& Other Stories

Digital marketing campaigns and short fashion films are now a default medium of communication and promotion for both high-end and high-street brands. If the Polaroid-style, documentary-like teaser film named 'Shoes & Other Stories' is anything to go by, the new upmarket womenswear line to be launched by H&M for spring 2013 is set to be highly covetable. Watch the story below... 

Acknowledging that shoes, bags, jewellery, lingerie and beauty products are key elements of styling, the '& Other Stories' collection will focus on details; creating a whole look and inspiring a fashion story. I am immersed in the effortless Parisian feel of the campaign film; unexpected, ambiguous and beautiful.    

From design studios in Paris and Stockholm, the lines will range from masculine tailoring to feminine chic, providing endless styling choices for the discerning, modern woman. Similarly to H&M's successful sister brand COS, the collection is expected to promote ‘lasting wardrobe treasures’ endorsing sustainability, attention to detail and quality at affordable price points.

Little about the collection has been revealed as yet, however the mood board above conveys a minimal, nostalgic feel and inspirational images on the Tumblr page heighten the sense of mystery; piecing together delicate fragments of a captivating story.

What is Beauty? Photographic Exhibition at NTU

The end of term is always an incredibly busy time, and the last few weeks have been very busy but also very exciting, as I have recently assisted in organising a photographic exhibition to showcase the recent work of fashion communication and promotion students at Nottingham Trent University.

Working to a brief of 'What is Beauty?' our main body of work this term has focussed on initiating behaviour change within fashion communication and promotion across different areas of the industry. Considering beauty from different perspectives and celebrating how uniqueness and diversity can enhance creativity, our thought-provoking exhibition challenges conventional notions of beauty in modern society.  

Starting with a historical reference point, and with the help of talented photographers Miguel Torena and Adrian Ashmore, we created photographs which convey strong messages that beauty is not one-dimensional but that it is open to individual interpretation. The collection of images we produced are extremely thought-provoking as they explore a variety of topics such as disability, race, age and body shape in order to promote greater self-esteem and acceptance.

 

Living in a media age where we are constantly bombarded with artificial media images portraying unrealistic, digitally constructed ideals of perfection, it is refreshing to view images which do not conform to conventional ideals of beauty but instead transgress aesthetics to portray the eclecticism of beauty in its most genuine and personal form. The variety of images in the exhibition are indicative of the multi-faceted reality of beauty and suggest that 'so-called' unconventional and imperfect beauty should be embraced and not discriminated against.

The exhibition opening event was a perfect opportunity for students to meet together before the Christmas break to see their work displayed in the gallery whilst indulging in a glass of wine and a mince pie (or two, or three...) The exhibition itself provides a chance to reflect on perceptions of beauty from different perspectives, presenting a poignant collection of work which embodies the elusive, controversial yet captivating nature of beauty.    

 

   

The exhibition is open until 5pm Friday 14th December in the Waverley Gallery at NTU.

All amateur snapshots above are my own and show a small selection of work exhibited in the gallery by NTU FCP2 students.

Thank you to everyone who contributed!