A Genderless World
Fig 1 Dior Hommes F/W 11 backstage
Contents: Introduction Methodology
Chapter 1: Gender Equality
Chapter 2: Behaviour Change
Chapter 3: Print vs digital
Chapter 4: The Future of Fashion is Unisex Conclusion References Illustrations Bibliography Appendix
Fig 2
Introduction
The battle of gender equality has been a continuous fight for over the past century in terms of pay and advancement in the work force. The Equal Pay Act in 1970 made it illegal for women to be payed less than men for doing the same work, though men still hold the leadership positions in the majority of the working industry. However, in fashion, female models earned almost 50 times more than men in 2009 (The Richest, 2013: Online). In this report I will be looking at how gender equality is looked at in the industry through designers such as J.W. Anderson and Rad Hourani who are changing the consumers behaviour and thought process,
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questioning why certain styles of garments are taboo for men. I will then translate this within the world of print and digital media, looking at brands such as Dazed & Confused and Fashion Scan, who influenced me into promoting this new wave of thinking surrounding gender and unisex through the use of print x digital. This is to change how people perceive gender stereotypes within the fashion industry. A focus group was held to gain primary research in seeing whether the young generation agreed that there was an issue within gender inequality in fashion, these results helped me in taking my research to the next step.
Fig 3 L’officiel Hommes 2011
Methodology Method: Focus Group.
I will hold a focus group, this will aid me in finding out whether there is gender inequality in fashion and whether the future of fashion is unisex. A focus group will gain a more relaxed conversation flowing with a group of people, this will hopefully spark some interesting insights.
When:
Friday 10th January 2014
Who:
Alice Davied Aged 20 Lily De Meester Aged 21 Caroline Hill Aged 20 Ellie Knight Aged 21
Ethics:
See Appendix for consent forms and transcriptiom
Evaluation:
I found this method to be very successful as I was able to gage different opinions through a group of people during a conversation making it feel more informal and relaxed - people were able to flow off one another. Ideas were developed and explored further through discussion. I asked them relevant questions for my research along with showing them various images on mesnwear fashion to gage their opinions which aided me in seeing where people of that age group believe fashion is in today’s society.
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Fig 4 Rad Hourani Collection.6
Chapter 1
Gender Equality within fashion Power dressing began in the 1980’s which drew on menswear elements as a form of armor for female executives (FIT Trendo-logy, 2014), from then on it’s become a trend on its own such as boyfriend jeans, suits and oversized coats. All these drawing inspiration from how the male population dress, these trends and styles were incredibly well received throughout the industry. However, when we switch this around with menswear being inspired by womenswear it triggers a very different reaction.
J.W Anderson F/W 2013 menswear fashion show showed men walking down the runway in what would resemble women’s garments. The point of this collection was not to shock, but rather to educate and to ‘challenge perceptions’ Anderson told The Guardian (The Guardian, 2013: Online). A year later, looking at F/W 2014 menswear shows it appears a new trend is evolving with the future of menswear being ‘feminine’. Anderson has taken this idea and shaken things up, enabling the viewer to take a step back, looking at the bigger picture. If women are able to dress masculine, why is it deemed unacceptable for men to dress feminine?
‘Why is that man wearing a leather dress?’ - Ellie Knight, Appendix B
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Fig 6,7,8 Rad Hourani Collection.7 Fig 5 J.W. Anderson F/W 13
‘The point was not to shock, but rather to educate’ - J.W. Anderson
Fig 3
Fig 4
Fig 12 J.W. Anderson Pre Fall 14
Fig 10 J.W. Anderson F/W 14 Fig 11 J.W. Anderson F/W 14
Fig 9 J.W. Anderson Pre Fall 14
‘I’d like (men in dresses) to be more accepted, incase boys wanted to wear that but felt they weren’t allowed to or it was frowned upon.’ (Lily De Meester, Appendix B)
‘Is fashion finally shifting its sights away from gender, toward a more mature understanding of sexuality and style?’ (Dazed Digital, 2014: Online)
From the focus group, it became visible that there is a lack of knowledge when it comes to men’s fashion. Lily De Meester believes that shopping for men is more boring (Appendix B), this is possibly due to the fact that men have 50% less options than women. When in fact, they don’t have less options - it just isn’t considered to be accepted for men to wear skirts and dresses in today’s society. Boundaries are social constructs that we have placed there ourselves, therefore, it is our responsibility to take them down. FIT held an exhibition in 2011 showcasing both male and female dress from 18th Century to the present day, ‘His & Her’s’ collection compared the costumes for both sex’s side by side to show the similarities throughout the periods (FIT, 2011: Online) - something that is so relevant today. The world of fashion is constantly changing. Designer Rad Hourani is changing the future of fashion. Being the first designer to present a unisex Haute Couture collection in July 2012 (Trend-o-logy, 2013), he sees the body as a canvas with both the female
and the male in mind, blurring the lines between the two sex’s. As well as being asexual, his brand is aseasonal, he has rid himself of any conventional restrictions(Rad Hourani, 2012: Online). A man in a dress is nothing new, men have worn dresses since the cave man period. Men wear kilts in Scotland, men wear robes for religion. The manliest of men in history, including gladiators, wore dresses as uniform. So why should the menswear F/W 2014 give even the open minded a pause (Jezebel, 2014: Online)? The androgynous trend is something we have seen for many seasons now in fashion, though androgyny for men’s fashion is a little scarce. Consumers need to pay attention to designers such as J.W. Anderson and Rad Hourani who are here to challenge the perceptions of fashion and its viewers. With their clever designs, viewers are able to take a step back and notice there is an inequality between the two genders for the fashion is around for men and how unisex is the way forward.
Fig 13 Edouard Manet Le Dejeuner Sur L’Herbe 1862
Chapter 2
Changing Behaviour The fashion industry is made up of the movers and the shakers. The movers being original thinkers who aim to challenge and push a concept that will trigger a new wave of thinking, being loyal to their own creative aesthetic. The shakers are market leading designers who are iconic within the industry, though do not have the ability to push any boundaries that may shock the audience as they have the duty to please the public on a broader scale, with designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Marc Jacobs (Norris, 2013).The movers invent new ways of thinking, having a targeted audience that is a lot smaller than those of the shakers, they are able to let their creative, innovative ideas through to be translated to their consumer - they are showcasing their opinion. This is what designers such as Rad Hourani and J.W. Anderson are doing as they are setting the trends, different to those around them, being separate from the crowd.
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Fig 14 YSL S/S 99
Yves Saint Laurent Spring/ Summer 1999 Ad campaign saw the brand playing with gender roles from famous paintings including Edouard Manet’s Le Dejeuner Sur L’Herbe c. 1862. The contrast between the sex’s in the painting represents how women were thought of in the 19th Century - the woman being completely nude whilst the men in full suits. YSL took the painting and recreated it by doing the exact opposite, sexualising the man and giving power to the woman. Cleverly, the focus remains on Kate Moss who could so easily blend into the background next to two nude male models. Her gaze holding the viewers attention long enough to prove the point that women don’t need to be naked to get the viewer’s attention(Wicked-Halo, 2011: Online).
A nice contrast to the painting, where the eye also goes straight to the woman, though for different reasons. ‘I think it’s sending a really positive message, the eye is drawn to Kate Moss regardless to the fact there are two naked men in the photograph.’ - Lily De Meester (Appendix B). Yves Saint Laurent was the ‘creator of the long-lasting, most modern concept of the tuxedo and the pantsuit for women.’ (Casadio, 2001). Giving women the power to dress androgynously and feel feminine about it. This campaign worked successfully in translating this idea to the consumer, the model is the consumer. A powerful woman, capable of grabbing the viewers attention regardless of what’s going on around her.
Fig 15 Dazed & Confused Visionaries Launch
Chapter 3
Print vs Digital The print industry is slowly decreasing as the digital world is taking over. Printed book sales fell by £74million in 2012 due to the increase of tablet users (The Guardian, 2013: Online). Consumers are constantly searching for something new that will excite and intrigue, this is where the internet comes in. The digital platform is constantly growing and expanding, gaining more readership by taking what once were loyal readers of print magazines and moving them to the world of the web - with the consumer discovering the ease of it a lot more appealing. When asked out of ease and to save money whether they get their information online, all members of the focus group answered yes. ‘It’s quicker, more accessible and it’s at your finger tips’ Ellie Knight, Appendix C. Dazed & Confused, one of the most respected culture magazines, changed their
business around in November 2013 to match the reading habits of their consumer. The change involves cutting down the amount of print magazines in half to just 6 per year (Business of Fashion, 2013: Online), focusing on their digital platform DazedDigital. Their online presence has tripled its traffic to 787,000 with their audience continuously expanding. Dazed have been able to re-adapt themselves in the new climate which has already proved to be a successful decision. It is an ongoing debate as to whether the print industry will eventually die though it is agreed that the virtual experience of looking at a magazine or book is not the same as having the physical object. ‘When reading a book I like seeing how much left of it you have to read, it adds to the whole experience of it whereas you miss all of that with reading a book on a tablet.’ Caroline Hill, Appendix C
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Not only are print magazines moving to their online side, they also create their own online presence to connect with their consumer on a more personal level. Through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook the reader has the ability to befriend the brand, making them feel a part of the experience. Another positive of this is that these brands are the consumers eye into the industry, posting live stream videos of the fashion shows that the consumer can’t attend - there’s no need to be physically there anymore. The consumer has everything at their finger tips. There will always be pros and cons to this new change in the industry, the key is to make them work without having to delete one or the other, to bring them both together.
Fig 16 Dazed & Condused December 2013 issue
Statistics show that by 2017, online video will account for nearly 70% of all consumer internet traffic, with users viewing the equivalent of 5 million years of video every month (Business of Fashion, 2013: Online). To coincide with Dazed’s print reduction, the company launched a new generation of video ‘Video Visionaries’ which launched with James Franco as the first creator. Visionaries is ‘a bold new vision for online filmmaking’ (Dazed & Confused, December 2013, p.60). The consumers are much more interested in seeing things as they happen, having the freedom of choice to pick and choose what they read and watch. The brand are listening to their consumers needs and giving them exactly what they want, by turning the magazine into a collectable, each issue will have the ability to be more indepth and visually engaging with the reader - “We focused on fine-tuning the storytelling, strengthening the Dazed point of view and providing more insight in each of the articles.” (Business of Fashion, 2013: Online). ‘The only reason why I would buy a magazine is if it was exquisitely beautiful and I would cherish it forever, you can’t get that experience of a really nice magazine online.’ (Ellie Knight, Appendix C)
Fig 17 Screen shot of DazedDigital 2014
‘The question is not print versus digital media. Media now are not either/or, but ratherall.’ -(Magazine, 2013: Online)
Fig 18 Magazine shop in Berlin
‘See fashion come to life’ - Fashion
Scan
Fig 19, 20 Fashion Scan App
Fashion Scan
Fashion Scan is an app which has been created by Because Magazine, daughter of Tank magazine. The app sees fashion advertisements come to life by simply holding your phone over an advert, within seconds your screen will transform to a variety of video content to match the still image. As the app is linked with Tank, within the pages of the magazine the consumer will find a symbol, when this symbol appears it means there is more content to be seen on the app - making it exclusive to the consumers with smartphones. As 60% of 18-30 year olds say they’re compulsive about checking their smartphones (Ragan, 2012: Online), constantly refreshing the pages of social media sites, this new app allows the consumer to be in on a little secret making it more exciting for them WHY IS IT. I believe Fashion Scan will change the way consumer’s gather their information in a positive way as it brings together print, social media and digital, ensuring none are left out of the game.
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Fig 21 Neil Barrett F/W 11
Chapter 4
The future of Fashion is Unisex
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By using the new and advanced technology of the Fashion Scan app, allowing the consumer to bring together both offline and online into one. My idea is to create a fashion advertisement joining both print and digital into one. As fashion film is taking the industry to new levels, with the consumer wanting so much more than a 2D editorial image, this new concept will allow the two to be together, pleasing the ever so demanding consumer. This concept will work best with the unisex designer Rad Hourani as the consumer will be shown how diverse and adaptable unisex clothing can be. A film blurring the lines between the two sex’s will be used to promote the brand, this film will be exclusive to consumers with android phones, being the owner of because’s Fashion Scan app. This app will be used to scan the still image in selected fashion and culture magazines, once scanned, the image will be brought to life and take them to a fashion film promoting the brand. This will work by the consumer being unaware of which sex the model is in the image, full of intrigue, the consumer needing to know more will scan the image with the Fashion Scan app which will then introduce them to the world of Genderless. With the image coming to life, the film shows both male and female models disguised as one - not needing to know who is
who as the consumer is shown how well the clothes work on both body’s. This film won’t be available on the internet, being exclusive to those who are investing in print magazines - giving the added element of the consumer being the first to see it. The factor of using their phone and scanning it adds that interactive feature that the younger generation are interested in today’s society, grabbing their attention to a whole new level. This campaign will start off small, with little announcement of it happening - where’s the fun in finding out if it’s told for you all over social media? Rad Hourani has been chosen to collaborate with on this campaign as his unisex brand has the perfect message behind it ‘No gender, no season, no rules, epitomising the values of freedom and gender-based.’ with emphases on the word freedom. This campaign will work in order to remove the barrier created by society to allow menswear to be inspired by womenswear without it causing the reaction of shock from the general public. Men should feel they have the ability to wear whatever they please, as women are now able to do so, men should be to. Fashion Scan x Rad Hourani will introduce this new way of thinking in aid to get unisex clothing accepted on a broader scale.
The Consumer For this to work, it has to be targeted to the right consumer. Someone who is open minded as well as aware of the culture and lifestyle around them. The chosen publications to feature this advertisement are unisex culture magazines that are around to promote diversity in society. These would be Dazed & Confused, i-D, Tank and Love (to name a few), magazines that the consumer will already be interested and investing in. Aged 18-28,they buy their clothes from alternative shops such as charity and vintage shops, have an active life, however, enjoy spending time on their own. They often get lost in their own world listening to artists such as Bon Iver, Arcade Fire and David Bowie - listening to the message the music gives out. They like the contrast between old and new e.g listening to new bands on vinyl. Their everyday activities revolve around doing creative courses/jobs that allows their art to do the talking. Active interest in the culture that is around them.
Fig 22 Unisex if the future of fashion, Trend Reports
(Trend Reports, 2013: Online)
‘The modern market is ready for a more streamlined approach that does away with sex-specific benefits and promotes to all.’
Conclusion
Fig 23 Rad Hourani Collection.6
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The battle for gender equality is still continuous, however, by taking on this new way of thinking and accepting that the only thing separating the two sex’s are the social barriers that we have put up ourselves. If this is accepted, we are then able to move forward, together into the future that is unisex. This change will allow for a genderless world, with the freedom to expresses ourselves without ‘breaking gender normalities’. By collaborating print and digital together, a positive step into the future will be taken.
Referencing Anonymous, 2010. His and Hers, FIT [online] Available at: http://fitnyc.edu/9046.asp [accessed on 11/01/14] Anonymous, 2011. Yves Saint Laurent Artistique[online] Available at:http://www.wicked-halo.com/2011/04/yvessaint-laurent-artistique.html [accessed 02/01/14] Anonymous, 2013. Trend-o-logy, exhition catalogue, December 3 2013 - April 2014, The Fashion and Textile History Gallery, New York. Casadio, M. 2001. Fashion Images De Mode No.6. Great Britain: Vision On Publishing Ltd. Dodai, S. 2014. London Fashion Week: The Future of Menswear is Feminine [online] Available at: http://jezebel.com/london-fashion-week-the-future-of-menswear-is-feminine-1496562806 [accessed 03/01/14] Flood, A. 2013. Printed book sales’ decline slowed in 2012[online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jan/09/printed-book-sales-2012 [accessed on 06/01/14] Gorges, M. 2012. 90% of young people wake up using smartphones[online]Available at: http://www.ragan.com/Main/ Articles/90_percent_of_young_people_wake_up_with_their_smar_45989.aspx [accessed on 11/01/14] Harley, J. 2013. The New Video Visionaries, Dazed & Confused. (December 2013) p.60. Healy, M. 2013. The radical unisex designs of JW Anderson[online] Available at:http://www.theguardian.com/ fashion/2013/jun/01/radical-unisex-designs-jw-anderson[accessed on 03/01/14] Hemsworth, M. 2013. Why Unisex products are the way of the future [online] http://www.trendreports.com/article/unisex-products [accessed 03/01/14] Kansara, V. 2013. Dazed scales back to six issues per year, expands on web.[online] Available at:http://www. businessoffashion.com/2013/12/bof-exclusive-dazed-and-confused-jefferson-hack.html [accessed 04/01/14] Lukovitz, K. 2013. Perception vs reality: Print’’s power inn a digital age. [online] Available at:http://www. magazine.org/node/25206 [accessed 04/01/14] Nakisa, T. 2013. If fashion over gender? [online] Available at:http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/18462/1/opinion-is-fashion-over-gender [accessed 03/01/14] Norris, L. 2012. The Fashion Register.[FASH10105 Visual Awareness] Nottingham Trent University. Available at:https://now.ntu.ac.uk/d2l/le/content/180432/viewContent/848798/View [accessed 20/01/14] Said, S. 2013. Male vs Female Modeling: who makes more?[online]Available at: http://www.therichest.com/business/ salary/male-vs-female-modeling-who-makes-more/ [accessed 02/01/14]
Illustrations Fig 1 Dior Homme F/W 11 (digital photograph) Tumblr, online (2011) Available at: http://st-julian.tumblr.com/post/17655030796 [accessed 21/01/14] Fig 2 Gender Equality Symbol, Wikigender, online Available at: http://www.wikigender.org/index.php/Gender_symbols_gallery [accessed 21/01/14] Fig 3 Clement Chabernaud L’officiel Hommes 2011 (digital photograph) Models, online (2011) Available at:http:// models.com/work/lofficiel-hommes-chic-a-mort/37386[accessed on: 21/01/14] Fig 4 Rad Hourani Unisex Couture Collection N’9 (Digital Photograph) Rad Hourani website, online Available at:http://www.radhourani.com/pages/unisex-couture-rh-9 [accessed 21/01/14] Fig 5 J.W. Anderson F/W 14 (digital photograph) Style, online (2013) Available at:http://www.style.com/ fashionshows/complete/F2013MEN-JWANDERSON [accesses 21/01/14] Fig 6,7,8 Rad Hourani Unisex Couture Collection (digital photograph) Rad Hourani, online Available at:http:// www.radhourani.com/pages/rh10 [accessed 21/01/14] Fig 9 J.W. Anderson Pre Fall 14 (digital photograph) Style, online (2014) Available at:http://www.style.com/ fashionshows/review/2014PF-JWANDERSON/ [accessed 21/01/14} Fig 10 J.W. Anderson Menswear F/W 14 (digital photograph) Style, online (2014) Available at:http://www.style. com/fashionshows/review/F2014MEN-JWANDERSON/ [accessed on 21/01/14]
Fig 11 J.W. Anderson Pre Fall 14 (digital photograph) Style, online (2014) Available at:http://www.style.com/ fashionshows/review/2014PF-JWANDERSON/ [accessed 21/01/14} Fig 12 Edouard Manet Le Dejeuner Sur L’Herbe 1862 (painting) Wicked Halo, online (2011) Available at:http://www. wicked-halo.com/2011/04/yves-saint-laurent-artistique.html [accessed 21/01/14] Fig 13 YSL S/S 99 Ad Campaign (digital photograph) Wicked Halo, online (2011) Available at:http://www.wickedhalo.com/2011/04/yves-saint-laurent-artistique.html [accessed 21/01/14] Fig 14 Dazed & Confused Visionaries launch (digital photograph) Business of Fashion, online (2013) Available at: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/11/with-new-launches-i-d-and-dazed-embrace-digital-age-dynamics.html [accessed 21/01/14] Fig 15 Dazed & Confused December issue 2013 (digital photograph) Business of Fashion, online (2013) Available at:http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/11/with-new-launches-i-d-and-dazed-embrace-digital-age-dynamics. html[accessed 21/01/14] Fig 16 Dazed Digital website 2014 (screen shot) [accessed 21/01/14] Fig 17 Magazine & Bookshop in Berlin 2014[own photograph] Fig 18, 19 Fashion Scan App 2014 [screen shot] Fig 20 Neil Barrett F/W 11 Ad Campaign (digital photograph) Homme Model, online (2011) Available at:http:// hommemodel.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/campaign-neil-barrett-fw11.html[accessed 21/01/14] Fig 21 Unisex the way of the future (digital photograph) Trend Reports, online (2013) Available at: http://www. trendreports.com/article/unisex-products [accessed 21/01/14] Fig 22 Rad Hourani Unisex Couture Collection N’9 (digital photograph) Rad Hourani, online Available at:http:// www.radhourani.com/pages/unisex-couture-rh-9 [accessed 21/01/14]
Bibliography Anonymous. 2013. The fall and rise of magazines from print to digital. [online] Available at: http://www. theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/mar/07/fall-rise-magazines-print-digital [Accessed: 11 Jan 2014]. Anonymous. 2011. Yves Saint Laurent Artistique. [online] Available at: http://www.wicked-halo.com/2011/04/yvessaint-laurent-artistique.html [Accessed: 8th Jan 2014]. Anonymous. 2013. Androgyny in fashion / androgynous style. [online] Available at: http://www.fashionising.com/ trends/b--androgyny-androgynous-fashion-22284.html [Accessed: 11 Jan 2014]. Braukamper, T. 2013. Androgyny in fashion / androgynous style. [online] Available at: http://www.fashionising. com/trends/b--androgyny-androgynous-fashion-22284.html#/gallery/collection/2 [Accessed: 9t Jan 2014]. Farthing, S. 2010. Art: The Whole Story. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd Kansara, V. 2013. With New Launches, i-D and Dazed Embrace Digital-Age Dynamics - BoF - The Business of Fashion. [online] Available at: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/11/with-new-launches-i-d-and-dazed-embrace-digitalage-dynamics.html [Accessed: 9 Jan 2014]. Leslie, J. 2013. The Modern Magazine: Visual Journalism in the Digital Era. London: Lawrence King Publishing. Lieu, A. 2013. “Gender is Performance” - Is Fashion Pioneering Equality in the Workplace?. [online] Available at: http://caleaders2013.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/gender-is-performance-is-fashion-pioneering-equality-in-theworkplace/ [Accessed: 8th Jan 2014]. Menkes, S. 2014. Crossing Gender Boundaries Ages. [online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/ fashion/In-London-Fashion-Crosses-the-Gender-Boundaries.html [Accessed: 19 Jan 2014].
Word count: 2,798 Word count with referencing: 6,797
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Appendix A Consent forms given to members taking part in the focus group
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Appendix B Transcription of Focus Group: Interviewer: I am Camilla Lewis and as part of my course Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Nottingham Trent University I am undertaking research into gender equality within the fashion industry. To enable me to answer my research questions I wish to talk to you about your opinions and views on whether unisex is the future of fashion and show you images from menswear fashion week to gain your opinion on the clothes. The focus group/interview will be a focused discussion and will take approximately 30 minutes. The discussion will be free flow, surrounding the images and topics being discussed. The focus group/interview will be recorded and transcribed, and should you want a copy of the transcription then please ask me and I will arrange for one to be sent to you. The information you give me will be used in support of my work and will be written up in my project. Anything you say will be treated with the strictest confidence and your contribution to the discussion will not be attributed to you as an individual, what you said will be used for illustration only; to reinforce a point that I am making. I will begin the discussion by asking you a couple of questions. When I say the word androgynous, what does it mean to you? Ellie: It means you can’t quite tell if its a girl or a boy, they just look like a human Lily: Yeah, blurred lines Interviewer: So when you think of it, do you associate it with a particular sex? Ellie: I think of a thing Interviewer: Are you aware of it within fashion as a tend? Lily: Yeah Ellie: Yeah Alice: No Lily: From seeing Andrej Pejic I discovered that there are a lot of male models that look feminine Caroline: I see more of it as guys looking feminine Interviewer: Do you think of it as transexuals, men dressing up as women? Alice: No Ellie: No Lily: No, I think of it as someone who has a face where you can’t really tell which sex they are, they’re not trying to be one or the other Caroline: I don’t think of them having the body parts, I just see them as an exterior Ellie: Actually no, I do see them as someone who is dressing up as one or the other once I know what gender they are
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Interviewer: Ok, so do you think there is gender equality within fashion? Ellie: Yes, there are female models and male models - the fashion industry needs both sides of it Caroline: Well it depends how many female models are out there compared to male models, when I think of fashion I think of women, I don’t think of men’s clothes Alice: As a woman I’m more likely to look up to a female model than a male, I only know a handful of male models Ellie: Do men look up to male models? I don’t really think they do Alice: Not in the same way, can’t see them looking up to catwalk models but can editorial models Ellie: yeah I agree Interviewer: What do you think of it outside models though, more about male fashion trends? Lily: I don’t think there are as many options Alice/Ellie/Caroline: Yeah no I don’t think there is Alice: I feel like the same trends come around Lily: shopping for men is much more boring Ellie: I don’t think there are trends Lily: There are trends but you’re not aware of them obviously Interviewer: Ok, I’m going to show you some photos, men’s fashion week is currently going on, for the past year there has been a trend with the designer J.W. Anderson and he is encorporating the androgynous through menswear as this has been a trend in womenswear for many seasons now with oversized coats and boyfriend jeans. Anderson has done menswear inspired by womenswear. The first photo is the more extreme one, I’d like to know your initial reaction and opinion. How do you feel about a man in a leather dress?
Ellie: The first thing I think is why is that man wearing a leather dress? Caroline: Same, I’m aware of his pants Lily: I think I’d like that to be more accepted, incase boys wanted to wear that but felt they weren’t allowed to or frowned upon, It would be nice for them to feel like they could if they wanted to. I do obviously still think it’s strange because you obviously do see anything like that Ellie: It’s engrained in us that girls wear skirts and men wear trousers Interviewer: But then what if I showed you a picture of a gladiator wearing a similar style of dress?
Ellie: It looks more manly because he’s holding a sword Lily: That looks very manly Alice: A lot of catwalk pieces are edited before going into retail, compared to what you see on the runway as they are the extremes, I feel like I could see it - I have friends that wear a denim dungarees dress over jeans and a shirt. This is an extreme with bare legs Ellie: Men wear kilts Interviewer: Outside of fashion, men wear dresses everyday. In religions suck as Muslim and Hindu and it isn’t frowned upon or seen as weird, though when you see it on the runway, it triggers something and this is what I’m trying to understand why? Caroline: I think seeing the image of the man in the leather dress was shocking because the dress was really short as well Ellie: It’s just something you don’t see, I haven’t see that before on the runway like shaved legs Lily: you have to get females to accept that kind of thing though because at the end of the day men want to impress women and they want women to fancy them but we wouldn’t necessarily find them attractive looking so feminine Ellie: everyone needs to play up to their genders Alice: Guys like masculine girls, they like it when they dress not like a man but tom boyish, I know loads of guys that prefer that over an overtly feminine girl
Interview: Another designer, Rad Hourani, who believes in genderless and seasonless clothes. The range isn’t for a particular season being spring/summer or autumn/winter he creates them for when he feels appropriate. He does the show so that the men and the women are dressed exactly the same, styled the same to make it genderless.
Ellie: That’s cool, I like that because the clothes don’t really determine whether they’re female or male - it just literally is clothes and it looks good on all of them Interviewer: How do you feel about unisex clothes? Ellie: Yeah I like them Interviewer: Men and women can both wear skinny jeans and a t-shirt but where do you think the line gets drawn? Lily: I think unisex clothes should still be on offer for people who wanted to wear them but I don’t think it should be forced upon people, told they have to look the same because people do want to look different and be individual but it would be nice if it was available Caroline: I think high heels would scare me Alice: I like it in black and white, I think colour it would be so easy to get it wrong Ellie: Yeah you associate certain colours with certain genders Alice: Yeah which I don’t think we should because it’s not as if we wear pink and flowers all the time but I think it works really well in black and white and a lot of the skin is covered. The problem with the other one is that there was a lot of skin on show *all agree* Ellie: The first one was very shocking Lily: The first one was an extreme but I think it was to prove a point Interviewer: Do you think fashion has taken a step back and become more reserved compared to the 80’s with David Bowie and all the make up, all being accepted? Men and women had the creative freedom to wear whatever they wanted whereas now it’s frowned upon for men to where make up Lily: Even Lady Gaga who is crazy crazy and extreme, so unique and the only who does that, some people hate her because she dresses like that, I wish it was more accepted - I think it has taken a step back
Ellie: There’s make up brands for men now though aren’t there? Lily: Yeah Ellie: it’s a taboo Caroline: You associate it with gay guys don’t you, you wouldn’t expect to see a rugged man with foundation on Ellie: But why shouldn’t a man wear concealer? Lily: I think it’s really unfair that boys can’t wear concealer Alice: I feel like we wear concealer because the industry tells us to because we have to be beautiful, whereas some boys don’t think that and don’t take care of their image maybe if they did have more idols that did take care of their image or were aware of more males wearing make up Interviewer: Do you think there’s less attention on the male sex? Ellie: Yeah because you expect them to be as they are Caroline: Yeah definitely Alice: Yeah I feel more trends are focused on women to be more individual and unique, this and that I don’t know maybe it’s just because I’m a girl and don’t notice it, there’s not that much on for guys to be different and accepted Caroline: If you’re a guy, it’s either you’re attractive or you’re not and that’s it, there’s nothing accepted for them to improve, they can work out and that seems to be their only option for what they can do Interviewer: Lily had previously mentioned Andrej Pejic, the male model who models for womenswear, including walking the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier Womenswear along with numerous editorial and advertising campaigns. Here are a couple of images of him, posing as both a man and a woman, if I showed you this image without you being aware that he was a man and then told you he was - do you think your opinion would have changed?
Ellie: My opinion didn’t change but my opinion was that ‘oh he’s a man, he looks good’ didn’t think any differently of the picture.
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Lily: I’d be more curious about what the shoot was for, what he was selling that changes things maybe Interviewer: so how would you feel about it if he was used to model womenswear for a high street brand like Topshop for example? Ellie: it would be cool, I wouldn’t mind Caroline: I don’t think it would make much of a difference because there are so many different body types that there would be women who have his figure, so it’s not as if he’s not the typical size of say a size 8
Ellie: I think he would be recognised and seen though as that man who can pass of as a woman rather than just being another model Alice: Yeah I think he would get judged but then also get looked up at both women and men could relate to him. He would be a good role model for a unisex brand Interviewer: There’s now talks of Victoria Secrets hiring the first transgender model to walk for the shows, how do you feel about that? Lily: If she’s full-op I don’t see how that is a problem *all agree* Alice: if she fits the requirements of the other angels and looked the part then I don’t see why it would be something that people would have a problem with Lily: I don’t want to be judgmental but if it was a transgender women that did still have a penis then it wouldn’t work for me as she would be selling the underwear though it wouldn’t fit correctly Ellie: if it’s a woman’s lingerie then why would a man be wearing that? Caroline: The issue wouldn’t be if he didn’t have any boobs as many women are flat chested, it’s the penis that would be the problem *all agree* Interviewer: I’m going to show you Yves Saint Laurent’s S/S 99 Advertising campaign where the images are referencing famous paintings though switching around the gender roles. How do you feel about this image comparing it to the painting?
Lily: I think it’s sending a really positive message, the eye is drawn to Kate Moss regardless to the fact there are two naked men in the centre. Ellie: I think it shows us a lot of what fashion adverts are like in today’s industry, women are normally posing naked with fully clothed men - the reality is the original painting Alice: Yeah I think a lot of adverts over sexualise women definitely Interviewer: Do you think the advert is successful? *all agree: yes* Lily: I really really like it, it makes you take a step back and see that it isn’t right that the men are naked but then women are constantly naked in fashion and that isn’t right Caroline: yeah I like that the eye still focuses on the girl regardless to what’s going on around her Ellie: it sends a very powerful message
Interviewer: Ok thank you very much for answering those questions, that’s the end of the questions on this section.
Appendix C Part 2
Interviewer: Do any of you still buy magazines? Ellie: No Alice: sometimes Lily: Yes but I wish I bought more Caroline: I don’t Interviewer: Is it a money issue? *all agree: Yes* Interviewer: Do you to save money and out of ease get your information online? *all agree: yes* Ellie: It’s quicker, more accessible and it’s at your finger tips Interviewer: If a brand was online as well as offline and you knew they printed off exclusive information or material in the magazine which they were withholding from online, would you be persuaded to buy it? Caroline: It depends what it would be about, it would have to be something that I was interested in, exclusive interviews or something Lily: it would have to be something or someone that I absolutely love and religiously had been involved with though If it was something that I just needed momentarily for a piece of research I would just get it online Alice: If it was about a celebrity, it would be elsewhere, it would have to be selected for just that magazine, that would be the only reason why I would buy it Ellie: The only reason why I would buy a magazine is if it was exquisitely beautiful and I would cherish it forever and hold it, you can’t get that experience of a really nice magazine online Interviewer: So you like the experience of having a physical magazine? Lily: It’s nice to look back on *all agree* Lily: you’re not going to be able to find that webpage again but you’ve got the nice magazine to refer to Alice: I like with magazine that when you buy it for some reason, you read the whole thing because it’s there and you’ve bought it whereas with the internet I only read what I want to read. I would never come across something and waste my time reading it if it wasn’t something I was interested in. You can pick and choose online. Interviewer: if you all owned iPad’s and there was a magazine you wanted to buy, would you buy it on there out of ease or would you still go out and buy the magazine? Ellie: if it was the same price I would rather have the magazine *all agree: yeah if it was the same price*
Kaz: If the iPad version was £1.50 and the print £3.00, I wouldn’t feel the justification of paying £1.50 to just slide your finger on a screen because it’s effectively what you do on a website for free, I’d rather pay the extra and get the magazine Alice: if it was cheaper I’d rather get the iPad version over not getting anything Ellie: magazines are so expensive these days Interviewer: The prices are increasing as the sales go down Ellie: it’s the same with books, a beautiful book can never be replaced by an eBook Interviewer: The sales of books went down by £74million in 2012 Ellie: Oh my god Caroline: Jesus Lily: That is so sad Caroline: I still prefer reading a physical book Lily: I’ve never read an eBook all agree they haven’t read an eBook* Caroline: When reading a book I like seeing how much left of it you have to read, it adds to the whole experience of it whereas you miss all of that with reading a book on a tablet. Though it is annoying when you go on holiday and if you want to take three books with you they take up so much space Lily: if I was going on holiday I might, if I wanted to read 3 books then I would consider it but If I was jusst at home, theres no benefit I don’t think Alice: yeah on a long holiday Ellie: with eBooks, you’re paying money for something you can’t physically hold, you don’t own it. What happens if all electricity went, you wouldn’t have that thing anymore. You can’t gather that experience. Interviewer: That’s so true, it can so easily be lost Lily: You can’t pass it down or lend it to anyone Alice: My family friends always gives us their books and write notes in it, which you obviously wouldn’t be able to do with a tablet Caroline: So that’s the same with magazines because if you read something online, you would completely forget about it because it’s not there but with a magazine you can show your friends Ellie: most magazines are disposable, gossip magazines Alice: there’s heat online now and the daily mail, if you just wanted to get a quick fix of celebrity gossip you would just go online to read it rather than pay £2 for a printed version, especially once a week, so much happens in a day now so they’re losing their purpose. I would never buy a trashy magazine, if I was to buy one it would be Elle or Cosmopolitan, depending on who’s in it because I check daily mail and I already know what’s happening Ellie: online is quicker information, what if you’re trapped somewhere with no signal or internet, you can be so easily disconnected. Everyone is so heavily dependent on social media and their phones that the moment they’re out of it they don’t know how to function, it’s really sad. Interview: Thank you everyone for taking part.