For the Research and Communication skills (RCS) module I liked how the lectures expanded my knowledge of the design industry which I intend to be working in. For example, the issue of copyright in the week 3 Academic Integrity and Plagiarism lecture and how it is relevant to my studio practice for the future and also now as a student. Sometimes it could be difficult to grasp the concepts talked about as they needed a different way of thinking and working compared to working in the studio. I found it interesting researching the individual tasks though. The most challenging task was the reflective writing in week 6 as this involved academic reading which I have not done very much before.

Within the RCS module I became to understand the need for good research and tried to make the most of the library. I realized that by having good solid research I had a better understanding and therefore it made the writing easier. I think this is because I was more confident in what I was writing about. I found a very useful magazine in the library for the week 4 visual research task which included an interview with the designer himself that was relevant to the task. Because of this, it was easier to find the images needed for the mood board than having to search through lots of internet pages that may not have been relevant.

For the task in week 2 of online resources it highlighted how previously I had relied too much on the internet which you cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information on it and therefore can lose confidence in what you are trying to say. As a result, it was also useful to be directed to reliable websites too, and I have now learnt that museum websites such as the V&A are a great resource as they generally have a wide variety of trustworthy information. In the future, I intend to use this way of gathering information, by being more discerning about where I choose my sources of research from. I think that by having a good basis for research, and I hope my work will reflect this. I am already trying this in my studio practice by spending time in the library to gather inspiring images instead of going straight to the internet. With the internet, I am being more particular as to where to look such as using the V&A website.

Week 8’s task on Ethical Issues was the most thought-provoking for me. Although I had had some brief thoughts on these issues before, by having the lecture on these issues my opinions became stronger. I had never had to write in this way before though and found it hard to put across an opinion on such an appalling and disturbing image.

To conclude, I have found the subject matter in RCS interesting and useful to learn about. I liked hearing people’s opinions within the lectures on these subjects. The most challenging part to this module was the writing after the lectures but it was good to be able to use the library resource to help with this.

Duncan Quinn describes themselves as a ‘bespoke atelier and lifestyle destination for discerning gentlemen.’ They are a high end brand which started up in 2003 most known for making custom fit suits for males. It is interesting that they describe themselves for the ‘destination for discerning gentlemen’. My automatic opinion of this advert of theirs is that the male shown in the advert is the opposite of a gentlemen and therefore so is their brand.

Also, those that are not already aware of the brand may think that Duncan Quinn sells lingerie given the focus on the female’s underwear. My initial thoughts are is why is it so necessary for a so called ‘gentleman’s’ brand to have an unclothed female in their advertising? Surely they should be trying to reflect what a gentleman is? Instead of the complete opposite

In this advert there are many problematic ethical issues. I think that the main issue though is the dominating male. Jennifer Craik writes ‘It is in this way that fashion photogrophy exceeds the seams of the clothes it portrays by playing with current definitions of sexuality and identity. Its conventions are neither fixed nor purposeful, instead constituting a nexus between fashion and selfhood – and above all, embracing the instabilities, conflicts and contradictions in sexuality. As a representational technique, fashion photogrophy has far reaching practical consequences.’  (Craik 1993) This advert definitely ‘exceeds the seams of the clothes it portrays’, The advert is not focused towards the clothes of Duncan Quinn but almost suggesting a lifestyle that will be achieved with buying from Duncan Quinn. This is scary as the suggested lifestyle is the male superior which goes against our common view in the 21^st century.  For example in this image, the male is the focal point. He is standing upright, looking directly towards the camera whereas the female is lying down looking away from the camera. He is portrayed as being well dressed in a suit which completely contrasts to the female who is represented with no clothes on.

These contrasts in how the individuals are shown, with the male dominating the photograph almost automatically reflect society and the inequality of the sexes. The general view of society though is working to change this inequality. Therefore this image is shocking as it goes against the general view of society and therefore its viewers of the advert, it is displaying an almost old fashioned view that would make many people nowadays angry.

Another ethical issue is the media and their influence on society with the wide availability of images like these. Most people would be shocked by how this man is acting to the female with his tie tied around her neck, even more so that the female is only in her underwear.  Disturbingly, Duncan Quinn sell ties and for some reason think that this is an appropriate way to display their product, again this is the most opposite to gentlemen like! This pose could almost suggest rape, to the viewer it looks like the female is not in control of herself by the way she is shown. Duncan Quinn should be aware of their influence to whoever will see this image. Jennifer Craik mentions ‘fashion photography has far reaching practical consequences’ (Craik 1993) and I think that this is an example of a far reaching consequence as scarily this advert is available to be seen by everybody, including children. It could give an impression as to what Duncan Quinn seem to consider to be gentlemanly and supposedly ok.

Bibliogrophy:

Craik, J. (1994). The face of fashion: cultural studies in fashion. London, Routledge.

Duncan Quinn (2014)  Shop. Availible from: http://duncanquinn.com [Accessed 28 November 2017]

‘FASHION IS TRIVAL AND RIDICULOUS AND SERIOUS MINDS NEED NOT BE DETAINED BY IT’

In his book ‘Fashion as Communication’, Malcolm Barnard explores the definition and purpose of fashion. Within the book, Barnard discusses the belief in the triviality of fashion:

‘The idea that fashion and clothing are trial pursuits is just one popular prejudice. Writing in the Guardian in 1992, Wilson notes how, ‘every so often, a letter appears in The Guardian’s Woman’s Page. The writer of the letter is always different but, she says, the letter is always the same and it always argues that fashion is ‘irrelevant to serious- minded persons’ [Malcolm Barnard 2002:17]

To me, it seems Wilson is using this example to disagree with the point being made. By stating the ‘writer is always different’ but ‘the letter is always the same’ [Wilson 1992:34]. If this was a really comment made by ‘serious- minded persons’ would it really be a just a constant repetition of the same view? Wilson also uses the repetition of the word ‘always’, this elongates her statement, creating a sense of boredom towards these letters.
Like Wilson, I would argue that fashion is anything but trivial. In 2016 the UK’s creative contributed £90 billion to net GDP, accounting for one in eleven jobs, with the fastest growing employment rate than other aspects of the economy. I believe fashion is a way to express personality, it can be manipulated to communicate a certain message, an indicator of social group or class. Fashion, ‘in spite of its seemingly trivial nature…expresses the individuality of the wearer, and conveys to those around them so much about who they are. It can introduce like-minded individuals, project a personal image and values, and enable mutual understanding. It communicates, and it connects.’ [Drost 2017].

I would also argue that the idea that fashion is ‘irrelevant’ to serious or powerful people is incorrect. Many people use fashion to ‘power dress’, wearing garments of a certain style to create confidence or to portray a certain message. Power dressing evolved in ‘the late 1970s and early 80’s, business-minded woman began dressing- if not for power, then simply to fit in.. and if they wanted to be taken seriously’ [Nelson 2017]. Nelson argues that power dressing now is ‘wide-ranging and refreshingly individualistic’ far from that of the 1970s, yet is still used on a daily basis by the majority of the most powerful people within society. Political leaders are perhaps a good example of this. During political campaigns this way of dressing is particularly prevalent, potential leaders can be seen to dress themselves to portray certain messages or highlight personality. The current Prime minister, Theresa May, utilises power dressing when she is within the public eye:

‘It’s a winning formula that she relied upon for David Cameron’s last cabinet meeting, where she stepped out in a navy blue trouser suit with origami lapel’ paired with a ‘bold statement necklace’ [Pentelow and O’Connor 2017]

The navy trouser suit reminiscent of 70’s power dressing, a more masculine dress to assert power and seriousness, yet the use of a statement necklace adds a sense of personality and femininity to the outfit. This outfit works to create a certain image May wishes to portray, that of seriousness, yet a personality, to be relatable.

To argue fashion is trivial is naive; not only is the industry one of the biggest, and greatest employers within the UK, you cannot escape fashion. The way we dress on a daily bases, whether we favour current trends or past styles, we are portraying a message, a visual communication. How we dress and embrace fashion can often say a lot about the individual, it may be we’re dressing for power, or to communicate a message, but I believe it is crucial that we are able to dress to embrace individuality. I understand that fashion could be seen as trivial due to its ever changing nature or perhaps increased materialism, yet I think you cannot underestimate the power of dress upon the individual.

[1] Barnard, M (2002) Fashion as Communication, London: Routledge.

[2] Wilson, E (2003) Adorned in Dreams, London: I B Tauris

[3] Drost C (2017) Why is Fashion Important in Society? One Lucid, August 12th, https://www.onelucid.com/home-1/2017/8/12/why-is-fashion-important-in-society

[4] Nelson, K (2017) How is Fashion Updating Power Dressing for 2017. W Magazine, February 21st, https://www.wmagazine.com/story/power-dressing-for-2017-celine-prada-balenciaga

[5] Pentelow, O and O’Connor T (2017) Theresa May: A Political Life in Pictures. Vogue UK, June 22nd. https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/theresa-may-political-life-in-pictures

As our first semester is coming to an end, I feel that Research and Communication Skills has taught me new techniques which I can carry forward into the second semester. Most of the tasks have included researching designers and analysing their work. Through reflecting on established designers, I have evaluated other issues which have arisen. I believe this has allowed me to thoroughly reflect and evaluate my own practice.

Task 1&2 involved understanding the differences between primary and secondary sources. Once I had understood the differences, I had to find three different types of information. I chose to research into Jasper John’s work due to my project at the time. I found this task useful as, before this lecture, I did not know the difference between primary and secondary sources. Now, I feel that I can conduct research with a variety of resources, to ensure my research is thorough.

Task 3&4 was based around Academic Integrity and for this, I based the task on Dale Chihuly. I found this task extremely helpful as I expanded my knowledge on a subject which I have found nerve-wracking, due to its seriousness. I feel that after this lecture, I understand how to reference various sources. I feel confident to reference where I have found information, when delving deeper into my research and therefore, enhancing my knowledge.

Task 5&6 involved visual research and exploring where, potentially, the designer had gained their inspiration from. I based this task on Timorous Beasties as I find it fascinating how they produce their wallpaper/fabric prints. I enjoyed exploring into potential influences through research into their background. I feel as though this task has broadened my research as, I can explore further and increase my knowledge of different art movements.

Personally, I found task 7&8 the most challenging. I found it difficult as I was not used to reading academic text and having to thoroughly understand it, in order to write a short essay. However, once I had completed the task, I felt a large sense of satisfaction as I was dreading the task and had put it off for several weeks. This was a huge mistake as it meant that I had to catch-up which added more pressure due to the upcoming deadline. Although I dreaded the task, I feel a sense of accomplishment after re-reading over the chapter until I had fully comprehended the information.

Task 9&10 was my favourite task as I learnt how to argue ethical issues through writing. I felt that the discussion in the lecture sparked debate and I found it interesting to listen to other people’s opinions on the controversial topic.

Overall, to conclude, I believe throughout my first semester, I have gained a variety of skills which I can reuse in second semester and throughout my degree.

I have thoroughly enjoyed attending the lectures each week and have found the research and communications module extremely educational. My writing style has seemed to improve and I think I have become more articulate when writing than when I first started this course. I have enjoyed most of the tasks and found each one beneficial for different reasons for example task 7/8 Reflective writing allowed me to develop my own writing through analysing another’s work, and task 1/2 Online Resources forced me to use different forms of researching available to me which I wouldn’t have explored otherwise.

I would like to reflect on some of the tasks which I think have helped me develop the most during this module. Task 1/2 Online Resources was a lovely starting point for this module as it opened up what the research and communication module would consist of. The Online Resources task exposed me to the basics of finding and using all forms of research media I could access such as the library but also online newspapers and websites. It also allowed me to practice comparing and evaluating different forms of research which I enjoyed. The task which I responded to the best and I thought produced the most development in my writing technique was task 7/8 Reflective Writing. Although I found reading the text difficult and tedious because of the constant repetition and backing up of points and ideas this task gave me the opportunity to evaluate someones elses work which I really enjoyed and I think benefited from. There were parts of the chapter which I found eye opening as I hadn’t considered some of the points made in the text before. Reading and analysing small details within another writer’s work made me analyse, develop and then adapt my own writing technique and style to become more formal and professional within my own response to there work.

My favourite task was task 9/10 Ethics as I found it to be the easiest and since, in the previous task, I had developed my writing technique to a stage that I was happy and this task took on that form. I enjoyed this task the most because it derived completely from your own opinion and assessment of an image. I found it odd talking about such a sexual image yet it gave me the chance to really think about how the advert made me feel knowing that this had been publicly released and advertised. I found it different from task 5/6 Visual Research as it wasnt so much about pulling apart every detail of the image, like Visual Research, more about analysing the meaning of the advert and how imagery like this is insensitive. This task made me consider what was crossing the line in fashion from an Ethical point of view and recognise that you have to take responsibility for your actions in industry and even now as a student.

Overall I found this module very educational and a steep learning curve in the way that I research and present my findings. I now love my writing technique and enjoy reading my work however I do still have areas I would like to improve on within my writing that I can touch on in the next semester.

This advertisement for the men’s tailoring company Duncan Quinn is both disturbing and offensive. It first appeared in 2008 causing much anger and resentment and quickly became known as the “strangler” ad.

The primary figure is, of course, the man: dressed in one of Duncan Quinn’s suits with the shirt collar slightly askew, he is the incarnation of the designer’s phrase “everyone’s part gentleman part rogue”, though the term seems a little mild in this case. Although his torso is still turned to the body in front of him, his clean-shaven face is directed towards the camera, staring at the viewer with a smirk. His posture is casual, holding the tie that strangled his victim loosely in one hand whilst almost posing for the photo. He appears oblivious to the horrific scene, that seems to have taken place on the hood of an expensive car. The setting also lends to the appearance of debauchery and libertinism.

The second figure is the woman. She is laid on her back with her face yanked backwards by the tie, and the position of her arms and legs suggests that she had tried to lift herself up to loosen the pressure around her neck, before hitting her head and bleeding onto the car bonnet. She is dressed only in white lace lingerie, and the fact that her face is forcefully hidden from view accentuates the impression that she is nothing but a sex object, placed there to attract the attention of possible clients.

The entire scene is disgusting and shocking: the presence of the well dressed ‘gentleman’ sneering over his victim and the woman dragged violently onto the car are pornographic and completely irrelevant to the product supposedly being advertised. The only message that might be interpreted from this image is that Duncan Quinn suits enhance men’s superiority over women, to the point where she is a disposable object only there for him to relieve his aggression and sexual impulses. Quinn told interviewer Jill Di Donato that inspiration for his design work comes from “movies and music, cops and robbers”. Perhaps in this image, he was trying to create a James Bond feel: it’s centred on a well-dressed man surrounded by expensive automobiles. But everything about this advertisement just screams violence and abuse. Mary Wollstonecraft, a late eighteenth-century writer and advocate of women’s rights, condemns the female subjugation to man in her famous book ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women’: “Rousseau declares that a woman should never, for a moment, feel herself independent, that she should be governed by fear to exercise her natural cunning, and made a coquettish slave in order to render her a more alluring object of desire, a sweeter companion to man, whenever he chooses to relax himself.”

Furthermore, in addition to the offensive and degrading figure of the woman, the way the man is portrayed could also cause resentment: such an image naturally arouses feminist groups and journalists, and once again sparks the campaign against men as the ‘dominating’ sex. Duncan Quinn seems to be promoting his suits as a key to unlocking the “rogue” inside every man, consequently directing people’s attention to cases of abuse, at the expense of the innocent.

Of course, this advertisement is ethically unacceptable. It is offensive to both sexes and as a world-class designer brand, Duncan Quinn has a corporate responsibility for the respect and protection of people’s rights.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

‘The Art of Style According to Duncan Quinn’  video interview with Jill Di Donato, Culture Trip website, updated 23rd May 2017 [accessed 4th December 2017] https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/new-york/articles/the-art-of-style-according-to-duncan-quinn-2/

Wollstonecraft M. (1792)  A Vindication of the Rights of Women (Chapter 2 §24),  London, Printed for J. Johnson

Research and Communication Skills has been extremely beneficial to me. This is because I have learnt how to research thoroughly, which I have now realised I was not doing before. On a variety of tasks I had the opportunity to properly research. I did this by firstly finding a source that my essay was going to be about, this would usually be a book and then I would find a second book to compare the different perceptions of the topic. If I were doing reflective writing, which was one of my tasks I would also say how my view differs from theirs. Then I usually expanded my research by finding an academic text online that is loosely connected to my topic, so I covered different aspects of the topic. The sources I used depended on the task at hand, but overall RCS taught me how to expand my research with different sources.

RCS has also taught me how to Harvard reference, which was also a new skill I learnt. Learning this so early on in the year is useful because it will help me throughout my University years, as well as in the future when I need to reference to prevent plagiarism. The visual research task taught me where designers get inspiration, and how many references they use. I found that, the designers that used a wide range of sources produced the most successful designs. This taught me to develop my research before designing a garment, which particularly helped me with my Fashion Design project. I researched extremely thoroughly, using a wide- range of resources, which gave me lots of ideas for designs. The RCS made my designs stronger and interesting because I was inspired by a combination of things.

The task I liked the most was the ‘Ethical Issues’ task. I had never even thought about the ethical issues in advertising a collection, and found the lesson and writing the task really interesting. It made me realise how wrong it was to promote your business in such a way and associate your brand with sexism, as well as other ethically wrong issues like sexualising children by modelling them in indecent clothing. In the task we looked at a variety of images that have been used to advertise a clothing company. Many of the images were of women modelling provocatively. The image I chose to annotate was about sexism and how the woman was seen as inferior to the man and is being dehumanised because she was seen as a sex object. This task not only taught me about ethical issues in the clothing industry, it also taught me how you have to be extra careful as a clothing company to not offend people and that your company can get a lot of bad publicity. This will help me in the future to bare this in mind, when I get a job in the clothing industry.

Book:

Bowles MB and Isaac CI, (2009), Digital Textile Design, First ed, Britain, Laurence King.

I choose this book as it has lots of helpful information on my current project in Printed textiles. It supplies lots of helpful types and ideas.

Website:

All Saints, (1994), all saints retail LTD, https://www.allsaints.com/ [Accessed 13^th November 2017]

I choose the All saints website as it I a very successful and well accomplished high-street clothing brand with a professional website making it very. This website is clear and very fluent, making it easy to find reference information.

Newspaper Article:

Elizabeth Paton, (2017), Why Fashion Can’t Stop looking North, The New York Times, November 13^th, N/A

I have chosen this newspaper article as it focuses on modern day trend and is centralised around one of the fashion capitals of the world New York.

Throughout this module, I have found many aspects useful and interesting. Having completed this module, I find that I am more confident when doing research for my projects. Both individually and as a whole, the tasks have aided me in many ways. Task 1/2 helped me understand both the meaning and distinction between primary and secondary research. Making me aware of the importance it is to vary your research. Academic Integrity, stated the importance and the issues with plagiarism and the importance of referencing. It has helped me think about my work and where I get my ideas from, how I use these ideas. It has taught me how to reference my work in the correct manner. Visual referencing, allowed me to recognise where designers get their inspiration from. By understanding how to break down a piece of work to see where they got their ideas, how these ideas link to their work, will allow me to take my research to a more in-depth level. Reflective Writing was one which at the start I really struggled with. It takes me a while to sit down and read something, therefore at first, I felt a bit intimidated by the text. It took me a while to get use to the style and wording of it. Once I read it over for a second time; analysed the text, it was unexpectedly thought-provoking and stimulating. The issues and points it raises, made me contemplate and understand the meaning of fashion, how it can be seen in many ways.  I have learnt a lot from writing about the text, in a way which I thought about what points/ issues raised more concern and how to break down and evaluate the reading. The last task of this module; Ethical Issues, was the most fascinating and thought provoking for me. It allowed me to think beyond an image, see what the industry is advertising and the measures it takes in order to sell its products. I felt that I had passionate and strong views on the image (Duncan Quinn).

Things that I need to concentrate and improve on, is that I need to work on my time management, not leave tasks to the last minute. Furthermore, I need to get more familiar with the way the blog works so that I can make my work more visually pleasing. Now that I feel more confident with looking and collecting research, I need to make more use of the libraries resources.

Overall, I have enjoyed this module and I have benefitted from it.  I now consider many aspects, such as ethical issues, plagiarism, primary/secondary sources when doing my research for projects.

Task 2 Primary and secondary resources

The book-  Alexander McQueen: Genius of a generation

Author- Kristin Knox

Published- 07/05/2010

Chapter- Summer/Spring collection

Photographer- Unknown

Image description- This is an image of a design by Alexander McQueen, it is a garment that I feel slightly links to myproject through the strips of fabric.

Website description: The Harrods website

Website link: https: //www.harrods.com/en-gb/designers/alexander-mcqueen?cid=PPC_UK_GGL_alexander_mcqueen_exact_nb_d_alexander_mcqueen&_cclid=v3_ab2cb8f7-45b6-551d-ba64-018a20eab79a&gclid=CjwKCAjw7MDPBRAFEiwAppdF9PJIZue7qsSzWbxLWAEsFk9NfWskEGYa9V5ATmSEnYoOQY45zGS9pRoCPpcQAvD_BwE

Photographer: Unknown

Image description: Women modelling clothing from the alexander McQueen branch on a beach.

This is an image of a website that talks and reviews the Alexander McQueen exhibition called Savage Beauty. It gives lots of information on his creations/designs, so combing and linking these three research methods can supply me with lots of information.

My process consisted of finding a book on the library website that was interesting to me, this being the Alexander McQueen, “Genius of a generation” I choose a garment he designed that I felt was relevant to my project at the time and this was looking at lines and in my case strips draping down from the garment. This reminded me of the research and the content I was looking at previously.

When it came to finding a website that fit the criteria of the Alexander McQueen book, I found the website, “Harrods” this supplied me with an image of a garment from his clothing range that still grows following his tragic death. So, the garment was the object from a website that I found.

For the collection sector, I found an exhibition From V and A called “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” This had shown the different garments and design process in his work. As well as this it shows us close up details of the garments.

I found out different types of information from my different methods of search, one being Alexander McQueen trained in to become a fashion designer on Savile Row. Another is that Sarah Burton is in charge now that McQueen has passed. I have gathered tis information from the harrods website. I discovered that the garment I choose from the ‘genius of a generation’ book was part of the summer/spring collection in 2001. the intent of the modals positioning was a baby bird trying to catch a wing. I discovered from the ‘Savage beauty’ website that the exhibition took place on the 2nd of August 2015.

to conclude these research methods, I have discovered that using books from the library can provide you with a lot more original and reliable information, as well as this it is more factual than a website as it had been published by an actual author. From the book, I was able to discover more personal information about the photograph/object. So, overall gathering information from a book is a lot more authentic and original than gathering information from the internet. The internet can provide you with false information and as well as this people end rip with very similar information as it is the easiest way to gather it.