CASE STUDY: STORY MFG

INSIDE INDUSTRY 20/21 ANTONIA ROSU BETHANY GRIFFITHS GENEVA STALKER IOANA POP LARA GRANDA

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STORY MFG

Introduction to the Case Study Introduction to the Brand Brand Visualisations Customer Profile Overview of Social Media and Coverage Sustainability Equality Global Perspectives Opinion

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Contents

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Introduction: Case Study

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STORY MFG Case Study Focusing on: sustainability, equality and global perspective.

Working as a group to execute successful and challenging research.

3 Fig 1. Amidst the unknown (Sunflower Form, 2020)

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Introduction Story MFG

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Story mfg: story manufacturing.

Story mfg is a UK based fashion brand - founded by a husband and wife in 2013, the first garments being made in 2014. The brand started as a cool little project from the comfort of the couple’s living room within their Brighton home. Saeed Al-Rubeyi stated in a recent interview that him and wife never felt inspired when shopping for fashion pieces, and this led them to create their own clothing line; ‘I couldn’t find the jeans I wanted to wear... or find a jacket that I was interested in – so we had to make them’. The inspiration behind their collections being a combination of vintage outdoor gear and a hefty helping of natural dyes, creating clothing that looks both familiar and futuristic at the same time.

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Fig 2. Illustration (Sunflower, 2020) Fig 3. Story mfg SS20 (Fernando, 2020)

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Fig 5. Story mfg SS20 (Fernando, 2020)

They work with a large group of dyers, weavers, embroiders and tailors – and in recent seasons have worked on 99% of their garments in India. They started out working together with a dyehouse in a small village in southern India, and through this managed to create work for artisans and workers that felt their skills and crafts were being wasted. They first started selling their garments to a store in 2015, and now sell with stockists all around the world including London, USA and Japan.

Fig 4. Illustration (Sunflower, 2020)

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The couple aim to make story mfg a space for not only fashion, but for education – to make people aware of the effects the fashion industry is having on the world around us. Story mfg prides itself in being earth-friendly, animal kind and basically a brand for good people. The garments, besides looking unique and trendy, are made with the highest quality materials and the utmost care. The clothing is made to only improve with age, by using materials that are strong and durable for a lifetime.

‘We build products to last because the most sustainable way to live is to buy less’.

Fig 6. Pile- Ink (Sunflower, 2020) Fig 7. Story mfg SS20 (Fernando, 2020)

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STORY MFG 7 Fig 8. Brand Onion (Stalker, 2021)

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STORY MFG 8 Fig 9. Positioning Map (Stalker, 2021)

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STORY MFG 9 Fig 10. Moodboard (Griffins, 2021)

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10 Fig 11. Moodboard (Griffins, 2021)

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(Students are more likely to be educated and aware of the issues around sustainability, the importance of slow fashion)

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Gender: Both male and female – mostly female Age: Around 18-28 Location: London/ most likely a city Occupation: Student/ part time worker

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4. Target consumer profile: Story MFG

Go-to social media platform: Instagram, Tiktok, Pinterest Interests/ hobbies: Reading, yoga, walking, cooking, artwork Lifestyle: Healthy lifestyle. Likes to shop at markets, health food stores. Works out regularly, prefers to walk

than use public transport. Attends festivals, local gigs. Prefers drinking at local pubs, rather than clubs. Nonsmoker. Regularly visits art galleries and exhibitions. Enjoys taking part in volunteer and charity work.

Income: Doesn’t have a large disposable income, but chooses to save up for expensive, sustainable fashion pieces. Understands the cost of garments – willing to spend more on an item knowing its sustainable (Not looking for a quick fashion fix – the longer you wait for an item, the more you appreciate it and understand the journey behind the garment)

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: Loves to travel, often goes on holiday more than once a year (Favourite destinations: hiking, active trips with nice landscapes, exotic destinations, Canada, Asia) Shopping habits: Shops for new clothes several times a month – larger, more sustainable purchases

Sustainable choices: More likely to shop at niche local brands, boutiques,

charity shops, clothing markets Often upcycle unwanted garments (DIY) or donate to charity/ sell on Depop When shopping, they consider; where the garment is made, who it’s made by, the working conditions and the materials used, before purchasing.

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Fig 12-15. Questionnaire (Granda, 2021)

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Fig 16-19. Questionnaire (Granda, 2021)

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4. Target consumer profile: Story MFG

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STORY MFG Fig 20-31. Profile (Granda, 2021)

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• 81k followers • No “high-profile” celebrities amongst followers • Short bio that describes what the brand is all about: family, nature and transparency • Shows the manufacturing process of each garment, the owners want to share the story of each garment – hence the name ‘Story MFG’ – the story of manufacturing • Used as a platform to share news in a very transparent and honest way • Use their story option to post lookbooks • Impossible to Direct Message the brand on Instagram • Used to have influencer campaigns in the past, however now they only post pictures of celebrities wearing their garments on the street • Each collaboration is featured on the account ( ex. tee collab Good Morning Tapes) • Proof of Transparency and sustainability by posting appreciation post of the team, explaining what each employee does • Earthy and Spiritual mood amongst the feed • Latest collection highly promoted (including IG reels) great results – almost 16k views/video • Each post gives credit to muas, stylists, photographers, models – shows how the brand is highly sustainable • Diverse choice of models in regards to races, however no plus-size models featured • Post of Gigi Hadid wearing the brand (however the picture does not have more likes than one that describes the manufacturing process of a garment showing that the consumer is not interested in who wears the brand – suggesting why they do not have influencer campaigns) other celebrities: Hailey Bieber • “Story mfg has always been a collaboration of energies and expertise with our partners and the planet and we are so so so pleased to be able to celebrate the hands that make them all possible” - founders statement that is shown throughout their entire feed.

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Instagram

15 Fig 33. Instagram Story (Pop, 2021)

Fig 32. Instagram Story (Pop, 2021)

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• 1,6k likes • Not too much activity • Usually post updates about the upcoming collections and the stories behind, including videos of the manufacturing process suggesting that they stay true to their tone throughout all their platforms • Twitter • No existing account • American target market, yet no twitter account.

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Facebook

Linktree • Links to their podcasts (apple and spotify) • Link to their website • Link to their blog post on the latest collection

Podcast • Only one podcast, doing this to give people more insight into the company, and introduce the ones that have not been introduced yet • The podcast discusses the manufacturing process and explores the idea of regenerative agriculture and the importance of this practice for the brand Fig 34. Illustration (Sunflower, 2020)

Fig 35. Story MFG (Fernando, 2020)

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• Sabukaru – exploring the brand, telling the brand’s story and the importance of it for the industry • Hypebeast – press realeses describing their latest collections, collaborations and more stories on the manufacturing process as this is what the brand wishes to highligh most through their communications • Heddles – fw19 collection overview/interview • Eye_c • No other media channels have covered news about the brand • The brand is not on fashion monitor

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Media Coverage

Fig 37. Story mfg ‘19 (eye c, 2019) Fig 36. Illustration (Sunflower, 2020)

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There is no 'waste' in nature (2019). This is the ethos behind Story mfg’s careful selection of sustainable materials and dyeing processes. Such not only produce zero waste but actually leave a positive impact on the environment. The natural indigo dye used prominently within the brand’s collections improves the quality of previously over-farmed soil by rebalancing nitrogen levels upon its disposal, this and all other dyes used in manufacturing are non-toxic. Organic cotton both improves the soil in which it grows and is biodegradable, and unlike other synthetic materials such as polyester and nylon is not considered a skin irritant for those with various skin sensitivities. Linings are made from natural fibre offcuts, which are also utilised for stuffing and packaging. Smaller offcuts are driven to a local warehouse down the road from the farm where all clothing is manufactured and processed to create paper. Although the brand stress the idiocy of single use synthetics such as plastic bags, they all the more believe in the recycling and reusing of such and do so through their clothing and packaging.

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6. Sustainability

18 Fig 38. Bicycle (Pupsintrouble, 2019)

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Story mfg believe that the most sustainable method of purchase is to buy less. The brand therefore put a large focus on ensuring that their products are durable, constructing garments from patterns inspired by vintage workwear and military uniforms to increase longevity.

Slowing down and connecting with nature is a key element to the Story mfg manifesto for sustainable fashion, directly opposing the highspeed copycat nature of the industry today as sites like Boohoo.com and PrettyLittleThing only increase the market’s ravenous appetite for unnecessary consumption. Storymfg also express their frustrations with fashion brands greenwashing by marketing an incredibly low effort at ethical innovation as sustainable, citing many in high-up positions as “illiterate in ethical materials and sustainability” (2020).

19 Fig 39. Cover Art (Pupsintrouble, 2019) Fig 40. Story MFG (Fernando, 2019)

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Fig 40. Story MFG (Fernando, 2019)

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Though the brand initially intended for it’s clothes to be produced in the United Kingdom, this manufacturing decision was soon abandoned due to the realisation that garments were still being shipped globally during production. The decision to produce solely in India was debated upon at first as the brand’s directors thought a ‘Made in England’ label would be a better selling point (2018). However the brand currently rely upon a single farm in India to create the garments in their entirety. The farm has been described as more of a commune, with wellpaid workers, many of whom are family producing materials and perfecting fine details. Upstairs there are the tailors and downstairs there is the administration and in the garden next door are all the embroiderers (2018). Conclusively Story mfg’s sustainable manifesto is set to not only improve the natural environments that materials are sourced from but the living environments of those the brand employs.

20 Fig 41. Primordial Soup (Sunflower, 2020)

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Equality

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Fig 43. Drawing (Sunflower, 2020)

Fig 44. Story MFG (Fernando, 2020)

Story Mfg values family and anti-racism principles.

The founders, Katy and Saeed, work in Auroville, a small Indian village, alongside a team of local dyers, weavers, tailors and crasftmen. They are invested in giving continuous well-paid work and however slow the process of manufacturing their final products is, they refuse to switch for cheaper alternatives. They travelled to India in order to support and work with their employees. According to their manifesto, Story MFG holds the fashion industry responsible for encouraging racist practices and economical enslavement. They have massive respect for their artisans’ culture and ethics, while nurturing an inclusive ideology 21 regarding their own hiring practices, partnerships and collaborations.

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Their transparent outlook is proven through their media channels. Their profile features a diverse and inclusive choice of models from various ethnic backgrounds throughout all their campaigns, however no plus-size models were included. Each post gives credit to models, stylists, make-up artists, photographers. The brand also promotes appreciation posts featuring employees and their work for Story Mfg. Their main goal is defeat racism and discrimination within the fashion industry and so far, their practices have proven effective.

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22 Fig 45. Illustration (Sunflower, 2020)

Fig 46. Story MFG (Fernando, 2020)

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The fashion industry has suffered dramatic transformations due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. According to Business of Fashion, three quarters of listed companies lost money and registered a 90 percent decline in profit, which led to fashion’s worst year in history. On account of national lockdowns and restrictions, the world economy was disrupted and consumer behaviour changed radically.

However, the current global perspective has offered smaller brands the chance to act and meet the new consumer requirement.

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Global Perspective

23 Fig 47. SOLD (Sunflower, 2020)

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Story Mfg is currently one of the game-changers of the fashion industry. The brand has managed to adapt to the new global reality and promote their perspective regarding sustainability and equality through their designs, and use it as a form of social activism. The turbulence created by the pandemic affected supply chains and managed to slow production. Consumers now expect companies to get rid of practices which are exploitative of both the planet and people. Story Mfg and their vegan, cruelty-free, eco-friendly work fit into this new global perspective. Their designs are also aligned with the current reality as the pandemic has influenced consumer necessities around what to wear and emerged the casualisation trend. Story Mfg creates and sells flexible, easier-to-wear clothes, such as t-shirts, trousers, hats and so on. Furthermore, their upcoming collaboration with Reebok suggests that their practices are successful and the brands fits into the new global perspective, continuously seeking to develop and improve.

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Fig 49. Story MFG (Fernando, 2020)

24 Fig 48. Soup (Sunflower, 2020)

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Team’s Opinion

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Story MFG is a brand that stands as a trailblazer in the industry and aims for positive change whilst promoting fundamental values from an ethical perspective. We chose this brand for our case study as there are few brands at the moment who manage to be as successfully transparent and true to their goals as Story MFG, and we believe that good work must be praised and used as a learning material for further development. As future practitioners, we aim to implement within our work every positive aspect we have learned throughout our academic career, and Story MFG has been undoubtedly a channel through which we have been able to discover how the implementation of a transparent approach could stand as a game-changer and grounded approach for our upcoming creative endeavours. Even though we have reached the founders for a short interview which got declined due to their busy schedule, we believe that the content that is available to us on media platforms, as well as the stories of each collection says everything there is to be said about the brand: a beautiful story about how a family can save the planet.

Figure 1. Stalker, G (2021) ‘Story MFG Collage’ [Collage]

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List of Illustrations Figure 14. Granda, L (2021) ‘Customer Profile Questionnaire’ [Screenshot]

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Figure 4. Sunflower Form (2020) ‘Illustration for @talkingterps’ [Instagram] 5 January. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/ CJrgF3Dl191/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

Figure 16. Granda, L (2021) ‘Customer Profile Questionnaire’ [Screenshot]

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Figure 3. Sunflower Form (2020) ‘Illustration for @talkingterps’ [Instagram] 9 November. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/ CHX8ZeUF-su/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

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Figure 2. Sunflower Form (2020) ‘Amidst the unknown đ&#x;Œ‘ spring is here Figure 15. Granda, L (2021) ‘Customer Profile Questionnaire’ đ&#x;’œđ&#x;’•â˜€ď¸?đ&#x;Œż Ink, watercolor, color pencil’ [Instagram] 3 April. Available at: [Screenshot] https://www.instagram.com/p/B-iLzBaFILF/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

Figure 17. Granda, L (2021) ‘Customer Profile Questionnaire’ [Screenshot] Figure 18. Granda, L (2021) ‘Customer Profile Questionnaire’ [Screenshot]

Figure 5. Fernando, H (2020) Story mfg SS20. Available at: https:// holliefernando.com/story-mfg/2019/10/9/2019/10/9/story-mfg-ss20-1 Figure 19. Granda, L (2021) ‘Customer Profile Questionnaire’ [Screenshot] (Accessed at: 01/02/21) Figure 6. Sunflower Form (2020) Pile- ink and watercolour on paper.

Illustration for @talkingterps. Available at: https://www.instagram. com/p/CJ_Xk_3FMCM/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21) Figure 7. Fernando, H (2020) Story mfg SS20. Available at: https:// holliefernando.com/story-mfg/yb2tijptfca39dcm3hfnj54i2fxupg (Accessed at: 01/02/21) Figure 8. Stalker, G (2021) ‘Brand Onion Story MFG’ [College] Figure 9. Stalker, G (2021) ‘Positioning Map Story MFG’ [College] Figure 10. Griffins, B (2021) ‘Story MFG Moodboard’ [Collage]

Figure 20. East London and West Essex Guardian Series. 2019.â&#x20AC;ŻAll night arts festival explores London culture. [online] Available at: <https://www.guardian-series.co.uk/leisure/17691357.night-artsfestival-explores-london-culture/> [Accessed 10 June 2020].

Figure 21. visitlondon.com. 2020.â&#x20AC;ŻBest vintage fashion shops in London. [online] Available at: <https://www.visitlondon.com/things-todo/shopping/antique-and-secondhand/vintage-fashion> [Accessed 3 February 2021].

Figure 22. The Jazz Cafe. 2020.â&#x20AC;ŻGallery - The Jazz Cafe | Things to do in Camden Town | Things to do in Camden, North West London. [online] Available at: <https://thejazzcafelondon.com/gallery/> [Accessed 3 February 2021].

Figure 11. Griffins, B (2021) â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Story MFG Moodboardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; [Collage] Figure 12. Granda, L (2021) â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Customer Profile Questionnaireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; [Screenshot] Figure 13. Granda, L (2021) â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Customer Profile Questionnaireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; [Screenshot]

Figure 23. HelloGiggles. 2021.â&#x20AC;ŻIf you want to start shopping more sustainably, these custom clothing brands are a good start. [online] Available at: <https://hellogiggles.com/fashion/sustainable-clothingfame-and-partners-frilly/> [Accessed 3 February 2021].

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Figure 26. Worldmarket.com. 2021. Room Refresh-Stories-StoriesFigure 35. Fernando, H (2020) Story MFG. Available at: https:// Inspiration | World Market. [online] Available at: <https://www. holliefernando.com/o6xw7harv320s84e91qwtvzrc39uxa (Accessed at: worldmarket.com/inspirations/stories/stories/make-room-to01/02/21) renew-and-rejuvenate.do?camp=sm:pinterest:3.23_self_care_ renew_meditate+home_interiors&utm_medium=social&utm_ Figure 36. Sunflower Form (2020) ‘Illustration for @talkingterps’ source=pinterest&utm_campaign=3.23_self_care_renew_ [Instagram] 9 November. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/ meditate&utm_content=home_interiors> [Accessed 3 February 2021]. CHX8ZeUF-su/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

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Figure 24. Melanin Interest, 2021. Coffee- Student- City girl Academia Figure 33. Pop, I (2021) ‘Instagram Screenshot of Story MFG Instagram Aesthetic. [image] Available at: <https://melaninterest.com/pin/coffee- Story’ [Screenshot] student-city-girl-academia-aesthetic/> [Accessed 3 February 2021].

Figure 34. Sunflower Form (2020) ‘Illustration for @talkingterps’ Figure 25. Pinterest, 2021. [image] Available at: <https://www.pinterest. [Instagram] 16 December. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/ com.mx/pin/857232110314759743/> [Accessed 3 February 2021].

CI3mJEyF74U/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

Figure 27. eye_C. 2020. STORY mfg Autumn Winter 2020 Lookbook — Figure 37. Eye C Mag (2019) Story mfg Autumn/Winter ’19. Available eye_C. [online] Available at: <https://www.eyecmag.com/news/story- at: https://www.eyecmag.com/news/2019/8/10/story-mfgmfg-autumn-winter-2020> [Accessed 10 January 2021]. autumnwinter-19 (Accessed at: 01/02/21) Figure 28. Tumblr, 2017. Working from home: Just a little girl lifting her grades.. [image] Available at: <https://aimtothea.tumblr.com/ post/156616566053/english-study-motivation-wednesday-25thjanuary/amp> [Accessed 3 February 2021].

Figure 38. Pupsintrouble (2019) ‘So bicycle Day sold out for a sec… Did an interview with true haze legend’ [Instagram] 26 August. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1on5SIFXmP/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

Figure 39. Pupisntrouble (2020) Cover Art for @northamericansFigure 29. Projects-abroad.co.uk. 2021. Volunteer in Asia | Projects “Roped In” pre-order out now via @thirdmanrecords [Instagram] 9 Abroad UK. [online] Available at: <https://www.projects-abroad.co.uk/ September. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CE7RlIKjyk4/ volunteer-asia/> [Accessed 3 February 2021].

(Accessed at: 01/02/21) Figure 30. Jump. 2021. Wasting clothes is out of fashion. Why more of us are recycling textiles. - Jump. [online] Available at: <https:// teamjump.co.uk/wasting-clothes-is-out-of-fashion-why-more-of-usare-recycling-textiles/> [Accessed 3 February 2021].

Figure 40. Fernando, H (2019) Story MFG. Available at: https:// holliefernando.com/story-mfg (Accessed at: 01/02/21) \

Figure 41. Sunflower Form (2020) Primordial Soup [Instagram] 28 August. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEcW2KsF1en/ Figure 31. Waterlogic, K., 2017. Kickstart Your Healthy Lifestyle. [online](Accessed at: 01/02/21) Waterlogic. Available at: <https://www.waterlogicaustralia.com.au/blog/ kickstart-your-healthy-lifestyle/> [Accessed 3 February 2021 Figure 42. Fernando, H (2020) Story MFG AW20 Lookbook.

Available at: https://holliefernando.com/story-mfg/ Figure 32. Pupsintrouble (2019) ‘So bicycle Day sold out for a sec… Did bha1r2qym411qzb9cyepi5bvytrci8 (Accessed at: 01/02/21) an interview with true haze legend’ [Instagram] 26 August. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1on5SIFXmP/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21) Figure 43. Sunflower Form (2020) Drawing for @slimesistren Thanks again for the trade! [Instagram] 13 November. Available at: https:// www.instagram.com/p/CHiuT71loNI/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

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Figure 47. Sunflower Form (2020) ‘SOLD OUT Prints are 12.25 x 9 inches on rag watercolour paper 300gsm priced at $125.00 including shipping. Thank you for looking’ [Instagram] 24 November. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CH-tJj8FY4F/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

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Figure 46. Fernando, H (2020) Story MFG. Available at: https:// holliefernando.com/story-mfg/c2q06sqytvjjnlp7z829sxixl5hbbq (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

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Figure 45. Sunflower Form (2020) ‘Illustration for @talkingterps’ [Instagram] 16 December. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/ CI3mJEyF74U/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

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Figure 44. Fernando, H (2020) Story MFG AW20 Lookbook.

Available at: https://holliefernando.com/story-mfg/ farqmesxj2z71qzuu5ogbb8v32aisg (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

Figure 48. Sunflower Form (2020) Primordial Soup [Instagram] 28 August. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEcW2KsF1en/ (Accessed at: 01/02/21) Figure 49. Fernando, H (2020) Story MFG. Available at: https:// holliefernando.com/story-mfg/qfh8msxrxtju45j0dmbbat97yhow1e (Accessed at: 01/02/21)

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Team Work Agreement

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