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This is where I am faced with an obstacle. Due to personal situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, I was unable to attend the sessions and none of them are available for playback. But from reviewing the project’s progress on Microsoft Teams, I was even further surprised and excited by the works everybody that could, had put in. The project was truly marvellous in its conception. A trend forecasting application made possible by referring to past trends that would ultimately promoting a more conscious consumption of fashion. Although I was unable to participate in person, this in turn, inspired me to research more into the possibilities of technology in fashion and hopefully I would come up with a solution that won’t fail to inspire as well.

The current situation we’re all living in is the closest to a Hollywood’s description of an apocalypse that one (hopefully) would ever get to be in a lifetime. This period of voluntary solitude beckons the rise of virtual activities where society can still connect and communicate without having to be in close proximity. The idea was actually popularised by the introduction of social media, online collaborating working space or even cloud storage in recent years.

Sustainability, social responsibility and diversity are the three main themes to be considered within the scope of Better Lives unit. That is why participating in the Emerging Technologies in Fashion project can lend a better understanding to the contemporary time which would prove to be a pivotal key into creating a more well-rounded fashion industry that provides transparency and fairness, eliminating creative restrictions across the board in the near future.

By including technology into a creative working process, I could see a broader pool of possibilities and innovations as a result. A smoother and more sustainable workflow where all areas can be micromanaged without sacrificing the overall aesthetic ie; less waste in creating a prototype with 3D rendering, etc. It would enable us to see everything in a different light without physical limitations. This could mean equal opportunities for everyone with the right skillset and ideas regardless of socio-economic or racial backgrounds.

Amongst the different topics presented under the Better Lives’s unit lectures, Emerging Technologies in Fashion stood out to me due to the idea of affordances in technology, introduced early on into the lecture.

“What technology can afford us to do,” is an interesting way to paved a new interest, especially in the area less explored. The idea that a single object can provide different purposes varies from one person to another promotes objectivity and criticality in approaching new subjects that could surely be developed further upon as emerging technologies.

Given the description of disruptive technology because it tends to displaced conventional wisdom and understanding, emerging technology unsettles to improve and replace at the price of familiarity. The discussion suggested some novel uses of these toolsets. A powerful political statement, rise of the new cycle of ethicality in fashion ie; the possibility of blockchain technology lending transparency and encourage peer-to-peer movement in the art and fashion industry to future method of trend forecasting.

Even with the rise of automation and utilisation of artificial intelligence, there’s still a limitation to this computation of patterns and probabilities; statistics based upon data of previous likeliness without putting ethics and morals into consideration, ultimately lacking in social intelligence unlike the human counterpart.

And this is where new wave of emerging technologies can enter the scene, in my opinion. That gap between the infinite possibilities offered by technology and a more refined approach by us. The seamless transition that instigates excitement rather than threatens is the ultimate goal of adapting emerging technology for a wider use in the fashion industry.

When I reflect back onto my experience creating a moving image for my Fashion Activism class, I realise how much I actually learnt about my interests and work ethic. The general theme of our learning was creative direction, something I didn’t know I had much fascination for until now. It’s a subject that teaches you to work collaboratively, making use of everyone’s area of skill to create a piece of work. It was interesting for me to learn about engagement of the ‘behind the scenes’ happenings necessary for the successful outcomes of a brands image. For our project, my group was given the brand Lazy Oaf where we had to create a short film based off of their collection, ‘It’s OK not to be OK’ in collaboration with the ‘Time to Change’ campaign to jumpstart the week of Mental Health Awareness. Due to us not being in the same country, we decided to create a moving image of four of us saying the phrase “it’s ok not to be ok” followed by me ending the clip saying “ok?”. I then volunteered to edit all the clips together, making use of certain tools to alter the clips, giving the film a warped look, it came out looking as if the video was glitching and repeating itself. I then added sound and a black and white filter, along with text at the bottom of the screen with the said phrase. The reason behind this project is the idea of what mental illness would sound or visualise as. The repetitive noises symbolise anxiety as it has the tendency to make one overthink, the filter signifying emotion and velocity used to fasten and slow things down as well as rewinding and reversing certain clips. I used tv static to make the video uncomfortable to watch because it’s loud and harsh in sound.  We were trying to demonstrate ideas of what we think when pondering over mental illness. A thought of it being uncomfortable in your own mind and it not being very calm and peaceful but rather loud and difficult to grasp. Although this is only a fraction of the reality as everyone has a different experience regarding mental health, this video is trying to portray that it’s okay to feel the way we do as well as trying to make it a little easier for others to understand what it may be like in the mind of someone else. The theme of this project relates closely to social responsibility as it surrounds the subject matter of awareness. It also tackles the concept of diversity in the sense that no one’s experience with mental illness will be exactly like that of another, although there may be similarities, everyone’s journey is different and we need to understand that, instead of stereotyping based off of the first three symptoms that sit on the top of a Google search page.

In the Better Lives unit, we were to create a project in a team on the subject we chose/were allocated to. 

In all honestly, somehow I missed the moment when we had to choose what we want to work on specifically, so I was allocated to the Messaging Fashion. 

Nevertheless, I was very happy with where I was allocated to because I thought that it was something I would choose myself. So I could say that I am one of the lucky ones who were randomly allocated somewhere where they would be happy/chose to be.

In Messaging Fashion, we were divided into smaller groups and each of them got a brand to work on and create a campaign for the brand to support a good cause/charity. I got into the Duro Olowu goup (there were 2 Duro groups). 

I have not met my team mates for quite a while as nobody was appearing on our smaller group sessions. Therefore, I was allocated to the other Duro Olowu group where we made our final project by the unit leader, Sophia, when we all already were in quarantine, back in our countries. I met everybody from my new group online and I was afraid at first how I am going to fit in as everybody has met each other and started working back in London, in one classroom.

However, my team mates were very welcoming and we started to work together as one straightaway. 

Initially, we planned to do a campaign to support feminism but later on we figured out with the advise of our tutors that we don’t have enough proof that our brand would be the best match for such cause. Therefore, we decided to create one that would support children in arts education.

We found it challenging at first to find the best charity/foundation that would match our target audience but eventually we figured out everything together.

As a fashion photography student, creating non-photographic campaigns was very foreign to me but I am very glad I had the chance to dive deeper into another very different field in the industry of fashion that I never thought I would see myself in before. Better Lives is one of the best units that I’ve had in LCF so far because I found it extremely insightful and eye-opening.

Later in my photographic career, when I will work with a brand/foundation/charity etc I will be aware of what is going on in the process of creating a campaign. I believe that I would therefore be able to create a better content for my client.

It was a great experience to work in a team online. I even think that possibly having this unit online is more efficient as me and my team mates could easily find the time and organise a group call to talk everything through and make some essential changes in our campaign.

I have never had such experience of working closely in a team before and I really loved how responsible everyone was. We each had to contribute: for example, I chose the foundation to work with, someone else did the target audience, another person dealt with how and where we would promote our campaign etc.

Creating a campaign in a group for a brand in Messaging Fashion was a mind changing experience that made me learn more about the industry as well as how to effectively work in a team. 

As a Fashion Media and Communications student, the work I would like to create in the future needs to circle around these themes of social responsibility, sustainability and diversity. Our practice in the fashion industry needs to be more ethical and transparent. It is my responsibility to use my platform or creative pursuits to consider these themes from all perspectives. We need to make consumers aware of the production process behind the clothes that they buy, showing insight into the harsh reality of many garment labourers and the effects that fast fashion is having on the environment. There needs to be transparency in the supply chain to encourage systematic change. We need to advocate the consumption of preloved clothes and eliminate this need of buying into fast fashion trends, often promoted by social media. Quality over quantity should be a rule we all live by, demonstrating that you don’t need to constantly buy into trends to be fashionable but instead show how one could be just as trendy with what they already own. I believe that whichever form of communication I choose to commence my career in, whether it be article writing, fashion photography and film or social media, I will make sure I promote ideas of challenge for the fashion industry. I would like to think I will support local and small designers; whose supply chain is transparent, and whose labourers work in ethical and safe conditions. It’s also important to ask questions, engage with your audience and work collaboratively in order to gain further insight into positively advancing the industry. I would like my work to tackle questions such as, “How do we continue allowing the fashion industry to be a place of creativity and expression but not exploit it?” or “How do we increase the percentage of people who financially benefit from the industry?”. I would like to collaborate with designers and creatives who can drive people to repurpose clothing and decrease the amount that accumulate in landfill. I believe the fashion industry is slowly acting upon their negative impact on a global level, for example big brands such as Urban Outfitters introducing their “Renewal” collection, but it is simply not enough. When I attended the ‘Power’ lecture given by Julia Crew, we were shown pictures of people such as Bernard Arnault (Chief Executive of LVMH) who is worth around $66 million. Just like Arnault, the majority of these stakeholders are European, white, old men. There is no diversity at the top of the fashion pyramid and it is something that needs to be confronted. In the future I will ensure my work advocates the empowerment of a mixed and diverse group of people, holding various skills and talents to have such control over the industry. We need to create noise and gain attention and I hope that in the future, my job will allow me to do so because as part of the next generation in fashion, I take it upon myself and peers to drive effective change.

I read my fourth Better Lives assignment, peer reviews, among which I chose Sungkyung Park’s post, which was interesting to see the views of a friend who took the same lecture, because she was in the same class as me. She even majors like the same class and hair make-up for fashion. So I had a similar flow to my thoughts. In particular, the selection of cosmetic brands and the focus on eco-friendly and opposition to animal testing were similar and interesting.

The Body Shop was also pursuing the same goal as Rush. I found this very interesting when talking about sustainability. The reason is that if I put more emphasis on animal protection in eco-friendly and animal protection, she puts more emphasis on environmental aspects. An eco-friendly survey at her cosmetic brand made me feel a lot. Not only did she feel that her investigation was deep in this part, but she also excelled in the delivery.

In particular, I mentioned, “In particular, microplastics in cosmetics, which have become a big issue these days, are known to have a big problem polluting the ocean. Scientists say beauty products containing plastic microbeads pollute water supplies, harm sea creatures and leave tiny particles in human food. This means that the environment and humans are connected.” this part, the fact that microplastics are also related to marine pollution, I agree with what we need to be more careful about because they are harmful to marine animals as well as marine pollution. In this part of marine pollution, it came as a surprise because it was something I didn’t recognize even when I was investigating. There are many cases of waste thrown into the ocean as well as cosmetics, and more importantly, various creatures living on the coast often eat microplastics that exist in deposits or rise to the surface of the water at high tide, mistaking them for food. In addition, microplastics have been reported in the digestive organs of marine mammals and fish so far, and the number of species has been continuously increasing. Living things that consume microplastics can be physically influenced by small particles. It is said that chemicals added to plastic synthesis can also cause secondary toxicity in biological fire extinguishers, and we think we should use force for all of this.

“I think I can also participate in the sustainability they seek and empower their movement by using these brands’ products. In regards to sustainability, many makeup artists’ makeup kits contain a variety of chemicals and disposable products. This can be an environmental hazard enough. We cannot avoid this situation, but I think we can reduce the damage to the environment by using substitutes.” Through this sentence, I really agree with her 100 percent and think she has the same idea as me. In my third blog, I also mentioned the same idea as her had. People with jobs that use a lot of cosmetics need particular attention. With each of us paying attention and increasing use of eco-friendly and animal protection brands, we can also feel the change in our future toward a better life. Of course, we can’t reduce our use by 100 percent right now, but with this knowledge, I think that a steady little practice and effort can make a difference.

This article gave me more information. It could also be interesting, and I think it was well reflected in the Better Lives theme, and I agree with all of her arguments.

So, the last blog is about peer review, I saw lots of other student idea about better lives unit, and when I read their blog, I find we have some common idea and point. Also, they have some idea that I didn’t think before. And I found a blog which from Kun Wang, About the “reflection 2”.in that blog there has some points I also feel same.

In his blog, there has a sentence which get my attention, “In such a fast-changing era, we seem to have forgotten how to slow down and forget the things that are always around us, but we no longer care.”

This sentence makes me very empathetic, because as he said, people often don’t care where these very fashionable items will go in the future, which is also a point I care about very much.

The current social impact leads people to actively want to create some very new things, but when too many people have a deep desire for new things, some things will deteriorate, which will bring some very bad effects to the society, and the environment is the first victim.

As I wrote in the second blog, fast fashion is very popular in the current fashion field. People often want to create more and more fresh clothes and supplies, so a large number of clothes are produced. However, due to the rapid updating, these clothes will be abandoned in a short time, and then designers will constantly create to satisfy the public The demand for “innovative” clothing, but at the same time, people have ignored that it takes more than designer’s energy and creativity to create all these things, but it also consumes the limited resources brought to us by the earth. Too much material for creation has already exceeded the earth’s load, and after such creation, the final outcome of those outdated clothes has been There is no doubt that burning, and filling will cause great and irreversible damage to the environment. I think creation is important, but maybe a more comprehensive consideration will be given to the results.

As the name implies, sustainable development is for the sake of better society and people’s living environment, so as he said, “man is not about nature. Man is a part of nature.” I think it is an important issue that every designer should consider, and also an issue that the society should pay attention to now. For our current students, I think this class has a great impact on me, because I began to pay more attention to the comprehensive creation, not only the impact on people’s culture and history, but also the impact on the earth environment. After all, the environment we live in is the basis of everything. Creation should be around this, take this as the bottom line of design, use more and more A good way is to create new and sustainable works without destroying the ecology. Such works should appear. This should also be a problem that we all should think about, so as to improve the sustainable development of our works.

I choose “make up and breakdown “as my “better lives “class, and the theme about our final project is about fashion mistake.

To be honest, when I knew this topic, I had a lot of ideas in my mind, because the concept of makeup mistakes is a topic that young women are generally concerned about in today’s society. As a student of fashion styling and production, this is also a key point that we must pay attention to every time we make a project.

First of all, I think the starting point of this project is to think about what is wrong with makeup as everyone knows, China now has different American Standard in different countries and regions. For example, in China, people tend to choose a color that is whiter than their own skin. They make themselves look fairer. But the cosmetic mistakes they make at the same time are the use of the foundation color that does not match themselves. Most people think that it’s very important to have a shave. They always want to make their facial features more three-dimensional and their faces smaller. But sometimes the shave color that doesn’t match the skin color or too dark and too bright highlights will make people look strange and make up unclean. Similarly, people are increasingly not satisfied with simple toned eye shadows. They often want to use bold colors, such as exaggerated light as lipstick, eye shadow and blush, which also make their make-up look ugly. So, I choose to start with these common problems around me to make some make-up transformation.

I designed three different make-up.

The first makeup I use black eyeliner to shape the shape of the face, including the shape of the eyebrows, the lips and the nose, also in the eye socket and side face, using the Eyeliner Pen to draw the lines of its shallow shadow with lines, and then draw the eye liner of the make-up itself to be more eye-catching and longer, but I chose the asymmetrical way to make the whole makeup face look cleaner. Interest.

The second make-up I used a lot of bright colors, very bright yellow and red, and the contrast of blue and green. I used a big brush to sweep away such bright colors on my face, creating a lot of color blocks, and echoing each other. But when I used some thoughts in color matching, I would make such color blocks on my face not appear abrupt and ugly but have a harmonious feeling.

The last makeup, I merged the two ideas, using red and yellow, which is suitable for my own skin color, and put it on the face in large areas. Then I made a contrast with the black eyeliner and the white eyeliner, and outlined the lines of my own face with the first makeup. I think this theme is well connected with better lives and sustainable development, and uses some traditional “mistakes” to launch some very different and innovative development.

“better lives “these two simple words means a lot, when I first time join this class, to be honest it is mind me confused. About sustainability, we used to make an project called” sustainability ability” it is a really challenge project, cause I don’t really understand the relationship between fashion and sustainability, but after that project and this class, I think I found the answer.

I choose “make up and breakdown” as my better lives class theme, and in this class, I learned lots of skill about fashion make up, also I learn how to create sustainability fashion style,

And as a fashion styling and production student, the most important things is create different but also amazing style, sometimes we have to create some look relate to society and culture, and if we don’t really under stand the relationship between fashion and sustainability, the result won’t be great.

Through this period of study, I found that it is very important to learn to innovate and speak about some mistakes in the traditional sense as a point of creation. In my course, we learn to enlarge the traditional mistakes in make-up and make a theme of wrong make-up, but such make-up has an unexpected good effect in the end.

So, there are two meanings of a better life in my understanding.

The first is that artistic innovation and understanding make our life more likely. For example, something that seems to be wrong can be transformed into a good fashion with innovative art, which can often promote a culture or remember a history and can be used as a long-term cultural embodiment.

The second is to let some of its own relatively bad things that damage the environment or life and society change. For example, the current fast fashion development is very fast and convenient, but it will also cause a lot of bad environmental impact, which is more extravagant and wasteful. But if you put more experience here when creating, for example, many designers use some very simple and cheap goods Making clothes or furnishings will make the environment better and will not affect the development and innovation of fashion,

These two aspects, I think, are the fashion industry that can create a sustainable future and make the world have a better way of life.

For me, I have also brought a lot of inspiration and inspiration in my later creation.

For example, I will pay more attention to the meaning behind a design and a shape, such as whether his cultural background and the social relations connected are sustainable, and whether this kind of sustainable development has a good impact on people’s lives. Secondly, I will focus on whether some seemingly wrong ways of thinking and creative methods can be changed to develop from different perspectives, which is very important.

Sustainable development of a better life can be said to be a goal of fashion, which has a great impact on my future projects. It also needs more consideration and consideration so as to create better works.