checkout magazine by Rose Monaghan

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THE ISOL ATION IS SUE

EDITO RS the isolation issue This issue is a reflection on how students are spending their time during the lockdown and how they are using it to be creative. This is reflected majorly in our main feature article, an interview with foundation student Weimin Li who is the cover star for this issue. This facetime interview was extremely fun as Weimin is such a creative and passionate individual, although there was difficulty doing this via facetime it was really enjoyable and more like a conversation rather than an interview. This interview is definitely my favourite part of this issue. Also, throughout the magazine, we have beauty advice for staying at home, the essential items you need for going out during the lockdown and plenty of style inspiration for you to discover, especially sustainable fashion and style from brands such as Wasted LA. This issue is full of tips on how to get through the lockdown still keeping your creativity flowing. I trust this issue will give you some inspiration for your studies, inventiveness and originality. I hope you enjoy â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the isolation issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as much as I did making it.

N O T E

R. Monaghan

@rosemonaghan_ rose.monaghan@checkoutmag.com

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weimin li an interview with weimin li on being innovative and creative during lockdown and what he believes the future of the creative industry will look like.

tudent life has tremendously changed over the last few months, where studying from home has become the norm. Many students have travelled home to be with their families, but how are they adapting to their new environment to study and be creative with limited access to things such as specific resources and facilities to help with their studies. Weimin Li, a foundation student at Ravensbourne University in London, has been adjusting to working from home. He considers himself ‘“loud and fun” and has been taking new measures to be creative while coping with the lockdown regulations. The COVID 19 pandemic has meant that the majority of people have had more time on their hands, the 19-year-old has used his extra time to be more creative and try new methods and techniques for his work. Weimin has such a unique visual identity, however, he aligns himself with the major fashion house Gucci, he finds it difficult to be unique, Weimin claims “I feel like I am just copying their aesthetic and taking from them, I realised I always liked things like that and Gucci represents that in a brand of the things I like”. Weimin’s style doesn’t just take influence from Gucci but ‘biblical imagery’ has a huge impact on himself as a creative. “I grew up not surrounded by Christianity, it was not in my life. Where did I get that from? Why do I like biblical imagery so much? And I was like ‘oh it’s all the anime I watch!’” Weimin explained, growing up he indulged in watching anime where they use a variety of biblical references, this has inspired him and shines through within his work. Also, Weimin claims he is “obsessed with old victorian clothes” which can be seen in his work, many aspects of the past

can be seen in his photography, sets and stylish outfits he has put together. He aspires to be a stylist which I personally believe will suit him very much. Lockdown has impacted all of us where many brands have had to adapt to being mainly online and working from home. Highstreet fashion brands such as Zara and Urban Outfitters have adapted to this where they have not been able to do professional photo shoots. Instead, they have sent clothes to models where they have had to do their own photoshoots in their homes. Weimin has been inspired by the at-home photoshoot and has successfully produced some amazing images from being original and experimental. “I had to make a lot of props and stuff, I would make more props if I had more resources I would try and build a set if I had more resources,” Weimin says, he has high expectations for his work and is always pushing ideas and concepts forward to create extremely unique outcomes in his work. He considers himself “too much of a perfectionist”, however having this extra time has benefitted his work. “I have more time to think about what I’m doing…I have so much time it helps me refine… I can make everything more solid”. Despite having more time to make things better, there are many other limitations. When lockdown first started it put many students in negative place regarding their University work, with a variety of different limitations on different types of students. Creative students rely a lot on multiple platforms and facilities to get their work done for example drama students, art students and fashion students. Weimin, a fashion student, struggled at the beginning, he claimed: “when lockdown first happened, I thought I can’t do anything I cant do what I want to do, I don’t have accessories, models,

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“take advantage of this time to collaborate”

clothes and things like that”. However, Weimin has had to be resourceful like many other students and have taken inspiration from brands such as Zara and Urban Outfitters. “Using a lamp as lighting and taping paper around it to make it more of a spotlight, using things around you, using bedsheets” Weimin has been using anything he can get his hands on at home to produce a potential set and stylish outcomes. Weimin very much follows the ‘more is more aesthetic’ which is potentially an influence from the biblical imagery he adores and reflects often within his work. Another change to the life a creative foundation student is using models that you don’t have access too. Weimin has been inspired by many photographers who have taken to doing online photoshoots on zoom. “At first I thought ‘what a rubbish idea’ as its just a screenshot on your screen, but recently I saw the works of Eliza Veta Porodina”. Weimin became inspired from her shoots on zoom “if you see her zoom shoots you wouldn’t think they were shot on zoom, I thought if she could do that I could probably do something on zoom as well” Weimin claimed. He has some zoom shoots lined up with a model from France who he hasn’t even met yet, he will be meeting her for the first time via facetime. “I don’t have a concept, I don’t have an idea, I can’t have one not knowing what resources I will have access too, I will have to facetime her and see what resources she will have,” Weimin said. It is hard to prepare and plan a shoot online as you are behind a screen and not physically there which makes it difficult to make decisions and get the right concept and look the director is going for. Weimin claims it will be difficult on facetime “telling the model how to build the set, what angle they should be at, how to pose and get certain lighting” it will be a challenge but it is something new to try during this time. Weimin suggests that people should “take advantage of this time to collaborate with people in

online spaces” and that other struggling students should attempt this. As there has been a heavy reliance on online spaces, social media and technology during the pandemic, this could potentially have an impact on the creative industry as a whole in the future. Will the creative industry move completely online? The future of the creative industry is quite unclear, student Weimin Li believes that the creative industry “could have gone online before this even happened but it didn’t because creativity is an experience… I don’t think the creative industry will ever move completely online”. He spoke about the fashion industry with regards to being a physical experience “fashion shows happen to see how the garment moves and how they really are for buyers”. However, Weimin does believe that “this situation will push it further towards that direction” focusing on technology. Some big fashion houses are now not having shows, they just have a lookbook online. Weimin has felt the effects of the pandemic as his exhibition for his final pieces from his foundation course will be in an online exhibition, which will be extremely different from a physical exhibition. Many other students have probably felt the effects of the pandemic specifically third-year students who will not get to finish their last term at University. Right now the future for the creative industry and creative students may seem unclear but with time things will soon go back to normal. Currently, as students its time to not “beat yourself up if you don’t have the motivation, you might get a spark or vision to do something, then go for it” Weimin encourages. Rose Monaghan @rosemonaghan_ rose.monaghan@checkoutmag.com

Photography and styling by Weimin Li. Model: Weimin Li.

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THE LOCKD OWN ESSENTI ALS

Louis Vuitton earrings, £225

louis vuitton teaches us what essential items we need this summer.

ith lockdown in place, it has become difficult to make an effort putting an ensemble together. But with summer fast approaching and lockdown regulations gradually relaxing it is now the time to get your hands on your summer essentials that will jazz up any outfit. Louis Vuitton teaches us that all we really need right now is the correct accessories to enhance our look. The luxury brand provides us with all of the essential items we need. Having the right bag that goes with every outfit is imperative, the classic Louis Vuitton bag is the perfect fit, with its recognisable pattern and colour palette there’s no doubt that you’ll get noticed. Its the perfect size for your necessities and most definitely puts emphasis on your outfit, its ideal for social distancing drinks and walks to the shops. With every bag is a matching purse and you cannot have the bag without the purse, just like you can’t have one sock without the other, these two accessories come in a pair. The purse like the bag is the best fit for your items, as it has multiple spaces to put your money and cards into. These quintessential accessories are imperative for your summer wardrobe and will truly last you a lifetime. To complete the look, the classic gold hoop is all you need. The statement earrings will brighten up any outfit and will have a huge impact on your overall look.

Louis Vuitton packaging

Louis Vuitton bag, £375

With these three lockdown essentials, you’ll have your summer wardrobe ready in no time. Shop Louis Vuitton from home online at www.louisvuitton.com

Louis Vuitton purse, £150, and other products

skin obsessions

the skincare products you need to look after your skin during isolation.

Mario Badescu facial spray with aloe, cucumber and green tea, £7. Enzyme cleansing gel, £13.

oday there is a huge pressure for everyone and particularly young people to have perfect, flawless skin, but this just isn’t reachable or real. It is perfectly normal to have spots, scars and blackheads. Don’t beat yourself up if your skin isn’t how you want it to be as having perfect skin is not real. With lockdown in place, it has given a lot of us much more time to perfect our skincare regime. Student Hannah Obie at Cambridge University said: “Although I’m using the same products my skin has been awful during lockdown I can’t seem to get rid of any spots”. Being a student can be hard in general, but keeping up with a skincare routine can be hard with everything else going on. Lockdown has given students much more time to have a skincare regime. Testing out some new products during lockdown might be a good solution.

Mario Badescu is the perfect skincare brand to try out. Mario Badescu’s products are affordable and longlasting. The brand specialises in skincare, their products contain high-quality ingredients to create the perfect formula for a variety of skin types. Two essential products from their collection are the facial spray with aloe, cucumber and green tea and their enzyme cleansing gel. Adding these two products to your skincare regime could make you feel more confident and should teach you to embrace your insecurities as no one’s skin is perfect. They sadly don’t have the ability to airbrush and remove scars, but they can make you feel more comfortable in your skin and more yourself. Mario Badescu’s products are perfect for preparing your skin for the heat of the summer and to test out in lockdown.

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sustainable fashion Wasted LA takes on fast fashion.

The brand Wasted LA are challenging fast fashion. Their clothes depicted in these images only use upcycled materials such as carrier bags and contact lens cases which create one of a kind wearable pieces. Not only are their pieces sustainable but also extremely stylish. Fast fashion is a huge issue within the fashion industry and needs to be addressed. By creating clothes only using upcycled materials will help the matter tremendously. According to fashion revolution, 300,000 tons of used clothes go to a landfill every year which is a staggering amount for just one year. Not only does this create a massive amount of waste, but the clothes do not decompose for many years. A polyester dress could take over 200 years to decompose. Will. I. Am claims that “waste isn’t waste until we waste it”. Wasted LA has made use of this and has used materials that would normally be considered waste into beuatiful pieces of clothing. Photography and clothes by brand Wasted LA. @wastedla

DESIGNING LIKE A

N EW WA V E CRE A TI V E

Want to be a designer? Want to build up your portfolio? Here is the super-easy way to design like one of The British Fashion Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2019 new wave creatives. Amy friend, a set designer and new wave creative is an inspiring individual to look up to too create your own fashion photoshoots at home during the lockdown. All you need is to gather resources and things you have at home to create a close to professional set for a photo shoot. Some useful props to include in your shoot would be pegs, tape, washing line and some bedsheets to create a perfect backdrop and scene for your photography. Then all you need is to use objects at home or even make your own props for some personal and original outcomes. For example using cardboard, paper and different materials and making something of your own could create some really interesting outcomes with your set. This is a brilliant way to keep creative during the lockdown. The new wave creatives are a great resource to use as inspiration to be creative. Make the most out of this time at home and be resourceful.

FASHION

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