As I wrap this round of research up, I am excited to reflect on my journey and see how much I have grown in terms of answering my questions as well as the opinions I have had in relation to this topic.
What challenges did you overcome throughout this inquiry project? How did you go about
overcoming these challenges?
Because I am very passionate about this topic, any challenge I encountered was fun to attempt and a learning moment. The main challenges I had regarding this topic were the lack of material and the abstract quality of my question. Firstly, because creative directors have a relatively subjective role, they can mean anything to a company. Whether some have distinctive roles for each of their collections or one person overseeing the entire company’s fashion line, a creative director could mean anything, as a result, it is hard to find objective material on the role. For example, as I was searching for the qualifications of a creative director, there wasn’t any concrete evidence or a guideline that a fashion house uses for evaluating their employees. This is also partially due to the lucrativeness of the position, so it was that much harder to find evidence. To tackle this, I first decided to see if I could find a job listing of sorts (a very far reach as big fashion houses don’t do this so I was looking at smaller designers) however that turned out to be the wrong decision as it was virtually impossible to find any. Instead, I had to take an out-of-the-box approach and use my efforts to create a catalogue of other creative directors. By this I mean I researched the experiences and qualifications of some of the most important creative directors in fashion history, by doing this I compared their qualifications and found certain components that they shared as well as certain ‘spikes’ they had that set them apart. Through this method, I was able to compile a large list of qualifications and use real-life examples which gave a better experience for readers as there was a visual aspect to my research and results to show for it. Secondly, due to the very abstract nature of my question, there is a lot of research that went into it, however, I couldn’t only use one source, I had to use multiple pieces from a source and put them together in a rendition of what I believe could be the answer to my question. By doing this, I was able to use only credited sources and make a list of professional and educated guesses as what the answer to my topic would be. This also put a personal piece into the research as most of the research was chosen by me and had my personal anecdote to it.
b. How did this inquiry change the way you think?
This inquiry helped me change my perspective on the hard work that goes behind the fashion industry as well as the changing culture of it. Firstly, although in our generation it looks like fashion is just filled with nepotistic trends and a long succession of micro trends among micros trends which sweep the internet and makes fashion a business more than an art. However, through my research, I was able to gain a new perspective on how much work goes behind the fashion industry, especially a role like creative director. The hard work that goes into gaining the proper experience in tailoring, marketing, and design, and then channelling that into a position that makes you responsible for an entire brand and more. Additionally, this hard work that became evident through my research also paved a new way into the ever-changing culture of the fashion industry. As I was researching the integration of celebrities into the fashion world, I was able to see the changing culture and politics of the fashion industry and those who have a role in it. Before I thought that fashion would stay the way it is, with the same designers rotating through different fonts of what would be essentially the same brand. However, through my research, I was able to see that there are so many prominent fashion figures who are working hard to preserve the essence of fashion and add culture to it. I am grateful that I was able to do this research as it gave me a newfound hope and perspective on the fashion industry and I can’t wait to see what it’s going to look like in the future.
c. How did this investigation impact your future decisions?
Through my research, I was able to see two sides of the fashion industry, one that is various shades of unsustainable grey, and the other a multifaced range of colours. Currently, it seems like fashion is just filled with the same wave of trends that take us by storm but leave just as quick in the effort to find another aesthetic or trend for us to grasp onto. Through my research, I saw a new perspective on the fashion industry and the artistic side that we seem to forget from time to time. My investigation on this topic influenced me to appreciate art and stay true to my own identity where fashion was concerned as opposed to the trends we have now. Hence, from now on I am invested in actively choosing clothes and participating in long-term trends that are sustainable and colourful. Whether that means upcycling clothes I already have or supporting small designers with big futures ahead of them, this investigation has allowed me to embrace a part of fashion that I am excited to venture into.
d. What impact will this investigation have on others locally and/or globally?
Since the topic of my research was not just fashion but society, politics, artists, and controversies, I believe that my research achieved awareness both globally and locally. Globally, I hope that readers are able to learn more about the fashion industry and lay off on the large amounts of trends that we have and instead support those who represent their ideas and a change for once. Because we live in a world that can be unfair to minorities, it is important that globally we accept public figures who are truly creating a disruption in an industry that has been longing for one for a long time. Hence, I hope that globally my research becomes one of many that will influence and impact those around the world to think more about the culture they are participating in when seeing the fashion industry. Locally, I hope that my readers are able to gain a new perspective on the relationship between celebrities and fashion. We see so much of an oversaturated version of what we think fashion is about but if research a little more like I have, there are some pretty big advancements that are happening politically and culturally! By reading my research I hope that my peers are able to see a new glimpse of what fashion is about and maybe they are influenced to learn more about the trends they support and learn more about the artistic side of fashion as well.