For my editorial shoot, my theme revolves around the sustainability behind fashion and more specifically how slow fashion is a step to a better future in the industry. As a fashion photography student, I felt that this topic should be tackled and show how you could possibly help combat the ever-polluting aspect of the fashion production through my medium. The way I portrayed this is by incorporating a sustainable brand, owned by our guest lecturer Mallika, and the idea of re-wearing your own clothes to show that you do not have to buy into the notion of trends put out by companies to make you follow the cyclical cycle of buying and throwing away your garments.
Reading the book by British journalist and writer on environmental issues Lucy Siegle’s “To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?”, the book provided me with a clear insight on how fashion is a polluting sector, examining the inhumane and environmentally devastating story behind the clothes we casually buy and wear. To further expand my knowledge, I looked at sustainable brand Mother of Pearl, eco-conscious designers and notable people, Wilson Oryema, Patrick McDowell and Kaan Amjad as well as organisation Fashion Revolution, founded to voice out the problems of the industry.
Initially I was going to do two styles which are streetwear and smart casual to show that no matter what style you may have you can still find a way to satisfy your taste if you slower your fashion intake. However, my model who would essentially do the smart casual shoot cancelled a few times leading me to only do the streetwear shoot which in turn allowed me to focus and develop the idea even better.
Another reason the test shoot did not go well that I did not mention is that, prior to not getting an extension on the project, I was unsure about the composition at the start of the shoot and only got the hang of it by the last outfit. In turn, gave me the chance to review and pinpoint what I could improve for the final shoot.
In both shoots, I styled the model in 3 outfits, the second of which I did not like until I browsed through the photos. I felt it leaned more towards the smart casual look so in the end I only used the first and third outfits to which I’m contented with.
My styling and photography assistant took loads of behind-the-scenes of the shoot on film, however, on the day of developing I accidentally dropped the exposed film on the floor of the processing room to which I was not able to recover. I therefore lost my behind-the-scenes images I intended to upload here. It is safe to say I’ve learned to be careful in the darkroom.
Prior to joining the course, I mostly shot close-up portraits and full body shots were more outside of my comfort zone. Nonetheless, I took the chance to experiment alternating between full and mid shots and I was contented with the outcome and would definitely keep testing out various shots.
Overall, I found that my final shoot is what I envisioned and certainly touched on the topic of sustainability in fashion wholly and gave an insight on how to help build a better future.
Nina Webster Reflective Journal 