Better Lives

Better Lives,Better Future

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At first when the better lives unit began I was lost because I didn’t quite understand the goal or what I was supposed to gain from this but when I thought about it and the more I engaged with the unit I began to see the benefits of the unit especially with the themes “Sustainability, “Diversity” and “Social Responsibility”. 

These three themes at first were at the back of my mind when I started but as time went on these three themes became more of use to me as I started learning and growing my understanding of the fashion industry and the challenges it faces through the lectures that I attended each lecture just made themes easier to understand and intertwine the themes in one.

With this generation being young and fresh delivering a new and fun perspective to the industry it is key that we students learn and be aware especially with the way society works. It is good to know from the get go so we don’t make the mistakes that fashion brands or designers make such as using harmful chemicals to create clothing or cultural appropriation or not catering to a diverse range of people. 

These three themes will help me change my work in the future  from a creative aspect. 

It will help me to be cautious with how far I can take things, especially when it comes to creating things that will be seen in the public eye or if I’m designing for a brand. 

Sustainability – as it allows me to see the environment as a person why? Because I have to be considerate, treat it well and be kinder to it  so it can live longer like we treat people around us as when you think about it the fashion industry is very harmful especially to the environment and if not cautious we could end up destroying it.

Diversity- is important as being a black fashion student it can be hard especially when I see things on social media about the way industry treats black people but also POC (people of colour), in that aspect I have to ensure in my future work I am being considerate of the diverse range of people it may attract and whether it is appropriate culturally as well as use my work as a voice to speak to people.

Social responsibility- that would be hardest to tackle in my future work as handling the responsibility of the way society works and frequently having to be up to date with the way the world is working in order to make my work “fit in” to look into the social issues that are constantly being brought up I think it will be a slow and steady process but after hearing different aspects and approaches to it through lectures it will be easier to get my head around.

In a practical sense I got to get a glimpse of how these themes do through my selected project “Mask making and politics”.

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Better Lives Blog 1- Lecture Reflection

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Better Lives Blog 1- Lecture Reflection

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In this blog I’m going to discuss some of my thoughts on power in the fashion industry and how that affected sustainability and my creative processes.

We can see power in various forms within fashion, for example the relation it has with consumerism. Fast fashion in particular relies on this to make sure people consume as much as possible. In theory we are given the power to choose correctly and responsibly, scrutinize and find information and shop morally. This gives us the piece of mind we need to quieten our guilty conscience and it allows the company to feel as though they can’t be held accountable for the repercussions that fast fashion has globally. For example, over buying clothes has resulted in millions of clothing items being sent to landfills, where they are left idly, most likely after only a few uses just because consumerism urges them to discard the old and purchase more and new items. In my point of view fashion consumerism is like when a mother takes something away from the child and replaces it with something less valuable. She holds onto the first object and puts it away as a symbol of power and superiority, but promotes the substitute as a better option to play with. Similarly I think we don’t have the skills, materials or the power to make our own clothes from scratch anymore, that, is the “object” that has been taken from us and it’s been substituted with readily available materials (fast fashion). As a way of protest we could fight back to gain the skills that we have been deprived of and stop relying on fast fashion. 

Consumerism highlights the power struggle between the retailer and the consumer. Inevitably this has grave consequences on the environment and although measures have been taken to be more sustainable it is just not enough. As fashion students we are expected to take this matter at hand and do something with it. Although I’m not sure yet what kind of changes I’ll need to make to my practice, I know that at least as a consumer I can be a lot more aware. For instance I’m trying to buy less products made of plastic and actively think about my carbon footprint, as well as upcycle and recycle old clothes. In a way I feel lucky that I have the abilities to creatively solve this problem of overbuying clothes on my end, but it isn’t a skill that everybody has. Not everyone is blessed to have studied arts or to be from a textiles background, so the issue with consumerism and how it contributes to landfills still remains. However there are brands which are taking actions towards more sustainable fashion, such as Maison Margiela. Although Maison Margiela is a couture brand which is not as widely available for the average working-class consumer, I hope more brands will consider recycling materials, especially the designers that are going to emerge from my academic year. As an illustrator I can do my part and promote better practices too and when given the chance to work with designers I hope to also educate their practices. 

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Lecture 2 – Inclusion, by Laura Salisbury

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What is Inclusive Design you may wonder? Inclusive design Is a method of design thinking and designing mainstream products that are accessible to and usable by as many people as possible without the need for special adaptation or specialised design.  I chose to go to this lecture as I have always been interested in Smart Textiles and the potential they have to reach out to wider minority communities that are in need of them. I also wanted to gain an understanding of how these people live, and what fashion can do to enhance their daily life. As I was excited about the Better Lives Briefing on Diversity, Laura Salisbury’s lecture helped develop these ideas of how we can make the Fashion Industry a more inclusive place.

DESIGNERS

Throughout the lecture we delved into the world of designers who work inclusively within their designs and learnt about the people they make them for. Laura Salisbury is currently studying for a PhD and produces Smart Textiles to help the recovery of stroke survivors. As a 3D Effects for Performance and Fashion student, I began to think about the actors within my field that rely on inclusive designs so they can perform despite having a disability. This brought me back to the Better Lives theme of Diversity, as looking at societies outside the ‘Extreme User Circle’ (Myerson) breaks down the perception that we have of ‘the everyday consumer’ and questions us to look at the minorities who require inclusive design. Yves Behar, who designed the ‘Aura Power Suit’, was created to help a multitude of users by providing extra strength to the wearer using strengthening ‘hexagonal pads’ around the joint and main body area. This was particularly important within the elderly community, as they felt restricted and isolated due to having low mobility. However, wearing the suit allowed them to accomplish everyday activities, and also gave the ageing population hope. This is a clear example of how designing inclusively or designing for a specific group of people can make them feel included and looked after.

NEW DESIGN TOOLS

I found this particular part of the lecture fascinating as I’d gone through the education system only knowing one way to design; not knowing that there are better, more efficient ways of doing this. Salisbury introduced the ‘Double Diamond System’ (British Design Council 2008), whereby instead of starting in the middle of the design process at the ‘brief stage’, you take two steps back and focus on the ‘discover stage’, and this establishes who you want to design for, and how you can help them. This in turn gives the process a deeper value and a solution to the individuals problem. By using a very hands-on approach to consumer feedback (prototyping the design then letting the individual live with it, then providing feedback on the piece), it allows the person to feel in control and included in the project.    

In 2050, almost 70% of the population will be living in cities and towns, and because of this huge social shift, it is important to gain an understanding of these living conditions and how they impact the health and well-being of those people. Because of this lecture, I can now go through my design process with a greater understanding of how to design inclusively, in order to create an authentic, represented and catered for society.

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