Selena Denvir-Jones

This project was honestly one of the most affected by the Covid-19 lockdown for me – I’m a generally ill person and I can’t say for sure (as tests weren’t available), but I now believe I had it for just over two weeks before the lockdown even began. If not, I had a different nasty virus. Either way, I missed all of the in-person lessons for this unit due to my illness which meant that I felt very out of the loop in this project and it was difficult for me to engage fully with my class as I’d never actually met them.

The brief for the critical design unit was to create a trailer using a “wicked problem” of our choice as the theme, with the aim not being to show how we would solve the issue as much as raise awareness of it. I chose to look into waste – needlessly throwing things in tips and how fast fashion is slowly destroying the planet. My trailer begins with clips of piles of plastic bags and me theatrically dumping a box full of scrap material and old clothes onto the grass as a way of representing this theme. The following scenes are clips of me taking things from this pile and sewing them together to create a reusable bag and ends in me standing in the same place I originally dumped the scraps, wearing the bag and a jumpsuit made from old curtains. My intention here wasn’t so much to offer a solution to the problem – not everyone has boxes full of fabric scraps to make bags out of or a sewing machine to make them with, instead I wanted to add an aspect of hope to the theme.

After watching the Well-Being lecture by Jekaterina Rogaten, I found myself looking at my main topic for the Critical Design project from a more psychological standpoint than I would’ve prior to the lecture. This influenced my work greatly, I now wanted to put into practice some of the methods of maintaining my own well-being and happiness during this lockdown through the process of completing this project. Rogaten talks about ways we, as consumers and creators, can sustain our own well-being. One ideology that particularly inspired me was the concept of achieving happiness by doing things for the “greater good” – how purchasing sustainable clothing helps us feel fulfilled, not just by our consumption of fashion but by the positive effect it has on other people and the world. This is why I chose to focus on slow fashion – and up-cycle some material that I already had into a piece that was well made, aesthetically pleasing, and would last. I honestly believe that there are already enough clothes in the world to last humanity forever – on a purely practical level – and my goal was to highlight the fact that this level of waste is not unavoidable.

From the moment I started sewing, I’ve been up-cycling and using old fabrics and clothes to create new garments. I was particularly excited about this project and leaning more about the Better Lives themes, as sustainability in fashion has always been a passion of mine, and I’m always wanting to learn more about ongoing issues in the world and their potential remedies.

Despite my love of creating new things from old, filling my wardrobe with unique pieces that I’ve made myself in a sustainable manner, I have always felt like my avoidance of fast fashion and attempts at making everyday choices that are kind to nature and other people, have been somewhat futile in the grand scheme of things. All the issues covered in this project seem (and honestly are) far larger than me. However, this has done the opposite of disheartening me. If these lectures have taught me anything, it’s that education plays a key role in any kind of change. If people are well informed on issues, it’ll influence their thought processes and decision making and while what we can do as individuals might only be small, when large groups of people focus on a goal, anything can be achieved. Whether or not it feels like it, the power is in the hands of the consumer and if we all come together to demand change, change will happen.

In the future I plan to continue creating up-cycled clothes, bags etc. and I would like to start selling them. I’ll also try and inspire as many other people who have the means to do so too because, while I think it would be fantastic for large corporations and fast fashion to be boycotted, it’s not going to happen unless more sustainable alternatives are readily available. I now believe that more conversations need to be had concerning these topics in order to raise awareness and educate as many people as possible. I’m aware of the fact that none of the themes in this unit have easy, realistic, straight-forward answers but there are definitely everyday things – such as being conscious of where the products you buy come from and choosing not to participate in things that are harmful to people and nature – that can be put into practice to help make the world a better place. I’m afraid I’m going to have to end this by paraphrasing my favourite Gandalf quote from the Lord of the Rings, however I think it perfectly sums up my thought process right now – “It’s believed that it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I’ve found. I found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love.”

One lecture that really captured my attention was the one on the topic of Well-Being by Jekaterina Rogaten, specifically talking about the concept of well-being, the importance of well-being in fashion and what can be done to promote it in the context of fashion. I think this stuck out to me because, personally, when I think of the many problems that the fashion industry creates in the world, I immediately think of the devastation of nature and the urgent need for change to save our planet. I think of sustainability and what can be done to try and fix the mess that’s been created. The effect it has on our mental health as consumers, designers, makers and retail workers seems so much more personal and so close to home that it’s ironically one of the last things that comes to my mind. I find this interesting because really, when it comes to making positive changes in the industry and trying to “saving the world” everything starts with the consumer.

Rotagen talks about how, as consumers, buying ethically and through more sustainable routes not only contributes to helping shift the world into a generally better, healthier, kinder place, but about the affect this has on the consumer. The term “eudaimonic well-being” is used to describe a lifestyle focused on meaningful experiences, self-realisation, personal growth and a desire for purpose in life which is “bigger” than yourself. I believe the key to shifting away from excessive fast fashion is this exact feeling of doing good with the decisions you make and the products you buy.

The theories spoken about and points made in this lecture helped me look at the fashion industry in a way I haven’t before. For example, Rogaten brings up the “hierarchy of needs”, a concept highlighting the different areas and needs that must be fulfilled in order for someone to have a “happy life”. From meeting our basic physiological needs such as food, water, sex, sleep, to the next level – safety and security, to esteem/ self-confidence and finally self-actualisation – the point where one is able to concern themselves with morality, creativity, and problem solving. When you reach the highest state and have all the other areas satisfied you can afford to care for ethics and the environment and you’re able to produce good artistic work. I find this template fascinating in the context of fashion because when it comes to fashion and clothing, the importance of how we dress can just about be fitted into any of these categories. The many problems within the fashion industry alongside my desire to live a life where my choices are based on my morals and love of nature vs my love of clothes and making them has been an ongoing battle in my life, so looking at the positives and potential/ realistic changes that can be made in the industry from a psychological perspective has been extremely insightful and helpful for me.