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context-of-praticemolly-blog · 8 years ago

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BRANDING AND NEW TECHNOLOGY

‘I imagine the future of fashion in these terms: there will be design centres, research laboratories that will deal with practical applications, constantly adapting to the changing conditions of life. Research into the materials used and a simplification of aesthetic notions will become increasingly important.’ (Sonia Delaunay, 1935)

This subject was to explore the future of fashion in Technology we were given the technology of fashion in 3D printing; through the task of branding. This is How we responded.

STATEMENT OF RESEARCH:

3-D printing. enables construction form thousands of interconnected components which are both linked and articulate to create a substrate that is both structural and has a fluid movement. 3-D printing enables you to create one of or bespoke clothing printed for specific body types. There is a range on different material you can print with and a range of colours.

A branding stratagem is intended to influence consumer perception of a brand or product relative to the perception of competing brands or products. Its objective is to occupy a clear, unique, and advantageous position in the consumer’s mind. This statements agenda was to explore the steps in how you create a brand and what you need to consider when pitching your brand and its concepts.

TASK:

1.Research the technology:

2.Create 5 initial designs

3. Create 1x final product design illustration

4. Develop Brand Ethos or Philosophy:

5. Develop USP (Unique Selling Proposition):

6.Decide on Price of Goods Sold:

7.Decide on Intended Customer and create profile

8. Create a Logo:

9. Present this to the class.

PROCESS: Being given the task in a group, we all discussed what our strengths were, and what we needed to make our focus. we gathered the points we given to explore and delegated to our strengths to explore and research the tasks further. However we had very little time as a result we were all given a few tasks.

‘For me technology essentially broadens my language as a designer. I’m interested in languages that allow you to go beyond consideration of the body or “normal” clothing to create new ways of looking. The importance of technology in my work is that it presents a fresh means of expression’ Hussein Chalayan, 2004

We wanted to take this technology of 3d printing and be innovative and creative and be fun for the future of our technology and generation of our future children,

RESPONSE: To begin we, researched as a group communicating and sharing what we wanted as a brand we decided our ethos ‘To inspire the new generation to start a recycling revolution through fashion.’ Our customer:

• ‘GENDER: BOY AND GIRL

• AGE: 3-10

• LOCATION: SCHOOL BACK PACK

• HOBBIES: LOVE SCHOOL AND PLAY TIME

• SALARY: POCKET MONEY/ PIGGY BANK

• OCCUPATION: FULL TIME KID

• EDUCATION: PLAY SCHOOL AND PRIMARY

Our proposition USP:

• We are unique because we use second hand materials using recycled plastic to make our products

• To make our bags we asked the children for their old plastic bottles so we can recycle into the 3d printer to make their fun bags.

• We are recyclable company who care about the environment and we want to educate and inspire children of today. To send the message of the importance sustainability for the future of our environment.

We targeted the price of the bag at a higher range due to being a niche and specialty of using recycling technology and the process exchanging old water bottles. We were aware of its being a slower production and longer time scale. But this is a side effect of sustainable production but we believe you do get better quality.

To make the bags fun and vibrant in the design process we made this a focus point. To make it eye catching and applying to younger children we looked at cartoon characters being the look of the bag.

STRENGTHS

We all Worked well as a team, equal efforts playing to our strengths. I enjoy working in groups, it enables you to collaborate more creatively being more productive and successful. The way this task was set it made me realize this is how a company is organised within a team of people working to their strengths and all the attributes and considerations you have to take when developing a brand concept.

TO IMPROVE. would to be able to spend more time on the research of the given technology so the knowledge of the brand production could be more beneficial

Bibliography

https://3dprintingindustry.com/fashion/

AuthorAnisa Choudhary Article title:Fashion Archives - 3D Printing Industry [Accessed 5th December 2016]

https://www.thoughtco.com/top-cartoon-characters-of-all-time-137606

Article title:50 Best Cartoon Characters of All Time

[Accessed 5th December 2016]

https://www.beckyandlolo.co.uk/childrens-backpacks/childrens-rucksacks Article title:Childrens Rucksacks, Kids School Bags, Backpacks for Kids | Becky & Lolo [Accessed 5th December 2016]

https://landor.com/thinking/branding-explained-to-a-child Article title:Branding explained to a child | Thinking | Landor [Accessed 5th December 2016]

http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/recyclingplastic.php Article title:What is Plastic Recycling and How to Recycle Plastic - Conerve Energy Future [Accessed 5th December 2016]

Braddock, S.E. and O’Mahony, M. (1998) Techno Textiles: Revolutionary Fabrics for Fashion and Design, London, Thames and Hudson (746)

Braddock Clarke, S.E. and O’Mahony, M. (2007) Techno Textiles 2: Revolutionary Fabrics for Fashion and Design, London, Thames and Hudson (746)

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context-of-praticemolly-blog · 8 years ago

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ART AND FASHION

LECTURE NOTES

FASHION AND ART

- CLICHES AND STEREOTYPES

- AVANT GARDE

- GALLERY VS SHOP

DEFINITION

FASHION: A POPULAR OF THE Latest STYLE

CLOTHING: BRING WARM AND WATERPROOF, PROTECTION COVER OVER THE BODY

ART: EXPRESSION HUMAN CREATIVE SKILL

Steele cited:

Looking at art history of materials and textiles representing wealth and relayed in art and class.

Boodro “art and fashion” art is art and fashion is an industry. Fashion is not art. Million more who just like to shop. No importance of the world. Based art of what they wearing.

“knock offs” – fashion stealing their inspiration.

But also fashion aspired into the historical art.

“Art is eternal” fashion isint.

Garment being a canvas

Geczy and karaminas

Fashion and philosophy KANT

- Clothes have precisely such s purpose they are for something- to be worn

- Fashion has to be functional

- Suzy menkes- she does provide fashion which is functional

- Displayed not wearable- cant have a purpose exhibited art

Stockman shaped jacket applying them both functional and fashion art

Theodor adorno

Art must relate

Fashion greatest danger- buy into it- whereas art is about breaking boundaries. Fashion needs to apply to people so therefor they cant really work together

VOSS- mirrors didn’t perform- very late own image for 2hrs front row- very intense you have to stare at yourself. Very ground breaking- surgery to make yourself more than you really are the acceptance- REALITY THE WOMEN AT THE END- WITH FARGILE BUTTERFLYS.

Arts been about beauty- fashion trying to do similar things- fashion has to be acceptable

Reflection

‘Art is art and fashion is an industry’ boodro (1990, ‘art and fashion’ in welters and lillethun, 2007 page 256) This subject title was enabling us to explore is fashion and art separate entities.

Through out the lecture it was argued that fashion can not be art, however more and more fashion on the runway is becoming a performance an art in its self. This is what we are going to explore and communicate fashion as a moving image as art. For example Alexander McQueen, Golden Shower, S/S Ready to wear, 1998, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0HDCP7pJLE (25.06 – 26.00).

STATEMENT OF RESEARCH: For this brief we worked in small groups, to plan and record a conceptual film. Made up of 6x 15 second scenes. Objectives are to explore and communicate your conceptual idea through moving image Film. film being an expression of art.

We had to consider, how to make it conceptually engaging our focus for our film was to be fun, exciting, fast and engaging. We researched back to the begging of COP to our brief history timeline of history, reflecting back we choose to conceptually focus on these dates 1920s, 40’s 60s 70s 80s 90s 2000 and 2017. This research leading our concept being ‘Most Popular Fashion’, up to today. To symbolise we needed the film to be fast, representing fast fashion.

PROCESS

To start we had to plan the set, what did we want the scene to look like, what feel did we want to convey. We planned, it to be set in a women bed room, focus being a women dressing up, dancing through the eras, for it to be quick short clips snippets of time and its era full with that times style and fashion highlight in that decade. With this in mind we then planned the outfit, considering what communicates that era most successfully, colour, accessories, shoes, makeup and styling. ‘Fashion is instantaneous a flash of colour shape on the street..embraced; a surprise, a temptation, a flirtation’ (1990, in welters and Lillethun, 2007 page 56). As this task was based on movement we planned in depth and researched what dance moves, and body language was popular during that time continually reflecting in how it’s being conveyed.

When planning how it would be filmed, we choreographed certain shots to convey violence, ie punk. Close up shots the model to be close up to the camera. On the other hand in 1920s we wanted a wide angle to get the elongated figure and flapper dancing. With all of this in consideration we wanted to capture, as many eras in fashion that we believed had the biggest influence throughout history, being full of life and vibrancy.

we wanted to set a tone a environment of fun, as Alexander McQueen, Voss, S/S Ready to wear, 2001 (left), and Joel‐Peter Witkin, Sanitarium, 1983 used mirrors to make the audience uncomfortable, as we did in our close shots.

Response:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6id5bISDlU&feature=youtu.be

STRENGTHS

We worked well as a team, encouraging and all getting involved to make the film work. Our strengths were editing and the film’s final outcome, alongside the outfit and styling I think have been one of our strongest points.

IMPROVEMENTS

Next time to improve I think we should explore a more in-depth concept, but I feel there was a lack of time which limited us to be able to do that.

Bibliography

http://www.samfaulkner.com/ [Accessed 28th November 2016]

https://vimeo.com/channels/fashionfilms [Accessed 28th November 2016]

http://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/45-iconic-fashion-films Article title:45 iconic fashion films, from Roman Holiday to Bonnie and Clyde [Accessed 28th November 2016]

http://www.vogue.co.uk/topic/fashion-trends/ Article title:Fashion Trends Website title:British Vogue

[Accessed 28th November 2016]

Andrew Tucker The London fashion book [Accessed 28th November 2016]

http://www.60sphotographer.co.uk/html/__the_story.html

Article title:60's Photographer Peter Greenhill Fashion and Beauty Prints

[Accessed 28th November 2016]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fashion+film+musix Article title:fashion film musix - YouTube [Accessed 28th November 2016]

Alexander McQueen, Golden Shower, S/S Ready to wear, 1998, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0HDCP7pJLE (25.06 – 26.00) [Accessed 28th November 2016]

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context-of-praticemolly-blog · 8 years ago

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ARCHITECTURE

Lecture notes.

- Culture architecture building move within- specific aesthetic appeal to it.

-Greek European stone hedge origins of structural- Vitreous fit for purpose and beauty. Order to things sense of style search.

- Tree houses structures cam from that like Greek- eor house.

- Acropolis- template of architecture- perfect maths, musical connections to it- propositions- harmony on a visual scale.

ARTECTURE AND THE BODIE

JUHANI PALLASMAA THE EYES OF THE SKIN

- Interest of senses- touch and see. You vision is only one part of the equation. Peripheral vision envelops us in the flesh of the world. Aware all around us. Represented in photos our real experience cant see all around us.

THE BODY IN THE CENTRE

FASHION HAS THAT AS WELL AS ARCHITECTURE.

Centre of a building room? So does a building circular building- pantheon Rome- cultural theft. Culture heritage. Centre you only really appreciate it.

The body centre of a building human experience- walking toward the centre like your heart in a church- position humble- superior being at the centre. Domination of it.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF ARCHITECTURE WITH FASHION

Building you can move it and so is fashion how body moves in a structure are. How our bodies operate within our clothing.

Boning gives it a structure. The hoop skirt.- tent.

- Crystal palace- skirt. Same period

- Fan vaulting bath abbey Skelton- hoop.

- Hidden structure-

Move and move within the bodie

Pillips design bubelle- light and mode

A home will be portable, something that you cant take with less energy micheal webb suitaloon- tent

Lucy orta- habitant from refuge wear collection

Reflection

‘A bicycle shed is a building; Lincoln Cathedral is a piece of architecture. Nearly everything that encloses space on a scale sufficient for a human being to move in is a building; the term architecture applies only to buildings designed with a view to aesthetic appeal’ Pevsner, N. (1963), An Outline of European Architecture, Harmondsworth, Penguin, p. 7) Exploring how ARCHITECTURE relationship within Fashion. Partially in this quote ‘space and scale... human being able to move in a building also within a garment. It was discussed clothing is shelter for your body. Not only does it have this connection but Fashion Design is hugely and widely influenced by architecture.

STATEMENT OF RESEARCH: Learning about the massive influence of architecture in fashion evident through history and in today's design. how the body is a central point, how a body moves within a structural design. Thinking about several elements; beauty, practicality, purpose, structure and function . These are all similar conditions within a building and clothing. Also considering the element of movement. How we move in a building and we move in the structure of a garment.

TASK: To observe and document architectural features within the art building. Drawing as a response. Looking and documenting the shapes and form. We took photos and our drawings and began the design process to influence and inspire how it can be manipulated, the structural building into a structure of garment.

PROCESS: individually we took our own imagery of our drawing and observation and of buildings around us and the current building we were in. Thinking of the ‘space around the human form.’ (Quinn (2003) p.4) Also questioning its practicality, function, aesthetics and most importantly took the influences from my drawings into my designs. We then grouped with 6 people. Gathered all our designs together collected them all as one. We observed reflected and then drawing a star on each style we liked out of the group we slowly eliminated them. With this first elimination we then took out the designs with the least stars, the least popular out of the group. Thirdly we then communicated about the ones we had left. What we liked about each individual design. What were their is strengths, a shape? A form? A practicality? We then spoke and took the elements which we thought worked best and collaborated into one design. Having then drawn one final design in collaboration of all the designs strengths. We then developed it into three designs. We kept reflecting what worked best in which layout according to the body, and its function of movement and practicality.

STRENGTHS: we worked really well in collaborating with each other. As a process we took the design and split it into three stages, the arms the legs, the body and the shoulder. As pairs we cut and structured our part of the structure of body together. Then we came together to put the parts together as one. Thinking about how it can connect and carry together. Using string, and staples.

WEAKNESS: Within our design we didn’t think too much and take the back of their garment into consideration thinking about the whole body

IMPROVEMENTS:

So for next week we are going to construct how the back can work with the front and help form the structural shapes all around the body. Using the same elements and forms of the front of our design.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Book ‘Introduction’ Quinn, B.(2003) The fashion of Architecture, Oxford and New York, Berg. Pages 1-13

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandhealth/gallery/2008/apr/15/fashion.architecture

Article title:Architecture and fashion Website title:the Guardian

[Accessed 11th November 2016]

http://architizer.com/blog/stylemusee-interview/

Article title:Finding Architecture in Fashion Website title:Architizer [Accessed 11th November 2016]

http://www.isseymiyake.com/en/

AuthorISSEY INC. Article title:ISSEY MIYAKE INC. | ISSEY MIYAKE INC. ENGLISH

[Accessed 11th November 2016]

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context-of-praticemolly-blog · 8 years ago

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GENDER IN ART AND FASHION

Lecture Notes

ART

15th century none the wiser to improving on ourselves; of idea of beauty to edit an image

1893- Mother Hood

Summertime Vivienne westwood what feminism is – response to lad culture. ( girl about town red wine spills screen printing- playing up to grisliness ( but going around) . Stereotype- reversing roles

Things have changed over time of image of beauty/ different types of nude. Body image the extent women go to surgery to live up to get beauty.

Nickolay Lamm “normal Barbie” 19 year old girl- did it suggest bodie type. Barbie couldn’t exist- too top heavy- she’s too skinny to old the lungs. The doll with normal body- spots- cellulite- art project that raises awareness?

GENDER AND FASHION

- How fashion is used to signify fashion

- Perception of clothing

- Greyson perry – an extreme?? Why wearing a dress for a man being noticed

- Jannelle monae – suits accepting – why wearing a suit of socially accepted- no stigma attached

- Social construct

- Rare to see a man wearing female clothing- will always cause comment. Not drag just everyday bases

High fashion

- JW ANDERSON 2013

Undermine masculine:

DAVIDE BOWIE – stage persona a sexual. Unisex

ANONOYMOUS

Kowtow – megatron

Women can wear a man outfit but not women clothing on men. All very masculine. Very famine- unisex just very masculine garment.

UNISEX CLOTHING ALL BOUGHT BY WOMEN. Most women wear men’s clothing of the rack.

Roles of men and women.- not equal or only encouraging their own stereotype- and what we aspire too. Why is the women so sexual- very bad narrative bad social norms. KWILTS

RICK OWENS- how to masculine in famine garments.

RAD HOIRANI- shot very clear in being unisex not to stereotypes

WHAT WOULD A MAN WOULD WEAR

Social constraints

History of men use to famine clothing.

MOTO GUO

Famine on a masculine siluate

To produce a conceptual garment- exploring boundaries between gender masculinity and identity- understanding of gender and perception thought your design.

Using women's design to apply to a shirt.

The theory

We should not confuse gender with sex.

· SEX: refers to the biological and physical state of men and women - i.e. male and female.

· GENDER: refers to the socially constructed roles and behaviors which society associates with men and women

Ideas about gender have always been a feature of society, whether in the past or present. You can tell this by looking at art throughout history. Art from the past makes it clear that all kinds of societies in every period of history had stereotypical views of gender.

Gaultier, by way of assuring interested buyers (of whom apparently there were none) he was not out to feminize men, is quoted as saying “I’m not saying men and women should look alike. It won’t be like the Sixties, where they had the same haircut and everything. They’ll share the same wardrobe, but they’ll wear it differently. Men will stay masculine and women feminine”’. (Davis, F. (1992), Fashion, Culture and Identity, University of Chicago Press, page 34 )

The main aspect of gender stereotyping discussed was ideas about women’s gender. From this you might imagine that that wome are the victims of gender issues. But later on it was clear that women are not the only victims of social stereotypes; men are affected too.

At various times during the history of art we can see that women were used and seen in several ways

-One was their role in the family - motherhood; painting women with the children and men in different roles as providers or protectors.

- Another revolved around sex. Sometimes they were shown as objects of sexual desire.

- Sometimes art showed sexual abuse or violence towards women. One example of this is shown in Artemisia Gentileschi, known as one of the first women artists. She showed and spoke through her work of being a victim of rape.

Even today, it seems, the more sexually powerful the advertisement on the billboards, the better the attraction of the advert.

It was suggested in the lecture that, currently, the role of women in fashion, art and the media has changed. Now women are seen as more beautiful the “skinner” they are, like zero sized models.

Is Art just reflection of gender stereotypes or can society sometimes be influenced by gender stereotyping in Art?

This is where our gender discussion began, in the lecture. Being a female myself, perhaps I am more aware of the stereotypes of a women, what gender issues there are for women, what labels and stereotypes there are and what is “expected of us”.

However, MEN, are stereotyped too. This is something which I hadn’t taken into consideration previously. They have “expected” behaviour too, for example to be “manly and strong”. During the lecture we commented how men are expected to be seen as masculine figures.

Grayson Perry for example He wanted to be an officer in the armed forces and he also wanted to dress up in women’s clothes. ‘He knew from the off that this was an unusual combination.’- being a role of officer someone is publicy respect it considered not acceptable to wear female clothing. Assuming it would take authority away from his job.

Unisex clothing is very current in today’s fashion. “Unisex” was explored in the late 1960s. “His n’ Hers” branded by Swedish designer Sighten Harragard. It was, and is something which unites genders and stereotype. But does it?

In today’s society it is common to see women wearing “men’s” clothing. Suits and trousers are very much acceptable, to wear as a woman.

But for men to be wearing “female clothing”, for example skirts, is just not done in high streets and mainstream fashion. Traditionally it was accepted - like monks and Scottish kilts, for example. It is also accepted amongst homosexuals and drag queens. But will it ever be an everyday occurrence in westernized fashion?

It has made me realize that gender issues are not just targeted at women, but men too. They are expected to give a strong, masculine, tough person, something which I hadn’t reflected before. Even in fashion terms.

Two things, to which I believe could be an answer, to why men’s stereotype assumptions aren’t widely spoken about. Women have taken years and still to this day to fight for women’s equality In the work environment, family roles and in relationships. Starting so long after women, will men ever close the gap?

Also women fought strongly to be given the freedom to wear what they wanted, for example, being “allowed” to wear trousers. So there’s something in me which questions this. If the expectation of men is to be more “masculine”, why haven’t they fought or spoken out, for it to be changed?

A more practical view point is “sex”. We all have biological differences. Some clothing wouldn’t be equally suited to men and women for practical living.

Our response

As a practical response from this reflection we were challenged to turn a men’s white shirt into something feminine for a man.

This required us to produce a conceptual garment. We had to explore what gender stereotypes meant in clothing terms. We then had to apply that kind of gender stereotype to a garment suited to a man.

For example, we decided to explore typical techniques which are seen more in women’s clothing than in men. Pleats, curves and flounces in highlighted areas of a shirt, like the collar, cuffs and shoulder width. We added flounce to a collar, because collars are stereotypical of a man, whereas a flounce is typical of female design. We also thought of having pleats at the bottom of the shirt, which is similar shaping to a skirt.

Reflection on our response

One thing which became clear to us was that it was not necessary to drastically change a garment to give it some impression of being either male or female. After all, we needed to maintain the shirt’s key qualities and keep the garment practical. Subtle changes, like flounces have a massive influence.

Another thing we became aware of is that the features of a garment which make it typically female involve more demanding techniques. Men’s clothes seem to be made simply, with little manipulation of the fabric. Darts are about the limit. Making a woman’s garment more ‘masculine’ would involve less work because it would be more straight and angular ad would not have to be so closely shaped to the body. Whereas clothes which are typically female involve more technical issues, such as pleating and gathering, more volume and more circular cuts.

One final issue is that stereotyping puts a huge constraint upon us as designers - especially today. What is acceptable to men is now so narrow that it limits what we can design for them. My solution is to introduce subtle changes to patterns, to broaden people’s perspective of what is acceptable - to let them know it’s ok.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography

Jennifer Craik, ‘Supermodels and super bodies’(2007)

Wilson, ‘gender and identity’ (1985)

Davis, F. (1992), Fashion, Culture and Identity, University of Chicago Press,

Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing, Harmondsworth, Penguin

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/aug/11/-sp-the-rise-of-gender-neutral-fashion

AuthorMorwenna Ferrier Article title:Gender-neutral fashion: beyond menswear and womenswear Website title:the Guardian

[Accessed 24th October 2016]

http://www.actyourage.eu/uploads/files/clothing_identity_and_the_embodiment_of_age.pdf [Accessed 24th October 2016]

http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/grayson_perry.htm

AuthorSaatchi Gallery Article title:Grayson Perry - Artist's Profile - The Saatchi Gallery

[Accessed 24th October 2016]

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2016/02/women_wearing_pants_are_still_controversial.html

AuthorNora Caplan-Bricker Article title:Women Who Wear Pants Are Still Controversial. (Just Ask a Flight Attendant, or Hillary Clinton.) [Accessed 24th October 2016]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/fashion-and-style/10749463/Why-mens-fashion-is-not-like-womens-fashion.html

AuthorRobert Leach Article title:Why men's fashion is not like women's fashion [Accessed 24th October 2016]

http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/overview/suffragetteswartime/ Article title:Suffrage in wartime

[Accessed 24th October 2016]

https://uk.pinterest.com/explore/androgynous-fashion-women/

Article title:Androgynous Fashion Women [Accessed 24th October 2016]

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context-of-praticemolly-blog · 8 years ago

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SUSTAINABILITY

Lecture Notes

DEFINING

· Ability of the future generation to meet their own needs. Thinking about the future

· Coexist with another system indefiiandtly without damage to the system

· Designers dilemma “importance of differentiation and exclusivity buying more and more. A working designer has challenges when consumed so much

WHATS IT’S IMPORTANT • Land squash • Population growth • Limiting land • Open house empirical domestic living houses getting bigger/ taking more land • All our resources are running out • Drains on the environment population growth • Kyoto agreement/ global emissions

HOW ARE DESGINERS USING IT

· Emotionally durable design- teddy bear consider how we could make output more physically and emotional durable. Encourage to have emotional attachment so then not to bin it straight away

·The Hannover principles/ plastic pages. Arteitchure. Human design and nature to co exists

- Reltionships between spirit and matter- very materialistic

- Accept responsibility of the consequence of design

- Create safe object long term value

- Not to maximise your own profit think and share knowledge with others

· PEOPLE TREE- support protect supply to provide set example

WHAT CAN WE D0

- Recycle

- Buy second hand

- CONSUME LESS

- Use by- products

· M&s clothes at Oxfam – rewards- but then you consuming again?

· Upcycle

The theory

Sustainability has become an important issue for our generation. This is a reaction to our excessive use of the world’s natural resources. Our excessive consumerism and demand has hugely damaged our physical and human geography. This has produced a reaction - sustainability.

Sustainability is establishing new and more efficient ways to create and manufacture with as little damage to the world’s resources, such as its land mass, human rights, agriculture and global emissions.

At a conference I attended, there were several quotations about sustainability:

Eco chic award conference, January 2017

· “Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.”

· “for example, sustainable economic growth"

· “able to be upheld, justified or defended”.

· "sustainable definitions of good educational practice”

It’s vital that sustainability plays a part in everyone’s day to day living, but particularly within the fashion and clothing industry. “The clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world” ecowatch.

Education is vital for us to fix this. Through education we need to keep highlighting the importance of sustainability in our creative design.

Julian Roberts is one of the theorists who supports sustainability, subtracting fabric and working from draping the fabric.

The marketing brand Creative Concern have a huge focus on sustainability within their work.

Lizzie Harrison has created a company using sustainability as a theme. It is called ANTIFORM. She is very influential in her research and her own brand. She has made sustainability her focus, using up-cycling, making old into new. She also understands that if you use high value materials, then you may get longer use out of them. She also invests in the theory of emotionally durable design -the idea that if you are emotionally involved with your purchases then you will treasure them and come back for more.

Our response

‘Most things are not designed for the needs of the people but for the needs of the manufacturers to sell to people’ Papanek, 1983, p46 though this response i want to explore the purpose of why its not about the needs of the manufacture but also about human ethical rights that manufacture businesses do not all consider and the environment itself. And through this response show that the desinger is taking all of the needs inconsideration not just about selling.

Being taught as a designer about the importance of sustainable it is key as stated by Fletchre ‘promote participate design between user and maker’ (Fletcher 2008, p. 122.)

To actively respond and “accepting responsibility for the consequence of design decisions”, Mcdonough & Braugart 1992, p.253) to this subject we were challenged to make a garment with zero waste.This is important, since 15% of fabric is wasted in the manufacture of a typical garment.Our group was tasked to design in response to the word brutalism, which originates from the French word for raw and has influenced architects who produced buildings featuring lots of concrete. We searched for internet images on the theme of brutalism, which produced bold, solid shapes, mainly produced through the vehicle of architecture. We created shapes by draping the fabric, manipulating it to make strong solid shapes in the style of brutalism. (See photos).

We avoided cutting any part of the fabric, because, as soon as you cut something out, you then have to use it. In contrast to others, we hand-sewed the garment, then finished it by machine. This was really difficult, since it was hard to follow the hand-sewing once it was off the model.

Reflection on our response

The process of making a garment with no waste made us realise how creative you have to be to achieve sustainability. For example, once we were able to consider how the garment would work in practice on the form of a body, we thought about arm holes. Our solution to the problem of wasting this fabric was to use the excess fabric from the arm holes as elbow pads, thinking creatively. We could have used it for pockets, but the complexity would have conflicted with the brutalist style. This made us realise how much more carefully you have to think and how much more considered you have to be during the design process to achieve sustainability.

We also realised that it is not just about how you use your fabric, but also where it came from. ‘Disposal practice’ suggest Gregson & Crew, (2003, p. 248) Because you can be as careful as you like to avoid waste, but if your fabric has been produced by methods which cause pollution and by people who did not earn a fair living, then this would still not achieve sustainability.

I was very struck by my own responsibility to do something about the issue of sustainability. First I need to learn about how and what creative difference I can make. I need to think about my choices of eco-friendly methods, longer lasting materials, the manufacturing environment for emissions and living wages for employees. I also need to try to change how goods are marketed and how consumers are encouraged to use - and waste- so much. .

I therefore found this research and practice in sustainability very important and relevant and I will continue this research further in my studies and practical making.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Eco Chic, Maltilda Lee (2007)

Naked Fashion The new sustainable Fashion revolution by Safia Minney (2011) People tree. Oxford.

http://www.antiformonline.co.uk/about/ Article title:About Antiform | Antiform

[Accessed 17th October 2016]

http://www.rochowski.net/Works-1/Brutalist-I Article title:Brutalist I - Nick Rochowski Photography

[Accessed 17th October 2016]

https://www.zerowasterecycling.co.uk/

Article title:Zero Waste Recycling | Printer Cartridge Recycling | Toner - Ink | UK Website title:Zerowasterecycling.co.uk [Accessed 17th October 2016]

http://www.tfrc.org.uk/zero-waste-fashion-textile-design-2/

Article title:Zero Waste Fashion & Textile Design - Textile Futures Research Centre

[Accessed 17th October 2016]

Fletcher ‘Fashion needs and consumption’ 2008

Gregson & Crew ‘Redefining rubbish’ 2003

Mcdonough & Braugart ‘The Hanover Princtiples’ 1992

World Commission on Environment and Development. 1987. From One Earth to One World: An Overview. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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context-of-praticemolly-blog · 8 years ago

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SEMIOTICS

Semiotics is the study of signs and how we visually interpret signs. Semiotics can be used to convey a subject, meaning or message.

“Looking but not seeing is the hearing but not understanding of the eye.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana (2009)

But what do these signs consist of? They can be words, sounds, images, body language or colour. We register semiotics everywhere. It’s something we don’t even realise we think about.

Some signs are part of a specific environment. For example, road signs can be explicit and obvious to our everyday lives. A different use of semiotics is when it is used to influence and channel our thoughts to think in how someone wants us to.

Our first response to a sign or symbol is basic, interpreting its features and qualities. Secondary is our individual interpretation, based on our own experience.

Roland Barthes was a theorist of semiotics known as a structuralist or post-structuralist. His ideas of structure and the importance of cultural impact on how we observe signs.

The successful use of semiotics in communication makes the viewer emotionally involved. You want to instantly feel engaged, to visually understand the meaning of the message with a quick glance.

We are quick to judge some things and people on the basis of semiotics this leads us to stereotypes them on the basis of the signs with which we are presented. For example, clothing is a powerful example of semiotics in our everyday lives. We can assume a lot by how someone is dressed. Clothing leaves a huge impression. We can assume people’s profession, wealth, gender and many more things.

our task:

college to communicate semiotics illustrating your understanding choosing your own personal topics, that you feel best can be told through you chosen imagery from magazines.

A few given examples.

Our response

Having being taught about the meaning of semiotics we were given the task of responding, by creating an advertisement using a collage. We decided that we needed to create something moving, even shocking, so that it would stand out from everyday messages and make an impact. This led us to consider using a topic like war, using the events in Syria, or refugees or a contrast, such as poverty and greed. As a result of this we created several collages, of which three are shown below.

Reflection on our response

One thing which occurred to us in the use of semiotics is how clever it can be. You are not just describing something in words. Words are limited. They have to mean something to you. You only understand the word ‘power’ from the power you know. For example, an image of a wrestler can give power different meaning than a nuclear warhead. So images can mean so much more than words.

Another thing which occurred to us as we discussed how images to do with war could be used in fashion was how powerful the Nazi swastika is in the world of clothing. To anyone who sees a swastika on clothes it says ‘Nazi’, it says ‘fascist’, it says extremism, it says violence, it says threatening, it says anti-establishment.

But this also begs another question. How long will the power of the swastika last as the Second World War fades into the past? Other symbols do not suffer in this way. For example, the meaning of tartan goes on and on and on.

One constraint in our use of semiotics for this response was the limitation of the materials provided. We had to respond using the magazines which we were given. However, there are always constraints, even in normal practice. For example, some symbols or images might be considered inappropriate, or even illegal.

Bibliography

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/semiotics Article title:the definition of semiotics [Accessed 1Oth October 2016]

Barthes(1957) ‘Myth today’extracts form mythologies’

Berger, J (1972), ways of seeing London, BBC/Penguin Books, Chapter 1, Pages 7-34.

http://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1299&context=honors_theses [Accessed 1Oth October 2016]

Undressing the Power of Fashion: The Semiotic Evolution of Gender Identity by Coco Chanel and Alexander McQueen

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