Throughout the course of the ‘Research and Communication Skills’ module, I have learnt a variety of ways in which to improve my essay writing skills and where to look to find relevant pieces of information as sources in my writing.

Primarily, I learnt early on in the RCS module how to reference texts and sources when putting them in my writing. Before this module I was unsure of the correct way in which to do this and was worried about the problems I could face for not referencing a source suitably. I found it particularly helpful that we didn’t just learn how to ‘Harvard reference’ a book, but also a website, photograph and newspaper articles. Harvard referencing was particularly helpful for task 1/2 when we had to integrate an image from a book, a photograph and an archive in to piece of writing. After learning how use Harvard referencing I was able to use it in my studio practice by referencing designers or artists work in my research file that I had used in my sketchbook.

Furthermore, I found the lecture about plagiarism and academic integrity in week 3 particularly interesting and opened my eyes to the severity of the problems that one could face within in the design world if an artist or designer’s work was copied too closely. Learning more about the UK Copyright Law will be of great use to me for all of my future work within design so that I can ensure my ideas are unprecedented. Furthermore, I will be able to use designers and artists work suitably as influences and inspirations for my own work without breaching the copyright laws.

The lecture and task in the fourth week was one of the most beneficial for me as it was very valuable for the background research of my projects in my studio practice. This task was to choose a particular designer’s collection and create a mood board and description of where the designer drew their inspiration from for that collection. After being shown in the lecture the images that inspired Anna Sui for her Spring 2018 collection, I was able to see how it wasn’t haphazard ideas or just other designer’s influence that inspired her collection but a large range of sources. As a result, I was able to broaden my own research and look at films, photography, illustrations and books rather than solely just a fashion designer’s work.

For the majority of the tasks during the RCS module I stayed on top of the work and did a task per week so I was never behind. However, towards the end of the module when my studio practice work became busier I struggled doing the tasks on time. In the future, I will ensure I do my tasks on time and not leave them for the following week as I struggled to find all the references and sources I wanted to find if I had to rush the tasks to get them done.

I have found this module very worthwhile as it allowed me to expand my knowledge and awareness of concerns within the world of design such as plagiarism and ethical issues. Moreover, it lay the foundations of how to research most beneficially by using all the sources available to you.

It has been apparent in past decades and still in today’s society the ethical issue of the way women and men are portrayed through campaigns for the fashion industry. Frequently, there are controversial images being released from the fashion industry regarding the sexualizing of women with suppressive and anti-feminist suggestions.

The image that I am reflecting on in particular, is the image by Duncan Quinn which portrays a man of apparent high class with a complacent and arrogant look on his face. In contrast to this, a woman is being helplessly pulled across a car by her neck with his tie, wearing only lingerie. It is clear that this is showing a problematic ethical issue; men being portrayed as superior to women.

Primarily, in this image by Duncan Quinn, the man is fully dressed in a smart suit which suggests he is of high class and gives him a status of being wealthy and successful. In contrast, unfairly the woman is left defenseless of a status and identity by the photographer as she wears only meager underwear and her face is being pulled away from the camera by the man and his tie. I believe this is conveying an incredibly immoral and objectifying message to the people who view the photograph.

Furthermore, I believe there is more injustice between the portrayal of the genders in tis photograph through the fact the male is standing and the female is lying down over a car. I believe this gives the man a further sense of confidence, superiority and fits with the outdated view that a man has leadership of a woman as well as being more active a surveyor. In contrast, the woman is in a lying position which suggests vulnerability and weakness. In ‘The Sexual Objectification of Women in Fashion Media: A Contemporary Cultural Perspective’, Namata Sherinah explains how a woman’s position in a photograph for fashion juxtaposes a man’s. She states, ‘fashion ads for instance normally present a woman touching self… lying on the floor… vulnerable… holding an object or a man for support…’. She conveys the difference for a man in a photograph, stating ‘Men on the other hand are often portrayed as alert and conscious of their surroundings… eyes open… gripping things tightly…’. Many descriptions that Sherinah writes are applicable to this image such as the woman looking ‘vulnerable’ whilst the man has his eyes open and his hand is gripping on to the tie.

Lastly, I believe the photograph is sexist because of the way the man is put in to a complimentary light in the way that his suit looks pristine and smart as well as his posture looking proper. Rather than the woman similarly being complimented, her figure looks strained and weak. Furthermore, her hand has been positioned in a way that it looks like a claw and animalistic. Horrifyingly, this then sets the status of the woman as a feeble animal further separates the position between man and woman.

In conclusion, it is clear the man has ownership of this photograph. By wrapping his tie around the woman’s neck and pulling her towards him over presumably his car, he has ownership of both the woman and the car which I believe result in a disturbingly sexist and unjust photograph.

Bibliography:

Sherinah, N, ‘The Sexual Objectification of Women in Fashion Media: A Contemporary Cultural Perspective’, Available from: http://www.kas.de/wf/doc/kas_21095-1442-2-30.pdf?161206174939

The book ‘Fashion as Communication’, written by Malcolm Barnard discusses key debates within the concept of fashion.

Primarily, Barnard discusses the difference between ‘fashion’ and ‘anti-fashion’. Within this, Simmel believes that for fashion to be established, there are ‘two social tendencies’: being in union with society but maintaining your social identity. The text then includes explanations from Polhemus and Procter about the definitions of ‘anti-fashion’ in contrast to ‘fashion’; ‘anti- fashion’ is a ‘symbol of continuity’ whereas fashion is constantly changing with each season. Moreover, Burnard discusses how fashion is seen by some as ‘trivial pursuits’ and that ‘serious-minded people’ see it as an unimportant subject. Braudel’s disagree with this, stating that fashion ‘touches on every issue – raw materials, production processes…’ (Braudel 1981:311). Furthermore, the text discusses how the word ‘design’ is perceived to have a lower status in European culture than ‘art’. Some believe that in order for fashion to have a higher status, it would have to change its name to something with the word ‘art’ in such as ‘applied arts’.

The understanding of the difference between ‘fashion’ and ‘anti –fashion’ is agreed upon by James Laver (1899) and Charlies Baudelaire (1821) in ‘Fashion Media: Past and Present’. Laver stated that fashion is contemporary in comparison to costume and Baudelaire explained that fashion is modernity; ‘the transient, the fleeting, the contingent: it is one half art, the other being the eternal and the immovable’ (Baudelaire 1972: 403)

Elise Leveque disagrees with Art having a higher rank than Design and states they have equal ranks; ‘both designers and artists create their own visual interpretations and compositions with the skills and knowledge set they have’. Leveque concludes the two are equal but have ‘a different set of aesthetic values’. (thedeependdesign, 2013)

I agree that art and design are two separate subjects so they can’t be compared so closely as to give one a higher rank than the other. I believe that design is important as it makes up everything around us. From a table we sit at to an artist’s canvas, everything has to be designed first. Furthermore, Fashion Design, which is just one area of design, is a huge contribution to the economy and society, as Braudel stated. The United States congress stated that ‘Fashion is a $1.2 trillion global industry’. (The Economic Impact of the Fashion Industry, 2015)

I disagree that fashion is trivial. Burnard writes that ‘serious-minded’ and intelligent people are uninterested in fashion. Although I agree there are important issues to worry about such as the starving populations in Africa or global warming, I believe fashion shouldn’t be devalued as a subject. Fashion allows economy to thrive and society to identify themselves. I believe it is contradictory for serious-minded, intelligent people to say fashion is trivial as I think it’s less intelligent for them to agree with each other rather than having their own opinions. The importance of fashion is highlighted by Gerda Buxbaum in the opening of ‘Fashion in Context’. Buxbaum states that fashion embodies a large variety of topics such as ‘myth, lifestyle, gender, bodies in consumer culture… uniformity, identity (and its loss).’

I believe the first chapter of ‘Fashion as Communication’ brought up key issues within fashion which was interesting to acknowledge and reflect upon. It is clear that fashion and the place it has in the economy and society is vitally important.

Bibliography:

Barnard, M, (2002), ‘Fashion as Communication’, 2nd edition, Routledge

Buxbaum, G, (2009), ‘Fashion in Context‘, Springer Vienna Architecture

Bartlett, D, (2013), ‘Fashion Media: Past and Present‘, Bloomsbury Academic

Leveque, E, (2013), thedeependdesign.com, Available from: http://thedeependdesign.com/art-vs-graphic-design-the-debate-rages-on/

Maloney, C. B, (2015), Joint Economic Committee: United States Congress, Available from: https://maloney.house.gov/sites/maloney.house.gov/files/documents/The%20Economic%20Impact%20of%20the%20Fashion%20Industry%20–%20JEC%20report%20FINAL.pdf

Task 5/6

I have chosen Prabal Gurung as the designer who inspires me and his collection of t-shirts in his Fall 2017 runway show which were inspired by the feminist movement. In the finale of Gurung’s show, the models walked the runway in a series of t-shirts which displayed his own feminist statements. This inspires me as I believe he made a bold statement to a current issue and used his voice through his platform and runway show during NYFW. His t-shirts consisted of statements such as ‘The Future Is Female’ and ‘Nevertheless, she persisted’ along with making references to powerful female figures such as Michelle Obama and Coretta Scott King.

I created a moodboard based on what Prabal Gurung took inspiration from, which I learnt from the interviews he gave based on this collection.

Gloria Steinem for author Jennifer Baumgardner’s book ‘Abortion and Life’, (2008). Photographer: Tara Todras- Whitehill. T-shirt designed by Jennifer Baumgardner.

The picture that takes my attention is this image of Gloria Steinem, a Spokeswomen for the feminist movement in America between the years of 1960’s to the 1970’s. This photo was taken for the author Jennifer Baumgardner who was writing a book based on the topic of abortion in 2008. Steinem supported this book and the project ‘I had an abortion’ which was aimed at giving women back the power to make decisions for themselves and have control back over their own bodies.

I believe the composition of the image is effectively simple. As a result, the photograph emphasizes the words on the t-shirt and the message that Baumgardner is putting across stands out. The monotone colours of the image further create a sense of simplicity. Furthermore, I believe Steinem’s facial expression, a smile, is effective to the photograph as it conveys a confidence and that she is not afraid to show her support for the feminist movement of pro-abortion.

I believe this image and the collection of feminist t-shirts by Prabal Gurung is relevant today as a result of the anti-feminist attitude of Donald Trump. It is apparent that many of the biggest and most relevant fashion houses are using their voices to convey their political views in light of the new President of the United States.

Bibliography:

www.gloriasteinem.com/

wwd.com/eye/…/a-meeting-of-feminists-in-the-prabal-gurung-front-row-10980234

www.jenniferbaumgardner.net/abortion-life/

www.hollywoodreporter.com/…/prabal-gurung-explains-his-nyfw-feminist-finale-975..

www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-week/…/prabal-gurung-fall-2017-finale/

https://graziadaily.co.uk/…/prabal-gurung-new-york-fashion-week-show-feminism/

I began my research in the University’s library. I was captivated by a book written about the work of the fashion designer Oscar De La Renta, written by Andre Leon Talley. I was interested to see how fashion designers in our modern era continue to incorporate corset style bodices into their designs.

Talley, A. L, Wintour, A, (2015) Oscar De La Renta: His Legendary World Of Style, New York, Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc.

To further my research into this subject, I searched the internet for a website which would inform me more on the subject. I came across an article written on Vogue.com which was written about the corset being a statement fashion accessory in recent years. Naomi Pike discusses how the way a corset is worn has changed from when it was worn under clothing for shape around the waist to being worn as an accessory. Pike writes that the corset is ‘an accessory, it’s not to be worn in lieu of a top’. (Pike, N, (2016), Condé Nast,  Crushing On The Corset, Vogue.com,  Available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/corset-celebrity-trend-style Condé Nast (Accessed 25th October 2017)

Finally, I discovered a newspaper article by theguardian.com which furthered my research in to the reasons for corsets being back in fashion. The newspaper article concluded that wearing a corset in modern society is a  feminist statement and contrasts to how women were forced to wear them in the past so their figures would appear more ladylike for males. Ellie Violet Bramley writes ‘What feels new and potentially feminist about some of the current corset variations is their lack of adhere to traditional ideals of the female form.’ (Bramley, E. V, 2017, Let Loose: How the Corset is being reclaimed by the fashion industry, theguardian.com, Saturday 1^st April 2017)

(1) Primary Source. Primary Source: ‘Louis Vuitton: Icons’, by Stephane Gerschel , Pg 33. Photographer Unknown.

I began my research with this image, taken from ‘Louis Vuitton: Icons’ by Stephane Gerschel which I found in the University’s library. I found this particular book under a section in the library which specifically had books about various fashion designers and fashion houses which was the topic I was eager to research. This particular book interested me as it looked at the idea of ‘stylish travel’ and focused in on the fact that the fashion house originated from its bags and giving a more glamourous look and style to travelling. I was intrigued to explore images of designs from Louis Vuitton through the different era’s and time periods. The image above that I have used as my primary source is clearly a photograph that has been taken in the past yet we can still identify it as glamorous and luxurious. Therefore this photograph is a primary source as it is a photograph found in a book from the past.

(2) Secondary Souce: photographer and source unknown. Taken from fastcodesign.com. Article, ‘What It Was Like To Fly During The Golden Age Of Trvael’, 12.05.13 by John Brownlee.

When searching the internet for my secondary source, an object, I came across this photograph of an airplane from the 1950s. This image relates to my primary source as the topic of the article is about glamourous and luxurious travelling. The article, written by John Brownlee discusses how air travel was not as sumptuous as ‘The Golden Age of Travel’ makes it sound. Although the primary and secondary sources that I am looking at in my research have comparisons in that they discuss luxurious travelling around the 1950s period, they contrast as well. They contrast as my primary image, taken from ‘Louis Vuitton: Icons’ presents a woman looking as though she’s elegantly travelling, whilst the article I’ve used as my secondary source argues that travelling in this era was not as glamorous as it would appear. John Brownlee debates that air travel in the 1950’s was not luxurious as a result of how expensive it was to travel by plane: 40% more than it is today. Furthermore, there were more plane crashes and deaths occurring during the ‘golden age’ which meant it was more dangerous. Other factors that Brownlee discusses is the racist aspect of travel: only white people tended to be allowed to travel and the fact that anyone was allowed to smoke and drink as much as they wanted on flights which meant passengers could be sitting in planes full of smoke for long periods of time.

(3) Solent Sky Museum, Southampton. Taken from tripadvisor.com. Source and photographer unknown.

When researching various archives and museums which would give context to my primary and secondary research about travel in the 1950’s, I came across a nearby museum in Southampton called the ‘Solent Sky Museum’. This contributed to my understanding of aircrafts and travel in the 1950s as the pictures of the museum on the internet showed detailed images inside and out of aircrafts which enables you to imagine what travelling in the 1950 era would have been like.

Bibliography:

‘Louis Vuitton: Icons’ by Stephane Gerschel, Pg. 33.

https://www.fastcodesign.com/3022215/what-it-was-really-like-to-fly-during-the-golden-age-of-travel

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g186299-d215546-i273025591-Solent_Sky_Museum-Southampton_Hampshire_England.html