and what I have disposable to me, I have been able to push my creativity and appreciate the work I have been able to produce.

Through participating in a different discipline, I have been able to expand my interests and have gained a new knowledge and outlook on the way people work in different industries and how different ideas and concepts inform this work. The project has pushed me to do my own self-directed research into new and interesting subjects such as the mistakes of the 80s and most importantly the ideas of social responsibility in the cosmetics industry. I have been encouraged throughout to asses where my materials are coming from and how they have been manufactured.

Given the way in which we have all had to adapt our desired outcomes to fit these circumstances within a new mode of learning, I am pleased with how I have directed and executed my final design. I am especially pleased with the aspect of recycling materials that I have found which has allowed me to further explore the theme of sustainability and social responsibility whilst pushing me to work more creatively, imaginatively and productively; skills I will be taking with me to my own practice.

Following the series of lectures at the beginning of the unit, my knowledge and practice has been greatly informed on a number of issues surrounding the current climate of the fashion industry. Notably, the impact of human consumption on the environment. The Better Lives project has brought my attention to the problems which are becoming increasingly important and has helped me understand ways I can work to find solutions within my practice.

The concept of sustainability within the industry is an extremely current and prominent one, with a large number of brands aiming to provide products which promote this message. We can see the concept of sustainability spreading through brands from high fashion labels to the high street with big names such as Stella McCartney and H&M showing their engagement in the fight against the ecological crisis of fast fashion. Steps taken by a number of designers and enterprises from around the world to support the sustainability cause has been a great inspiration to me and many others, especially highlighted in certain Better Lives lectures. Within Kate Fletchers lecture on Nature, she insists that “it’s incumbent on all of us to find what we can to join the world and to take responsibility for the lives that we lead and for those of others”, a statement that is definitely worth mentioning given that we as practitioners will soon be immersed within the industry and need to take responsibility ourselves for the decisions we make.

As a costume student, in the future it will be important for me to make conscious decisions when buying materials and choosing how I use them. It is widely understood that fabric waste has become a large problem within the industry with a huge proportion of textiles ending up in landfill. Many of these fabrics will be made up of synthetic fibres which during production will run into rivers therefore enhancing pollution and damaging precious ecosystems. In an ever-growing and developing industry, we need to recognise the need for ethical practice in order to combat the issue from within the industry. For me, I will aim to source responsible fabrics and will focus on not wasting fabric through effective pattern laying. The concept of sustaining the environment also applies to the cosmetics industry with Borunda (2019) stating that this $500 billion dollar personal care industry relies on plastic for packaging needs. As I am on the Makeup Breakdown course for Better Lives, this is an idea I will consider more closely in the future with regards to the products I buy and whether they have been manufactured ethically or not. I believe these ideas I have put forward can be easily be applied to a lot of different lifestyles so that everyone can contribute to ending the crisis of consumption and sustainability and understand the need for social responsibility.

References

Fletcher, K. (2020) ‘ Nature’ [Lecture]. Better Lives, London College of Fashion, 12 February

Borunda, A. (2019) The beauty industry generates a lot of plastic waste. Can it change? Available at : https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/beauty-personal-care-industry-plastic/ (Accessed 15 April 2020)

Diversity and representation play a huge role in our current society with the theme of Eurocentric values dominating many industries, most notably, the fashion industry. It is largely accepted that western culture has been built on a monoculturalist ideology spread through the rise of imperialism, colonialism and media. However, as we evolve into an ever-increasing digital age, this calls for more emphasis on the comprehension and representation of all groups, no matter how small or misrepresented within the industry.

Teleica Kirkland explains that when only one certain culture is shown throughout the media, other communities can often feel undesirable and somewhat “demonised”. With a focus on the black community, there is a prevalent problem with colourism and how those within the community begin to view themselves as undesirable or even frightening if they have a darker shade of skin compared to lighter skinned people. She mentions the Adidas ‘Change is a Team Sport’ campaign and highlights the lack of darker skinned women and attributes this to the problem of colourism which sees brands favouring lighter skinned women as more ‘attractive’.

The damage of misrepresentation in the modern world is an important aspect to mention as highlighted by Frantz Fanon in his book ‘Black Skin, White Masks’ first published in 1952 and increasingly relevant today. He argued that it is necessary for those within the black community to adopt the culture of the dominant white in order to fit in, causing a self-hatred spurred on by society. This is an excellent example given to illustrate the damage on wellbeing caused by misrepresentation.

However, this is not the only form of misrepresentation worth mentioning as we can also see it in cultural appropriation which happens ever more frequently with the rise of social media and the fashion industry. Cultural appropriation is to use another culture’s symbol or essence and deliver it to a wider audience in a way which misrepresents that culture and can be done for economic gain. Kirkland took this concept further by adding that it is about who has the power and privilege to take elements from another culture without acknowledgement. For example, the fashion label Marc Jacobs came under fire with their Spring 2017 collection for using dreadlocks to accessorise their model’s hair; a prime example of appropriation for economic and publicity gain. 

This lecture was especially eye opening for me as Teleica not only spoke about the downfalls of cultural appropriation, she also spoke equally about cultural appreciation. As a student, it is equally important to become aware of the positive impacts on the fashion industry. For example, the blending of the Japanese and African cultures to create colourful and poignant kimonos in the Wafrica project. The subject of diversity has proved to be increasingly important within our society due to the rise of social media and the influence of those on these platforms. This lecture has been a reminder of the importance of staying aware of misrepresentation within the industry and has taught me the need to remain conscious of this within my future work.