The purpose of this book is to showcase my personal development and process within the styling, storytelling and test shoot development proceeses on the journey to creating my final campaign as part of my Final Major Project. By going through a development stage to push my styling, creative direction and photographic skills, this journey has allowed me to try out different methods and ways of communicating a fashion marketing narrative which aligns with an industry-inspired brief which I created for myself as part of my FMP. My styling, storytelling and test shoot development stage has been pivotal in helping to inform and confirm the visual direction that I wanted my FMP to go in regards to the visual exhibition and imagery aspect of my project. Through testing out different ways of styling my model and testing out different backdrops, props and set styling, this process allowed me to decide on aspects I wanted to continue moving fowards, as well as highlighting elements of styling and direction that I wanted to leave behind, further building my journey to creating my final FMP. My test shoot development and styling development will be shown throughout this book.
Storytelling and visually communicating a branded marketing narrative has been a focal point of my Final Major Project, as my final marketing campaign aims to communicate a story targeted towards a selected consumer through visual styling. Creating different aspects of visual styling, such as a campaign lookbook, a campaign film, a visual merchandising plan and a series of social media content, has allowed me to better communicate my FMP narrative through communicating my story across different audiences through each individual content-sharing platform. The styling development aspect of the journey to my FMP was key in illustrating my FMP concept, as well as creating a visual connection between both Chanel and Zara, who are the collaboration partners within my project. I think my styling choices, colour palette choices and creative direction choices for my campaign in particular have allowed me to experiment and test out different communication techniques, such as looking into different clothing, hair, makeup and set styling to ultimatley decide which styling best visually communicates my campaign story. Throughout my journey to creating my FMP, I created a branded backstory to my campaign, therefore it was important that my visual imagery and content aligned well with this verbal narrative, also.
Following from my research and concept development process of creating my FMP, I decided to create some styling moodboards which I felt would be important in matching up the visual and verbal narrative componnents of my FMP. As my FMP focuses on creating a digital fashion Non-Fungible-Token collaboration between fashion brands, Chanel and Zara, it was beneficial for me to start to visualise how I imagine this concept to look in terms of fashion styling, hair, makeup and set styling in order to successfully communicate this digital-futuristic Metaverse inspired campaign concept to a targeted consumer. My research into both Chanel and Zara has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the brand’s aesthetic, branded ‘look’ and the overall message that they are both trying to communicate to their audiences. When considering the fashion styling aspect of my campaign, I decided to explore the use of metallic and monochromatic tones within my styling development stage, as further research into the Metaverse and it’s digital possibilities connotes to this idea of living in the future during the present, being exposed to digital innovations that to some feels so far advanced. I wanted to play with this idea of futurism within my styling choices in order to visually communicate the Metaverse and digital fashion innovation within my final campaign. Therefore, by choosing a monochromatic and metallic garment look, this aims to reflect how fashion is moving towards a more digital and immersive space, in contrast to the tangible fashion world we have experienced so far. The symbolism of free flowing garments also connotes to free movement and gives the look of liquid metal to further detail the digital fashion art aesthetic to my campaign. It was also important for me to style my campaign in a way that is still reflective of the Zara x Chanel ‘look’ also, therefore my styling choices also aims to illustrate a sense of luxury.
In regards to my hair and makeup styling choices across my final campaign, I also started to create moodboards and look into the types of styling that you would already find existing across both Zara and Chanel campaigns. As Chanel sits within the Haute Couture segment within the luxury market level and Zara is positioned at the higher end of the high street market level, I still wanted to create a feel of luxury within my final campaign, therefore my hair and makeup choices aim to reflect a luxury identity. My research and brand development processes across both brands allowed me to look further into the different types of editorial hair and makeup styling that is used within both brand’s campaigns, which is often a minimalistic, glowy and ‘natural’ look. I decided I liked this idea of simplicity when it comes to the hair and makeup of the models used within my campaign as I wanted to focus the main attention on the actual garments and fashion styling pieces featured within my campaign imagery. My research into the meaning and value behind NFT’s (Non-fungible-tokens) showcases that these creations can be viewed as a piece of ‘art’ in which has a level of high value and status. I really liked this idea of creating an NFT collection which held this artistic status as well as being of value within the luxury market level, therefore it was important for me to keep the makeup and hair styling minimal in aims to keep the main attention on the actual garments themselves. Therefore, I wanted to experiment with having my model’s makeup kept to a minimal look, almost creating the illusion that they weren’t wearing any, and keeping their hair slicked back off the face further adds to this visual representation of the model representing a sense of minimalism in contrast to the fashion garments which respresent a symbol of status, value and innovation.
Likewise with my fashion styling direction, I wanted to create a visual campaign which captured the attention of audiences by creating bold imagery through the use of dynamic posing to further add to this innovative and futuristic campaign concept. Like I said previously, I wanted to create a campaign which was visually eye catching and bold. I feel that the use of incorporating large shapes and a sense of artistic movement can further add to my exploration of creating a campaign which showcases an artistic and futuristic collaboration between Chanel and Zara. My research into the different types of editorials that both Chanel and Zara have already done has been a great influence in playing around with different shapes and movement to visually communicate my NFT collection story. I also was keen to explore the contrast between maximalism styling within the fashion garments and posing to the minimalism of the hair, makeup and set styling to really enforce and highlight the fact that my main campaign focus is the NFT collaboration. This maximalist posing choice paired together with the look of metallic and liquid metal inspired garments aims to create a look which is both reflective of Chanel and Zara’s current branded aesthetic, but also showcases a new Metaverse inspired look which I have created within this proposed collaboration. The idea of creating an NFT collection which can be viewed as an art form compliments this idea of incorporating the use of shape posing to also further convey the imagery and campaign itself as an art form. Taking key inspiration from luxury market level aesthetics in particular from sources such as fashion editorial magazines and social media campaigns, I believe that this style of posing will best compliment my intended vision as I develop my concept visually on the journey to my FMP.
Figure 4a
Figure 4b
When deciding on a colour palette and colour reasoning behind my campaign development, I decided to research into the meanings and symbolism behind certain colour tones. During this process, I realised that I wanted to stick to using a monochromatic tonal palette to emphasise the idea that my campaign is a collection of digital fashion garments (NFT’s), therefore I thought it would be a good idea to stick to one colour palette in attempts to create a uniformed and fluid look to my campaign. During this research process, I came across the different connotations and symbolism behind the colour Silver, which then sparked an interest into exploring the perceptions behind the colour. I started to look into the different meanings behind the colour Silver, which allowed me to discover that Silver has the connotations of wealth, modernity, glamour, elegance and power. I really liked the idea of incorporating Silver within my campaign after this research into colour theory, as the backstory and narrative behind my digital fashion campaign aims to highlight the crossover between to disconnected brands and then forming to create a collection which bridges the gap between the luxury market and the out of touch youth consumer. Addionally, the inclusion of incorporating Metaverse technology in communicating this narrative allowed me to realise that key concepts creating this campaign idea did evolve around the idea of modernity in delving into new technology, as well as power and wealth which elludes to the luxury market level sector. I also liked the idea of using a Silver colour palette within my campaign as I knew I wanted to experiement with the idea of making my garments look like liquid metal to further visually communicate the digital Metaverse narrative behind my campaign. I felt that using Silver also allowed me to make a further connection between both Chanel and Zara as collaboration partners, as my research into both brands evidences that they both like to encorporate Silver tones within their work themselves, potentially to highlight a level of luxury within their campaigns.
To further develop and test my styling choices and initial moodboard exploration, I decided to conduct my first campaign test shoot as a styling shoot to help me identify whether or not I was heading in the right direction visually, and to see if my initial ideas was still the direction I wanted to follow as I progress and develop my campaign further. Taking strong influence from my styling moodboards above, I conducted my first shoot by styling together silver garments of different textures, materials and shapes to experiment with shapes and styling choices. I firstly styled together some pieces on a dress stand mannequin, photographed my developments and then started to create some digital croquis edits to enscapsulate my vision to life. I created 5 different looks which I thought would then help me to further envision what my NFT collection could look like in terms of what the different ‘looks’ would look like as a group, as well as expertimenting to see if this styling choice did in fact fulfill my FMP vision. As you can see from the croqius aside, I wanted to experiment with different styling textures whilst sticking to a monochromatic tone, and I did this by styling together outfits made from pre-existing clothing that I already had, as well as including different textures such as tin foil, metallic ribbon and Silver accessories. I then edited a model’s face onto the croquis on Photoshop as I felt this model was a good editorial that I was going for, and she could potentially be a good face for my campaign. I quite liked the idea of using different materials to experiment how I wanted my final campaign to look like, as it was important for me to test shoot and develop my styling to see how different materials and pieces would photograph and how the pieces would look on video.
After editing my first styling test into croquis, I decided that even though I did like the final outcome in regard’s to it’s uniformed and monochrome aesthetic, I was a unsure if the styling element of this test shoot was a bit too much maximalised in terms of the layering of pieces and overall the bulk of the styling. After pieceing together the croqius to form a collection, I decided that moving fowards, I wanted to be more simplistic and minimal with how I style my model and create my campaign image. As I said during my intial styling moodboard development, my aim was to ensure that the fashion garments themselves were the main focus of my campaign as the whole concept revolves around creating a digital fashion NFT collection. However, after conducting my first test shoot I felt like there was a bit too much going on with the garments and it might be difficult to focus your attention on the garment as there is too much going on with the styling. This first test shoot development was very beneficial in highlighting what I liked about my campaign look so far, as well as making me aware of certain aspects that I no longer wanted to progress forwards within my next development stage. Upon reflection, I also felt like these styling choices were a little too focused on the Chanel aesthetic of my project, and didn’t really convey as much of Zara’s aesthetic within the styling. This again informed me to rethink my styling choices as my campaign concept ensures both Chanel and Zara are viewed as equal collaboration partner’s as opposed to having uneven weighting.
Progressing my styling and storytelling developments further, I decided to conduct a second test shoot, taking note of what I liked and disliked from my previous shoot outcomes, exploring further methods of how I could successfully visualise my campaign narrative. Learning from my previous shoot that I should explore more minimal styling choices, I decided to carry this test shoot out on a real-life model as opposed to creating croqius, as my final campaign is to be created with an actual model also. With this shoot, I sourced some garments which were influenced by my research processes, as well as my intial campaign visual moodboards, and I took a more minimal approach to styling my model. As I used an actual model for this test shoot, I could now also start to consider and experiment using different posing and ways of creating shapes to create a more bold and eye-catching set of imagery that I could potentially use for my final campaign. For this test shoot, I rented out one of the photography studios on campus and was able to take advanatge of a clean white backdrop and professional lighting equipment, which again was beneficial in seeing how my new styling developments would photograph as well as practising using different lighting techniques. To experiment my visual narrative communication further on this test shoot, I decided to edit the background further on some images to explore what my final campaign could look like on a more dressed and detailed backdrop, which I did like the outcome of this. However, again upon reflection I thought it took away the attention of the garments and styling elements of my imagery, therefore moving forwards I liked the idea of working with a more minimalistic backdrop to curate my next set of developed images. For this shoot, I also decided to add some pops of colour with the choice of accessories that I used to style my model, however I preferred the monochromatic look I decided upon during my moodboard development stage, so moving forwards I will be sticking to a solid Silver tonal colour palette. Overall, I was really pleased with the outcome of my second test shoot, however there were again a couple of things I wanted to change moving forwards in order to ensure I capture the perfect visual campaign look that fulfills both my narrative and visual communication efforts.
My final test shoot development aimed to solidify my campaign aims in a visual sense, as well as acting as a final test in preparation for my final campaign shoot. When going into this final test shoot, I knew how I wanted to move forwards in terms of finalising my styling choices, across garments, hair and makeup, and set styling as my previous test shoots had allowed me to eliminate any aspects I no longer wanted to progress with. Our class was able to benefit from a model casting which was taking place in Studio 204, where I was able to meet Mattea, a professional model who had had some experience in editorial modeling before. I thought it would be a good idea to test my final outcomes on Mattea and use her for my final test shoot, alongside my new styling and visual concept ideas. Again, I conducted this shoot in one of the photography studios on campus so I could emmulate the final shoot experience to see how well she could move and how my styling choices photographed on her. As you can see from some of my imagery from this test shoot, I decided that I really liked the styling choice of sticking with a solid Silver monochromatic look, as well as encorporating this vision into my set design, also. I really liked the look of keeping the backdrop more minimal aswell as now I felt like the focus of the campaign was fully on the clothing pieces themselves, and consumers and audeiences could now better visualise what a digital fashion NFT garment could look like for the everyday consumer. One of my favourite takings from this final test shoot development was the look of how the dress photographed, as the lighting placement I did in the photography studio really encapsulated a look of liquid metal which flows and melts into the Silver foil flooring, creating a futuristic and metallic digital vibe to the imagery. I also really liked how the dress and flooring almost looks like it’s reflecting the light, which creates a more fluid look to my images, which is what I outlined within my campaign development moodboards. After taking careful consideration into my two chosen brand’s aesthetics, I was also confident to progress with this look going fowards with conducting my final campaign shoot as I feel that this styled image is reflective of both Zara and Chanel’s styling, editorial aesthetic and overall brand image. Even though my goal of my FMP is to create a limited edition NFT collection between the brands, I still wanted each brand to be identifiable within my campaign, also.
My styling, storytelling and test shoot development process for my final major project has had a strong influence in helping me to decide what outcomes I could create in order to visually communicate my digital fashion collaboration narrative to a younger Generation Z audience. Moving fowards, my next step is to conduct my final editorial shoot to create an array of images and videos that I can then further edit and manipulate into creating the visual outcome component of my final major project. To best communicate the storytelling and narrative of my final campaign using the imagery and videos gathered during my final shoot, I then aim to create a social media marketing campaign, using all primary imagery conducted from my shoot. I have decided to create a social media campaign as part of the communication aspect of my FMP, as my project is targeted towards a Generation Z audience, which have a very strong presense across Instagram and TikTok social media platforms in particular. I also plan to create a series of editorial lookbooks which aims to visualise my different NFT concept creations within the collection, as well as creating a final campaign film to further capture the videography of movement and engaging my target audience through a visual connection also. As my campaign features a branded collaboration between Chanel and Zara, both of which have physical stores present, I also thought it would be beneficial to create a visual series of imagery mockups and video content to help encapsulate what my campaign collection may look like in physical stores in accordance with visual merchandising techniques. I am feeling confident in progressing my campaign forwards after undertaking a key styling, storytelling and test shoot development stage, as I am now ready to move forwards in starting to bring my final major project to life.
In conclusion, this imagery development process has been a really important aspect in guiding my final major project direction. After going through multiple testing stages of styling and storytelling concepts, I feel confident in moving fowards to produce my final campaign imagery after eliminating and leaving behind different elements of styling, colour, and set styling. This development process has been useful in allowing me to leave behind and eliminate ideas and concepts which I didn’t feel were working, allowing me to create a confident final shoot plan. The results from my final test shoot development has allowed me to gain confidence in styling my campaign in a way which will fulfill my initial campaign goals, as well as working within the post production process of further editing my imagery and video content to ensure everything aligns well with both Zara and Chanel.
Figure 1Metallic Looks (2023) (Image) Retrieved from https:// www.pinterest.co.uk/teamo41111/metallic-looks/
Figure 2Clean Girl Makeup (2023) (Image) Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.co.uk/TheEtherealFemme/cleangirl-makeup/
Figure 3High Fashion Poses (2023) (Image) Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.co.uk/tayamika/high-fashion-poses/
Figure 4a -
Zara Website (2023) (Image) Retrieved from https:// www.zara.com/uk/
Figure 4bChanel Website (2023) (Image) Retrieved from https:// www.chanel.com/gb/
KEIRA DAVITT-BAILEY
