Sian Barlow - Portfolio
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being human. x
having freedom. open to new things. emotionally connected with others. adapt to change. not everyone has a happy day. your personality comes out in your style. touch. smell. see. taste. centre of our universe. being confident in your own skin.
introduction. In this project, I explored what I think being human means in this society for the 20 something audience. ASOS suited this theme well with their target demographic, as well as their purpose of ʻgiving their audience the confidence to be whoever they want to beʼ. I planned, analysed, styled, shot and controlled all of the creative direction myself. My shoots centered around the ideas of community, nonconformity and confidence; and their roles in the growth of human beings.
Sian Barlow - Portfolio
This was a project for Pavillion Books (The Batsford Prize 2019) around the idea of ʻBeing Humanʼ. What constitutes being human?
BE YOU. what does that mean? “to portray your genuine emotions.” “not caring about what others think of me as long as I am happy with myself.” “feeling confident enough around the people I’m with to act and speak without thinking.” “individual.” “to be natural and confident and to not put on a fake persona or conform to others.” “to be completely content and happy with the person you are. as hard as this can be, it’s a growth process. to be YOU is to be completely fulfilled within yourself.”
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“embrace insecurities.” “no retouching online.” “using colour to represent mood.”
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concept.
F-R-E-E-D-O-M
in collaboration with
Sian Barlow - Portfolio
“ giving people the confidence
to be whoever they want to be. - asos’ purpose
WHAT’S THE RELEVANCE?
ASOS are a 19 year old unique, multi-platform experience that truly resonates with the people who use it, because it’s built by them. It’s a place to develop your own style and be inspired… and, of course, to shop. They have a strong sense of purpose – giving people the confidence to be whoever they want to be. ASOS are currently an online retailer - no brick and mortar shops. They are taking over the online market, selling their own branded clothing (ASOS DESIGN, EDITION, MADE IN KENYA, WHITE, SUPPLY, 4505, COLLUSION) and other retailers clothing. They can be found at asos.com. They’re so relevant in todays society because they encourage their 20 something audience to present their own style and be confident in the skin they are in.
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ASOS are relevant to this brief because ‘being human’ is about nonconfirmity and to be ‘you’. ASOS have a very similiar purpose and approach, encouraging their 20 something audience to be them - individual and implement their own style when buying clothes. This is why Asos have an array of brands so it meets everyones interests. I have used Asos clothing to represent the collaboration.
NO RETOUCHING.
brand research.
BOLD COLOUR.
.bold colours .graphic prints = embracing one to be who they want to be.
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‘Lazy Oaf create irrevant streetwear clothing for men and women, indpired by Youth Nostalgia, teenage rebellion and a spirit of non conformity.’
“
in a world of filters and retouching apps knowing what’s real and what isn’t can be almost impossible. when we retouch pictures, we try to stay true to the identity of the person we’re working with. we like to keep scars, moles, cellulites and all the small, but beautiful things that make us into the stunning, unique humans that we are. - Monki
concept. WHAT DO SEEDS NEED TO GROW?
WHAT DO HUMANS NEED TO GROW?
evolve. grow. turn into a beautiful t hing.
community. noncomformity. confidence.
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water. correct temperature. good soil location.
FREE ST YLE. trend research.
MENS AW 19/20: 01 Successful brands think outside the box: subversive and unexpected products and activations resonate with consumers searching for something more. 02 Appreciation for uniqueness drives statement dressing: hyper-informed consumers seek collections that afford them a chance to celebrate their own individuality.
WOMENS AW 19/20: 01 Glamour will be on the rise: a growing appetite for dressing up is noted. 02 Streetwear takes on a global aesthetic: unexpected pairings feel sophisticated. Be brave and become your own stylist, mixing and matching subcultures to make new styles. 03 Subvert the classics: disrupted. Opt for contrasting colour-pairings to elevate traditional checks.
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04 Menswear is the new womenswear: Free Style’s subversive nature is heavily influenced by rising menswear-focused cult youth brands. 05 Don’t forget the basics: a basic set of essentials is just as important. Look to colour-blocking in bold primary tones.
03 Irony is used to create ‘meme’ fashion: through meticulous incorporation of pop culture motifs, brands increase their chances of ‘going viral’ among youth consumers. 04 Streetwear grows up: streetwear becomes more sophisticated, further blurring the line between itself and traditional menswear.
justification. PART 1 community.
WHY HAVE YOU USED ‘ORDINARY’ PEOPLE? For this project, I have used ‘ordinary’ people, going against the norm, because I felt like anyone can be a model. You don’t need to be a model in order to be confident and represent freedom. This whole concept is about embracing beauty and saying that anyone and everyone is beautiful, not just models. In addition, Asos have started using ‘ordinary’ people with stretch marks and curvier models, so I want to stick to that and not take it away from the brand.
For this shoot, I have made sure both the models wear the same outfits to represent community. The outfits are casual, fitting in with the ‘basketball theme’ but also relating to the free style trend of womenswear being more masculine.
PART 2 noncomformity. For this shoot, I have used clothing in different ways to show that you can wear anything that you want and you’re still beautiful.
PART 3 confidence. For this shoot, I have made sure the male model is wearing womens clothing and the female model is wearing menswear. I’ve still made sure there is that connection there still by having them wearing the same trousers. As you can see with the final images, you can’t really tell a very manly man is wearing womens clothing.
COLOUR PALETTE.
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The colour palette for this project are the primary colours. I’ve also added in neutral colours to separate the boldness, so the main focus isn’t necessarily the colours but also the people and what they’re doing. It’s based around the trend - free style.
PART 1 community. community noun 1. the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common. "the sense of community that organized religion can provide"
location. .basketball court .community .team work .work together
creative direction.
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friends and peers will stick by you and your uniqueness / ‘team work makes the dream work’
creative direction. no rules on how you wear your clothes / what you wear.
PART 2 noncomformity. nonconformity noun 1. failure or refusal to conform to a prevailing rule or practice. “youngsters are rejecting rebellion and nonconformity in favour of becoming ‘model citizens’”
.fields .by a tree .trees grow in a nonconforming way.
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location.
PART 3 confidence. noun confidence 1. the feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something. “we had every confidence in the staff” synonyms: trust, belief, faith, credence, conviction;
creative direction.
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wear what you want to wear = embrace it / wear womens clothes if you’re a male.
location. .fields .countryside .free space
being human. x
community.
Photograph, Styling, Creative direction by Sian Barlow. Clothing by Asos.
conf idence.
noncomformity.
With Asos have such a wide range of brands, this brand became relevant to my interpretation of ‘being human.’ Asos are all about being free and being a shopping platform relating any gender with any type of fashion sense. Overall, this worked well as it has meant that we have been able to represent the idea of being ‘free’, with our three human needs.
Sian Barlow - Portfolio
final images: