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KEY INFLUENCES
5. “PHOTOGRAPHY AND CULTURE HAVE REACHED A RIDICULOUS AND UNREACHABLE TONE OF PERFECTION THAT IS NOTHING TO DO WITH BEING A HUMAN” (HANRA, 2020).
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THE MAISON MARGIELA SPRING 2017 ARTISANAL COLLECTION BY JOHN GALLIANO HAS DIRECTED THE JOURNEY OF MY VISUAL RESEARCH. THIS COLLECTION CUTS THROUGH LAYERS OF SYMBOLISM, REVEALING SOMETHING EMOTIONAL ABOUT THE CURRENT PREDICAMENTS FACING HUMANITY, EVOKING POWERFUL MEMORIES WHILE STANDING FIRMLY IN THE PRESENT (MOWER, 2017). GALLIANO’S INSPIRATION WAS SOCIALS IMPACT ON VISUAL COMMUNICATION, SPECIFICALLY APP FILTERS THAT CAN BE LAYERED ONTO PHOTOS, ULTIMATELY ACTING AS A MASK AND ALTERING REALITY. GALLIANO TRANSLATED THE FILTER CONCEPT INTO “BIG, BOLD-FACED GRAPHICS, FEATURING RAINBOW TONGUES AND CRUDE AND COLOURFUL DRAWINGS EMBROIDERED OVER FACES” (FOLEY, 2017). THIS ASPECT HAS INFLUENCED HOW I WILL VISUALLY COMMUNICATE PART OF MY EARTH 2030 STORY.
3. FOR MORE BACKGROUND, MAISON MARGIELA IS A FRENCH LUXURY FASHION HOUSE FOUNDED IN 1988 BY BELGIAN DESIGNER MARTIN MARGIELA. “A FAMOUSLY ENIGMATIC CREATIVE WHO HAS REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO GIVE FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEWS, MARTIN MARGIELA REVEALS NOTHING ABOUT HIS PERSONAL LIFE AND HAS RARELY BEEN PHOTOGRAPHED” (BERGIN, 2017).
3. WHAT INITIALLY ENTICED ME ABOUT MARGIELA WAS THE CONCEALING OF THE MODELS’ FACES - WHETHER THE HAIR WAS ARTISTICALLY SWEPT OVER EYES OR HEADS COMPLETELY MASKED BY BEJEWELLED BALACLAVAS, HIS DECISION TO ANONYMISE HIS MODELS REFLECTED HIS OWN ANONYMITY. THIS SECRETIVENESS HAS ENSURED HIS WORK WAS THE CONSTANT MAIN FOCUS IN AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS SADLY BECOME MUCH ABOUT MEDIA COVERAGE AND CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT.
//INFLUENCES // MAISON MARGIELA “FASHIONS MOST SECRETIVE BRAND”
VIRGIL ABLOH COMMUNICATED HIS SS21 COLLECTION THROUGH A UNIQUE DIGITAL USER EXPERIENCE. “THE IDEA OF IMAGINARY TV STEMS FROM A POETIC VISION FOR, AND OF, THE EVERMORE VIRTUAL WORLD,” VIRGIL SAID. “I WANTED TO CAPTURE WHAT IT IS TO BE HUMAN AT THIS VERY MOMENT. CONUNDRUM IS OK, GLITCHES ARE OK, DUALITY IS OK, AND DISSOLUTION OF NORMS IS OK” (DAVIDSON, 2021).
THE WAY VIRGIL HAS COMMUNICATED THIS NARRATIVE THROUGH THE USE OF DIGITAL GLITCHES IS INSPIRING TO ME. GLITCHES ESSENTIALLY REPRESENT OUR FLAWS AS HUMANS IN DIGITAL FORM. SOME COULD SEE THEM AS ERRORS WHEN REALLY, THEY CAN MAKE THINGS APPEAR A LOT MORE INTERESTING. I HAVE CONSIDERED THIS SYMBOLISM IN THE WAY I TELL MY STORY OF EARTH 2030.
//INFLUENCES// // OFF WHITE SS21//
OFF WHITE IMAGINARY TV
DURING MY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY, I FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LOOK BEYOND FASHION WHEN SEARCHING FOR MY INSPIRATION. I WANTED TO LOOK PAST THE OBVIOUS TO CREATE SOMETHING REFRESHING FOR MY FUTURE CONSUMERS AND MARKET.WHILE REFLECTING ON MY FORECAST AND WHAT FREEDOM MEANS TO ME, I THOUGHT OF THE JAPANESE PROVERB THEORY KNOWN AS “THE THREE FACES OF SELF” – I WILL QUICKLY TOUCH ON WHAT THIS IS NOW.
THE JAPANESE SAY YOU HAVE THREE FACES. THE FIRST FACE YOU SHOW TO THE WORLD - A MASK. THE SECOND FACE, YOU SHOW TO YOUR CLOSE FRIENDS AND YOUR FAMILY. THE THIRD FACE, YOU NEVER SHOW ANYONE” – THIS IS THE TRUE REFLECTION OF WHO YOU ARE. THIS THEORY HOLDS SO MUCH RELEVANCE TO THE WORLD TODAY - AND THIS IS WHAT INSPIRED MY CONCEPT.
WHO ARE Y
A FACADE A MASK
WHO ARE YOU? 404 ERROR WHO ARE YOU REALLY?
