Here's one to mobilise you all! Believing fashion to be political in its sheer ability to communicate, Nick Knight has conceived of a multi-level project, encouraging creatives to use the medium of fashion to convey their political beliefs, agendas and thoughts. From the beginning of December 2007, the first stage of 'Political Fashion Films' invites you to submit a film of between 30 seconds and 3 minutes that articulates some kind of political point -be it an ideological platitude or a petty grudge- using fashion. Inkeeping with previous film seasons 'Moving Fashion' Editing Fashion', in February 2008, this invitation will be opened up to a wide selection of fashion industry, art world and celebrity figures, whose Political Fashion Films will also be broadcast on the SHOWstudio website, one-per-day. The end of the project will be marked by a screening event to be held in London during Spring 2008.
In the meantime, we look forward to seeing your views! To help you get your thinking caps on, take a look at Nick Knight's film brief and transcript and in addition, here are a couple of stimulus press images of the 'outrage' caused by Christian Dior's New Look in 1947, sent to us by Stephen Jones with reference to this project. Stephen tells us that these were in fact staged - how lucky are we to have such an esteemed and knowledgeable picture researcher?
View this blog entry >Wonderful Project !!!! ... FREE THINKING ..... YES ! .... cannot wait to see the political views and statements to be presented with Fashion as a medium doing its part !...
Love the eloquent and beautifully stylish ' film brief and transcript' .... great thinking!
Knick says that he thinks it's absurd that people's fashion imagery is given so much exposure, and yet this is not used to transmit their political views. How has Knick got his views across in his photos?
I am meaning to reply to your comment on beauty GU, but need to give it some thought.
about time. I'm kinda tierd of all this model/muse-stuff, but this project will be interesting, even though it can become really lame (remember those "dior, not war"-tshirts?)
I hope you invite scandinavian designers like Siv Støldal and Ann Sofie Back.
Two thoughts/question to share. I'm not sure I'll find time to build a script around these themes, so whoever this may inspire is welcome.
One: Fashion - the pants, the flat shoes ... - have revolutionized women's life in the 20th century. These days, it feels we're going backwards - especially with shoes. As it's almost impossible to walk with these balenciaga and others pumps, it means we have to stand like statues or dolls.
What does this politically say about feminine condition?
Second - and last for today: when magazines only feature shoes or pants worth more than an average american's paycheck, is fashion aware it's contributing to the overall economic crisis by not considering middle-class?
