STATEMENT OF INTENT

For my final major project I intend to research into one of my main areas of interest in contemporary feminist issues, to interrogate the lack or insincerity of powerful feminist messages and content in fashion imagery and communication, as I feel it is an issue that is particularly prevalent, and more individuals and collectives are trying to find new ways to use their voices. I can build upon and broaden my research into these concerns from previous projects to create work that summarises my interests in fashion and contemporary society. I want to direct this project towards art direction and graphic design, working on new or novel ideas in image-making and design, culminating in a new fashion or art publication.

I have begun my research by looking into ‘feminist’ mainstream fashion campaigns and imagery, for example H&M’s new Like a Lady advertorial film, and the backlash that often comes with this, to question whether the fashion industry can ever really be feminist, unless it disregards trends or becomes a parody of itself, for example the fashion house Vetements, known for its satirical use of logos and simplistic design. I also explored the Riot Grrrl movement to collect visual examples of self-published zines as well as contemporary zines from the current DIY movement, a form of underground communication to rebel against societal norms. I think the concept of this could easily be translated into an anti-fashion publication. I also began to think about graphic and editorial design, format and printing methods, to carry my research forward by looking into alternative graphic design that ‘breaks the rules’, to explore how this can be translated into fashion communication. I’ve looked into mainstream current feminist publications such as Bitch and Lenny Letter, as well as Bay Garnett’s Cheap Date magazine of the 1990s, to examine the topics and debates they discuss, to begin thinking of the possible audience and content of my outcome.

My contextual and visual research so far has informed my early experimentation as I begin to process and test ideas. I began experimenting with collage, using imagery and text from vintage publications as well as contemporary fashion images to display, and make a mockery of, how issues of sex and gender have been presented in fashion and advertising. Using the language of Riot Grrrl zines as well as contemporary media as a starting point, I have thought about ‘trigger words’ that have connotations that could link to feminist concerns, to begin thinking about the title and tone of my work. This thought process allowed me to also experiment with typography ideas, which I hope will progress further into my final major project as I work on the visual identity of my work.

I feel that through investigating these issues and existing work relating to this I can deepen my knowledge and create work to provoke change and conversation, while using creative fashion imagery. A publication such as a new magazine will be a successful outcome as I can showcase and improve on my existing knowledge and experience with typography, design and layout, critical writing and image-making. This will also allow me to produce outcomes alongside the publication if the direction of my project takes me there, for example promotional material like a film or online graphics. At this point I am particularly interested in creating satirical or light-hearted, playful work in response to my chosen theme, to encourage me to experiment and push boundaries to communicate my topic in an innovative and perhaps shocking way.

With this project I hope to gain a deeper understanding of new and innovative fashion imagery and promotion, especially when tackling contemporary societal issues. I hope to improve my graphic design and image-making skills to a professional standard while also gaining greater understanding of the production and marketing of art publications. To achieve my desired outcome I will need to carry forward my initial research and experimentation to repeatedly test and polish my ideas to a professional standard, as well as managing my time well through a work plan or Gantt chart, and keeping motivated and inspired through constantly revisiting my research.

I feel my initial research into my interests and the questions I want to answer have given me a strong idea of the themes, visuals and work I will need to produce over the course of my final major project. Alongside this statement I have designed and produced an initial media pack for my magazine, which highlights and displays the research and experimentation I have produced so far. This will be helpful to refer back to, alter and add to throughout my project as my ideas develop and change. I now have a more solid idea of how I want to progress with further research in regards to design and image-making, as well as intended experimentation in printing methods, layout and book arts.