The journey of
Anna Hughes-- FMP report
For my Final Major Project, I knew that I wanted to brand myself as a Stylist and for my brand to revolve around the chaos that surrounds my life, my brain works at a thousand miles an hour, my messy bedroom and the lack of structure that surrounds my days. Nobody is perfect and want to show this within my brand! I feel as though this is a risk taken a brands may not want to work with a stylist that brands herself a imperfect but as I’ve said previously, a task hasn’t been completed if a risk hasn’t been taken! I see myself as a conceptual thinker and communicator and believe that the element of chaos and imperfection adds to the concept of my brand and storytelling and allows it to fee more high-end and abstract as this is the market level I want my brand to sit at. I felt as though this was a gap in the market as most stylists are hired by brands to help tell the story of the brand for a photoshoot o campaign, I want to be hired as a stylist to tell my own chaotic, story for a brand, more of a collaboration than me working for a brand. I feel a though labelling myself professionally as chaotic, will create a USP fo myself and my brand, and will give people high expectations for my work.
I always knew that chaos would be at the centre of my brand as it seems to always find a way into my day-to-day life. On the completion of my ‘Brand Me’ module, I have learnt so much about who I am, the way I work, and most importantly, the identity I want my brand to withhold. The ‘Brand Me’ module led me to ask myself questions that usually, I would have never even thought about. It allowed me to understand more about myself, why I am the way that I am, why I work and live the way that I do etc. Lots of elements about myself were brought to light for me within this module. I realised that my life was extremely full of chaos, disarray, un organisation and a lot of overthinking.
The common denominator I found within my research into myself was the element of chaos. Stemming from my childhood, Chaos has been a part of me that has never left my side and I believe, will continue to follow me through all of my life. Career-wise, many of my traits came to life through my 3-month placement within industry. This was a huge step outside of my comfort zone and through this, I had been given a clearer insight into the industry and had brought to life for me the career route i’d like to take, Styling and/or Creative Direction. It was very important to me that I left all of my nerves at home and proved to myself that I am capable of succeeding within the fashion industry. Within my ‘Brand Me’ module, I spoke about how I often feel a sense of ‘Imposter Syndrome’ a behavioural health phenomenon described as self-doubt of intellect, skills or accomplishments among high achieving individuals. National Library of Medicine, Imposter phenomenon, Martin R. Huecker: Jacob Shreffler; Patrick T. Mckeny; David Davis, July 31st 2023. I feel as though I conquered this through my placement as my work was being celebrated and my name was being passed on and I was being requested to style for shoots by creatives in and around Liverpool. This supplied me with the confidence boost I needed to be successful within the Fashion Industry!
As I decided that this was the approach I wanted to take for my brand I knew that I wanted to put my brand into action right away. Within component two of last trimester, I carried out lots of research into unconventional fashion and designers that really inspired me. I carried out research into unconventional designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Simone Rocha, Martin Margiela and John Galliano and dissected what I liked and disliked about their work and elements I’d like to take inspiration from for my own project. The brand that stood out to me the most when conducting research was Maison Margiela. All collections stood out completely amongst a crowded market and Martin Margiela was passionate about challenging social and fashion norms, a risk taker much like myself. The element I found most interesting about Margiela’s work is that his collections didn’t seem cohesive to me, which is something I hugely resonated with. Having chaos take over your life, no day is the same, I wake up with a new mindset every day, cohesiveness is something that doesn’t really exist to me and to see such a large brand bring out new collections that aren’t cohesive to one another and still be hugely successful, is so inspiring to me. Within my own brand, I plan for my work to represent my mindset at that moment in time, which could be exhausted, overjoyed, content or downcast, this will ensure my work is unique, yet still distinctive, much like Margiela.
Another one of my favourite brands is Ganni, a Danish contemporary ready-to-wear fashion brand on a lower, more commercial market level than Maison Margiela. The brand has a playful, unserious approach to fashion, another element I want my own brand to withhold. Ganni’s collections are known for being vibrant and bold, two words i’d use to describe me as a creative.
As a creative, storytelling is my passion and I constantly ensure that I am portraying a story and concept within my work to create an emotional connection with the onlooker of my work.
Maison Margiela is a brand built on its storytelling. Creative Director, John Galliano pushes the boundaries of the brand while staying true to its roots, a detail I plan to take forward in this project and an element I want to hold within my brand. I took a look through Maison Margiela’s Instagram account and it is clear that the brand is highly conceptual, avant-garde and is portraying a story to their consumer.
Following this, I delved into Ganni’s instagram page that seems to be influencer driven, lots more playful and more accessible.
Although I am fond of the style of their page, I am confident as a stylist and creative director, I can elevate the brand and its identity to sit on the same market level as Maison Margiela.
After researching both brands' consumers, I found that Maison Margiela’s consumer is a fashion collector, somebody that understands and appreciates unconventional, avant-garde fashion. Their consumer is somebody that desires that exclusive feel and wants to belong to a ‘tribe-like’ group. Also, I believe Margiela’s consumer is somebody who appreciates the legacy the fashion house holds. On the flip side, Ganni’s audience are young, trend-driven individuals that are stylish and follow the brands social media. Ganni is a more affordable scale, but is still considered luxury. Therefore, the brand attracts consumers that desire high-quality fashion without the luxury price tag. There’s definitely been a huge rise in pop culture following the rise of tiktok. This generation knows exactly what’s going on in each of the Kardashian’s lives, religiously watch the annual Met Gala and take fashion inspiration from the latest paparazzi shots of musicians that are popular or going through some sort of scandal right now. I feel as though pop culture is a great way of creating an emotional connection with my desired consumer. A way of secretly communicating a story to my desired consumer, using a tongue-in-cheek comedic element to give my audience the feeling of belonging to a ‘tribe’ that many fashion houses use to gauge a loyal consumer. I plan to take the exclusivity of Maison Margiela and the playful unseriousness of Ganni to market towards a Gen-Z consumer.
T A R G E T C O N S U M E R
As I’ve mentioned previously, my target consumers are members of Generation Z that spend most of their time online, whether that be scrolling through socials to see what their favourite influencers are up to, looking for outfit inspiration or keeping up with the latest celebrity scandals.
I believe that Instagram will be perfect for my campaign as many of my target consumers hold a large presence within the app. Also, it is a fast-paced environment that makes it a very fitting platform for my campaign and will give it the opportunity to go viral.
My plan for my Final Major project is to create a Social Media campaign for Ganni to bubble up the brand to sit on the same market level as Maison Margiela. I will do this by using my brand and me as a Stylist/Creative Director to add my chaotic touch. I plan for this to give Ganni a new, chaotic story, whilst still staying true to its playful roots. My campaign will add more of a concept to the brand while ensuring it gives it a higher-end feel.
‘ANNARCHY’
I will use my personal, chaotic brand named ‘Annarchy’. I chose this name for my brand as the definition of Anarchy is “derived from a Greek word meaning "having no ruler," is a belief system that rejects governmental authority in favour of self-governing or community consensus that has become a synonym for chaos and the breakdown of civil order.” Will Kenton, investopedia.com, August 27, 2021 I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to incorporate my name into a word that refers back to chaos and so fitting to my brand. I will create a social media campaign for Ganni to bubble it up to be on the same market level as Maison Margiela. I will act as though I have been hired by Ganni as a stylist or Creative Director and use my unique, distinct storytelling methods to create a new concept for Ganni. Doing this, should lead to the brand marketing itself as a luxury brand and experiencing a shift in target audience. From young, trendy and contemporary fashion enthusiasts, to people who seek to feel part of a prestigious group and seek premium fashion to add to their collections. I would target this campaign to a new, target audience that I believe would engage with the brand and make this shift successful.
My role for the shoot was Creative Director/Stylist. I decided to go for a ma imal look ith a range of colours jumping out at the onlooker. The overall look I’m goin
editorial, one that may appear strange to view at first, but entice
more about the story each image is telling. Although my fina s confusing, it will make sense to my Gen-Z, chronically online cons
of the mindset they hold and the emotional connection they will ho
this role include;
Choosing and Sourcing looks
Choosing locations
Recruiting a team
Directing the model and selecting poses
Ensuring that the shoot is telling the story I want it to tell.
I planned to have just one model for the shoot as I wanted the model to represent myself and my mind. I decided to scout a model I have styled a few times before, Lili-Mae. Since being a stylist for LiliMae, we have developed a friendship and I’d say she has the best understanding of how my brain works as a stylist. This wasn’t the only reason I knew she’d be a perfect fit for my FMP, Lili also has a unique look and stands out amongst a crowd.
Something I thought was essential to go alongside my unique way out thinking and my want for standing out amongst stylists within the industry. Lili-Mae has modelled for brands such as Burts Bees, Revlon, St Moriz, Foot Asylum, Neom and many more. I also knew that the outcome of my FMP would be great for Lili-Mae’s portfolio as my shoot was planned to be more conceptual than other work she has done
The photog Julian Gill. internship a and contin Liverpool c showcasing without a possible ph he is not on the perfec location, lig comes to photograph Salah, Jord for Primark
A few months ago when posting BTS of a shoot I styled for, MUA, Mia Dockerty reached out to me to let me know that she’d love to work with me on any upcoming shoots I have. After looking through her portfolio, I knew that her work would be perfect to incorporate into my FMP. Mia has lots of experience, including being an MUA for Liverpool Fashion Week, Doll Beauty and often works on set so holds great knowledge when it comes to lighting and camera angles!
I knew from the very start of this project that my shoot would take place in Liverpool. I lived in Liverpool for a short period of my time in University and I had some of the greatest times of my life. The city has been a vital part of my time at University and has been where a great deal of my inspiration has come from. Liverpool is vibrant and full of art. Liverpool is brimming with Chaos but seems to be where I feel the most calm. It is almost as if when I step foot in Liverpool, I feel accepted and a weight is lifted from my shoulders. I guess that is down to the fast-paced element of the city that fulfils my brain. Each member of my team is from Liverpool which I thought to be so important to keep the shoot as authentic as possible.
July
