Social/Cultural Mindmap



Gender, Sexuality & Identity

''Men were deemed rational and educatable; women were irrational, sentimental, and uneducatable. Dress became an expression of these two different modes of gender-specific behavior. Men began to wear more dour clothing. They gave up makeup and highly ornamented clothing and heels. Those accoutrements became signifiers of femininity—especially the high heel, since it’s an irrational form of footwear…it became associated with femininity, and then was eventually linked to female desirability.''

- Elizabeth Semmelhack, Sex, Power & High Heels

Sexuality in Fashion
Inez Van Lamsweerede & Vanoodh Matadin

“It is typical of the photographic art of van Lamsweerde and Matadin that they urge their image making to de-stabilise the pristine surfaces expected of consumer culture; to this end they make use, in turn, of the Gothic, inscrutability, androgyny, comedy, eroticism, surrealism, fantasy, montage, cinema, replication, image manipulation, Pop art, fetishism and art historical nuance.”

—Michael Bracewell, from the introduction

These Beautiful, thought provoking photographs were created by Dutch fashion photography duo Lamsweerde & Matadin. Whilst moving between art and fashion in their photography, they explore both gender and sexuality. Known for there work for fashion magazines, advertising campaigns and for their independent art work Lamsweerede & Matadin's images can be interpreted as both critical and slightly disturbing. At an early stage they introduced digitally manipulated photographs allowing them to explore questions about gender and sexuality, reality, superficiality and identity.  

Later on in their Career, the digital manipulations of their work became more subtle as they developed a personal artistic language. The manipulations made now are just regular re-touches.

Race

''The fashion industry is run by white people who have white ideas of beauty. To them black is not beautiful. The fashion industry is run by old white people who have old-fashioned ideas about race.''

- 'Abagond' on Blogspot



Sisley's Shocking Ad Campaign

Parisian clothing brand Sisley has a history of using provocative adverts that are sure to catch everyones attention and maybe even make you cover your eyes. One of the Sisley's most controversial adverts featured two dazed models pretending to snort a white stringy dress that looks a lot like cocaine. Which some models are well known for doing. They look strung out, with their eyes rolled to the back of their heads in thick black eyeliner and thight party dresses.

The way this campaign has been shown, it could be seen in lots of different ways. To me it looks as if it is saying fashion is addictive, like drugs. I beleive that if it was just adults looking at the campaign it wouldnt be such a problem as we no the right and wrongs. But chlidren see these campaigns, and what they are seeing is awful. It comes across as if all models are cocaine addicts and by putting it on a fashion campaign which children are likely to look at it could come across to them that drugs are ok. Also the models are 'tipically' skinny, like most models in the industry. As we know many youngsters look up to the models, see them as idols and wish to be as skinny as them. By seeing models look as if they are doing drugs, youngsters may think this is the way to get skinny and do them themselves.

Tom Ford's Controversial Advertising Campaigns

Known as much for his provocative advertising campaigns as he is for his clothing and fragrances, Tom Ford never turns down an opportunity to shock his viewers. Even though most of his advertisments are racy and  sexual, none drew more attention than his 2007 'Tom Ford for Men' fragrance ad. (Shown Below)

Although many viewers beleive campaign advertisments like this are wrong, he is getting publicity, in fashion any publicity is good publicity.

 

United Colours of Benetton Shock Ads

Rick Genest - 'Zombie Boy - Go beyond the cover'



Communication in Fashion - Prada, New York

A great example of how a brand can be well communicated to its customers by the use of design and innovation of the layout of a store is the Prada store, New York. The random placings of mannequins, shoes, clothing and accessories make the store feel more like an art gallery rather than a high fashion store. This reflects the brand really well as its giving out a sense of adventure and curiosity to the customers which Prada themsleves would like to achieve when people are wearing thier garments.

The two floors are connected with a half-pipe wooden curve made of exotic zebrawood. Formerly a branch of the Guggenheim Museum, it is now a museum/gallery of exquisite products available to those who have the means to indulge...pairs of shoes on each stair step draws your attention and keeps you moving on to the next. Many people pass through simply to experience the fabulousness inherent in just being there.



Core Fashion Themes

Social and Cultural Fashion

Identity

Gender – stereotypes, sexuality

Race – represented through fashion?

Body diversity and issues - size 0 Vs plus size models

Communication and Fashion

Advertising

Branding

Promotion

Interactive fashion – Prada, New York Store

Technology in Fashion

Internet – blogs, facebook, websites, advertising, promotion, profits

C.A.D – illustrations, special effects

Fast fashion – transport, design ideas, development

New materials – sustainable fashion

Globalisation and Fashion

Quality of quantity

Ethical fashion

Recyclable fashion

David Beckham for H&M

Context of Practice poem by Paul Luke

Context of practice is more than a brief,

Its linking the tree that belongs to a leaf,

Through seminars and lectures and notes that you take,

You’ll form an opinioin on choices you make,

File your wise notes in a portfolio,

And then add your essays as thoughts start to flow,

Blog on about your progress and critique,

And write how you felt when you hear what they speak,

Investigate social and cultural effects,

And all of the ways in which fashion reflects,

Globalisation could echo your voice,

If so, whats the language to broadcast your voice,

Cool communication could offer the key,

To open the door of the message you see,

Or maybe technology helps showcase your view,

From digital answers in media new,

In response to your research and core understanding,

Produce a ‘FASHION ITEM’ for COP hand-in.

Street Art - ‘Invader’

This artwork is created by a French artist who pastes characters from, and inspired by the Space Invaders game in cities around the world. The characters are made up of small coloured sqaure mosaic tiles that form a space invader character mural. He then documents this as an ‘Invasion’, with books and maps of where to find each invader. This project started in Paris in 1988 - the city where he lives and the most invaded city to date. He then went on to spread the invasion to 31 other cities, France, London, Geneva, Cologne, Newcastle, Rome, Berlin, Barcelona, Bonn, Lausanne, Vienna, Graz, Amsterdam, Bilbao, Manchester, Darlington, and Ljubljana are among the 22 other European cities which have been invaded. In the world Los Angeles, New York city, San Diego, Toronto, Bangkok, Tokyo, Katmandu, Varanasi, Melbourne, Perth and even Mombasa have now been invaded with his colourful characters in mosaic tiles.

Amsterdam (Below)

Paris (Below)

Los Angeles (Below)

Rome (Below)

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960’s ’Psycho’ Offical Film Trailer

Graffiti & Street Art

John Fekner ‘Broken Promises’ - 1980

Fekner is an innovative artist who created hundreads of environmental and conceptual outdoor works consisting of stencilled words, symbols, dates and icons spray paintedin New York, Sweden, Canada, England and Germany in the 1970’s and 80’s. His messages were placed in areas in need of attention. His messages served to draw attention to the squalor of poorer areas in New Yokr and urged city people and local communities to take responsibilities for their environments.

Alexandre Farto - Also known as ‘Vhils’, is a portuguese sculpural artist.

Paul Curtis - Also known as ‘Moose’

‘Moose’ is a British graffiti artist from Leeds. Instead of typical methods of graffiti, moose is known for the style ‘reverse graffiti’. This means he creates his art by cleaning dirt and grime off surfaces.

Sam3 - From Spain, this artist uses shadow puppertry to create an environmental message.