NIL Publication Inspiration

Every year at GFW, each university creates a publication showcasing the work of the students. The Arts University Bournemouth’s publication is called NIL (Not in London).

Bournemouth Show Hair; Scissors

Last year, Scissors, a hair dressers in Bournemouth, sponsored the Bournemouth show and provided all of the equipment and stylists to put together the hair and hair designs for the catwalk.

This year, the salon chain are willing to do the same thing. This works perfectly for both parties involved, it doesn’t cost the Arts University any further money when it comes to hair and it works to promote the event through the hairdressers. The hairdressers get to showcase their work and will walk away with a portfolio of images of the creations as well as their brand being printed onto the tickets, social media etc.

Mia, the head of Scissors, is also very interested in helping supply kidswear models for the show.

Goody Bag Sponsors

So far for the GFW AUB goodie bags, I have contacted 4 companies who have agreed to sponsor us, this is a wonderful start to putting together our VIP Goodie bags. Although it is hard to find products who are willing and in keeping with our theme and the message we want to portray to the viewers, our sponsors have been brilliant so far in understand our date needs as well as our colour theme.

1. Monochrome Lollipops

The Pink Sweet shop have kindly agreed to provide us with our own black and white vintage look swirl lollipops.

2. Palmers Skincare Samples

Palmer’s have agreed to send us some of their skin care products:

“A rich, creamy lotion made from pure Cocoa Butter enriched with Vitamin E, this classic product is an advanced moisturiser that softens, smooths and relieves skin.

Luxurious yet affordable, this iconic beauty classic has been a cult favourite world-wide for generations. An everyday essential, Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Body Lotion bathes the skin in moisture.”

3. Scheckter’s Organic Energy Drinks

Scheckter’s Organic Energy Drinks have kindly donated cans for our goodie bags:

“The flavour of Scheckter’s OrganicEnergy comes from a mix of organic Sicilian lemon juice,
Eastern Mediterranean organic pomegranate juice and organic elderberry juice from Central Europe.

The organic lemon juice also acts as a natural preservative but because this makes the drink a bit tart, we add a little raw cane sugar (in Scheckter’s Original)
or agave nectar (in Scheckter’s LITE) to create a pleasant taste.

To provide you a sustained energy boost without the crash we use our OrganicEnergy blend of raw green coffee beans,
Brazilian guarana, green tea and ginseng.”

4. Tea Pigs Tea Bags

Tea Pigs have donated some of their delicious sample tea bags to our goodie bags:

1 Year of Culture; Review

I have decided that, for the review section of my blog series, to write a read and review a recently released book based on 1966.

Jon Savage, author of England’s Dreaming and the History of the Sex Pistols, has written a book, released in November, “1966-The Year the Decade Exploded”.

The pop world accelerated and broke through the sound barrier in 1966. In America, in London, in Amsterdam, in Paris, revolutionary ideas slow-cooking since the late ’50s reached boiling point. In the worlds of pop, pop art, fashion and radical politics — often fueled by perception-enhancing substances and literature — the ‘Sixties’, as we have come to know them, hit their Modernist peak. A unique chemistry of ideas, substances, freedom of expression and dialogue across pop cultural continents created a landscape of immense and eventually shattering creativity. After 1966 nothing in the pop world would ever be the same. The 7 inch single outsold the long-player for the final time. It was the year in which the ever lasting and transient pop moment would burst forth in its most articulate, instinctive and radical way.

Jon Savage’s 1966 is a monument to the year that shaped the pop future of the balance of the century. Exploring canonical artists like The Beatles, The Byrds, Velvet Underground, The Who and The Kinks,1966 also goes much deeper into the social and cultural heart of the decade through unique archival primary sources.

I have chosen this book to review as, not only is it written about the 60’s- my chosen decade, but it covers all aspects of culture. Based mainly around music, but also touching on politics, fashion, art and lifestyle. I think it will give me a brilliant look into the 60’s world from a first-hand perspective.

Writing Development

5 words to explain my GFW blog proposal:

• Culture
• Expansion
• Personal
• Insight
• Connections

The blog series will enlighten and expand the existing target market’s cultural understand of the past 100 years, allowing a personal insight into the current unknown by developing connections between the fashion, art and musical creative platforms.

The series will allow the reader to understand the influences of past decades, demonstrating the collaborations within the arts world and piecing together an understanding of the cross overs between cultural development.

The blog will initially reach the Graduate Fashion Week community. Using social media as a advertising and promotion tool, the blog will branch out to a wider audience, predictably targeting fashion students with a domino effect leading to reaching a broader range of readers, all sharing common ground within their love of culture, whether it is fashion, art or music. The blog will gain interest directed to the GFW website, therefore increasing a larger buzz for the event itself.

 

Graduate Fashion Week Stand Inspiration

After two meetings with everyone who is interested in being involved in the Graduate Fashion Week stand and adding everyone onto the Pinterest board, we now have a clear vision and theme (most years GFW release specific theme’s, however this year is completely up to the Universities to chose their own theme).

We have decided to go with a monochrome colour scheme, focusing on a minimal and industrial look. This will allow our stand to look expensive and timeless and at the same time will ensure that the focus is on the students work, letting the colours of their work and portfolios stand out.

Using the round tables from last years AUB Graduate Fashion week stand, we can personalise them to this years stand by painting them black, potentially using a chalk paint. Focusing on the lighting aspect of our stand, we can use different types of unusual lighting techniques to not only inspire the industrial theme that we are aiming for but to create interesting shadows that draw in any passers by.

 

1 Year of Culture; Finalised Topics

For the articles that I am writing myself, I have decided on the following topics;

• Iconic Outfits; the memorable looks from the 60’s.
• An interview with Jon Savage, music journalist and writer of ‘1966- The Year the Decade Exploded’.
• A review of the book ‘1966-The Year the Decade Exploded’ by Jon Savage.
• The Legacy of the 60’s fashion, how the 60’s has influenced our fashion today.

The 4 pieces that I will be handing in will represent a months worth of articles that would be published on the blog.

Goodie Bag Research

Every year at Graduate Fashion Week each University is required to assign specific seats at their show to VIP’s. This involves a range of different people specifically selected by both GFW and the universities, from sponsors to industry members (bloggers, employers, buyers etc).

On each of the VIP’s chairs, the University will provide a goodie bag per person. The goodie bags will include information about the university, a copy of the AUB Magazine (NIL) and products from varies sponsors.

It is my job to contact potential sponsors in order to gain enough products, whether these are makeup samples, food or drink etc. to provide an unusual and memorable goodie bag. I will also find a suitable bag for all of the samples and AUB publications to be held in. The bag will have to be big enough for all of the products but also represent our GFW stand theme.

In order to do these I will send out email to different companies. If the sponsors agree to donate to our goodie bags they will receive the following promotion in return:

•  The AUB publication (distributed at GFW in the Spring and at AUB events all year round)

•  The ticket for GFW and/or our local Bournemouth Show

•  The goody bags at AUB’s GFW catwalk show (sponsors must provide 100+ business cards or flyers) 

•  The Exhibition Stand at GFW (sponsors must provide business cards or flyers if they wish to have promotional material on the stand)

•  AUB Fashion’s social media (Instagram and Twitter)

 

FMP Concept; 1 Year of Culture

In celebration of GFW’s 25 Year Anniversary, I plan to launch a blog series, written by fashion students and graduates who are interested in fashion and cultural writing. The blog will have the same aim as GFW but will focus on showcasing new talent in fashion writing rather than design.

The series will explore the fashion, art and music of every decade of the 20th century, decade by decade with articles being written month by month across the year. The blog will explore fashion and cultural history from 1900 to today and will focus on the influence of fashion, art, music, writing and theatre on each other and the culture of the decade.

The series will feature as part of GFW’s current blog on their website, beginning in July 2016 and a new article will appear every week. Each article will be written by a different individual who has a passion for fashion blogging and will provide them with the opportunity to have their works published to be read by the fashion industry, hopefully then leading to job opportunities, bridging the gap between graduation and employment for fashion writers.

For visitors to the GFW website, the blog series, titled ‘1 Year of Culture’, will enlighten and educate readers on the impact of fashion and the arts on the culture of each decade. The blog will provide a cultural background for each decade in the century past and each article should provide the writer’s personalised insight, developing connections between the fashion, art and musical creative trifecta of their chosen era.

Every month of the year will focus on a different decade, beginning with the 1900’s and sequentially moving through the twentieth century towards the current day. The website will promote, in advance, the four pieces to be covered that month, which will each have a different focus. The choice of topic will be mainly at the discretion of the writer but will fit with their chosen focus area. These focus areas will be: Iconic outfits and looks; an interview; a review; and the legacy of that decade.

The blog will give graduates and students a springboard into their desired career and will establish a link between the students, their writing and the fashion industry. This platform for self-promotion, endorsed by GFW, will help to create professional networks.

1 Year of Culture; Interview

For my interview based on the 1960’s, I have decided to interview Jon Savage, who is a music journalist and author of newly release book ‘1966- The Year the Decade Exploded’.

On the 28th January, Jon Savage is doing a book talk at the Fashion and  Textiles Museum.

Meet Jon Savage to discuss 1966, the year the ‘Sixties’ hit their Modernist peak and the subject of his new book 1966: The Year the Decade Exploded. Learn the unique chemistry of music, art, fashion and radical politics that shaped the pop future of the century.

This will be the perfect opportunity to speak to Savage and approach him with my questions. I have emailed the museum to ensure that I can have face time with the author.