AnOther Magazine: Fashion Writing Editorial submission.

Culture is not cancelled issue.

Culture Is Not Cancelled

Magazine

VOL 3 ISSUE 1 Spring/Summer 2020 Photo by Retha Ferguson from Pexels

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Photographer Spotlight: Retha Ferguson.

‘Dancer.’

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Contents.

Page 6

Pages 10-12

Is Lockdown Making Way For a Sustainable Future in Fashion?

The Music Industry Still Needs to Brush Up on Equality: An Interview with BLLE.

© Photo by Vinícius Estevão from Pexels

Pages 16-17 Skincare Solutions for the Perfect Post-Lockdown-Glow.

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Is Lockdown Making Way For a Sustainable Future in Fashion?

Digital Fashion Week is just one of the shifts we’ve seen amid lockdown that make way for a sustainable change.

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Undoubtably, one day the world will return to a ‘norm’, but could this unintentional sustainable shift of going online be just what the industry needed? Anna Wintour, editor of American Vogue virtually guest starred on Naomi Campbell’s YouTube series ‘No Filter with Naomi’. Wintour spoke about how the fashion industry needed to have a main focus on sustainability and creativity going forward and said ‘I think it’s an opportunity for all of us to look at our industry and to look at our lives, and to re-think our values, and to really think about the waste, and the amount of money, and consumption, and excess and I obviously include myself in this – that we have all indulged in and how we really need to re-think what this industry stands for.’

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© Photo by Cesar La Rosa from Unsplash

f there’s one thing that lockdown has taught us, it’s to reconsider what’s truly essential and most of us are utilizing this time bound to our homes to cleanse ourselves of excessive overconsumption in attempt to reach minimalist enlightenment. In an uncertain time for the fashion industry, some serious thinking outside the box has been necessary to keep things going.

The British Fashion Council (BFC) announced that its following suit and all of S/S 21 Fashion Week shows along with the foreseeable London Fashion Weeks scheduled for next year will go digital. After numerous Fashion Weeks have been cancelled due to the pandemic, they have had no choice but to rehome online. Shanghai Fashion Week was the first to trial this change and saw success with over 11 million streams to date.

What can we expect from digital Fashion Week?

Brands will be showcasing their fashion visions in forms of virtual catwalk shows, digital look books and showrooms and viewers will still be able to purchase items right off the ‘catwalk’.

Extinction Rebellion, an environmental activist group, has previously protested at Fashion Week for its effect on the environment. Although digital Fashion Week likely won’t remain a permanent fixture, the temporary change to how we do things may have a long-lasting effect, as more of us reflect on how damaging the things we take for granted can be. We often don’t realise that until that thing is taken away. The digital shift has not only benefited the environment, but smaller businesses too. It enables more brands to exhibit their concepts, providing opportunity for more sustainable and local brands to make their mark in the industry. Digital Fashion Week is just one of the shifts we’ve seen amid lockdown that helps make way for a sustainable change, even if it’s just temporary, with conscious living on our minds there could be more change ahead.

Words by Carrie-Beth Blackburn

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Photo by Cesar La Rosa from Unsplash

S/S 20 Trend: Mixing Prints.

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© Photo byMike Von

from Unsplash

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IAMABLLE INSTAGRAM

The Music Industry Still Needs to Brush Up on Equality: An Interview with BLLE.

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e’re so used to seeing do names such as Beyonce, Lady Ga Ga and Billy Eilish on our stages and screens and when thinking of some of the most influential names in music, the same circle of female artists spring to mind. The success of these eminent women isn’t the case for the majority trying to make their way in music and we shouldn’t be fooled by the prominent artists constantly topping the charts. Women are still grossly underrepresented within the music industry, being continuously outnumbered on festival line ups and short listings for awards, there is an appeal for change. Could this be a case of the industry sugarcoating the issue of sexism? And what can we do to advocate for a more female inclusive industry?

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UK based pop artist BLLE gave her opinion on this issue and shed light on her personal experiences entering the industry. With a strong online voice about this issue, BLLE’s a perfect insight. BLLE started performing acoustic at the age of 15, she then took some time out to rebrand herself to successfully launch her pop career being inspired by female musicians such as Banks, Tove Lo and Dua Lipa. Along with these female artists, BLLE had a few reasons as to why music was her pathway.

“There’s a lot of different inspirations when it comes to my actual music. I think there’s a lot of negative connotations towards pop music and that it doesn’t mean much, but I went and found these powerful influential women in pop music who can write a song and it not really mean that much and then write a really meaningful song and they’re driven, do what they want and paint their own path through life.”

For any musician it’s hard starting out in the industry, but as a female starting out in the industry is it harder to gain recognition when starting out? “With my acoustic stuff I feel like I got shoved onto a smaller stages because it was a smaller genre, I’d get a lot of people say ‘oh you’re only 16 how did you write something like that?’ and I would always think ‘why do you need to say that?’ there’s no need. but now with pop I feel like it’s more like ‘oh okay, you need to put me on a bigger stage because that’s the only place I’m going to fit’. So yeah, yes and no. I think it does just take time like with a lot of work, but I think it’s taken me a lot of time to now where I think confidently of myself in Nottingham. You’ve got to prove yourself a bit more.”

“It’s this unconscious bias of sexism that people have that they need to work on.”

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Musicians have come forward including The1975 to try to make a change from within by refusing to play any festivals that don’t have an equal divide of male to female performers. But, is this a step all musicians with a significant platform take? “If you have the platform, you should be using it to help. I do in the end think it is the responsibility of those that are running the festivals, booking agents. Talking about festivals that have 13 acts that are female and say they were all booked up so more couldn’t perform. There are many, many more female artists that could be on that line-up.”

IAMABLLE INSTAGRAM

As we’ve seen from previous line ups and this year’s Leeds and Reading line-up gaining a lot of negative press for only including 13 out of over 100 acts including at least one woman, it’s clear there’s an uneven divide. BLLE’s played a diverse range of shows and confirmed the fact that this is a major issue regardless of the scale of the event. “Definitely. I was talking to my mum about this yesterday, it’s so noticeable. It’s not like you even have to dig around to try and find. But I do know that it is being worked on but it’s sad that it does have to be worked on. I always say it should never be ‘okay, we’ll put her on there because she’s a girl.’ it’s more of this unconscious bias of sexism that people have that they need to work on. It’s not like they are blatantly doing it, it’s a much deeper thing.”

From an outsider’s perspective, you might think there is a diverse range of women within the industry. However, reports show that women only make up 20% of the industry. Why are so women represented in the industry? “I think it’s a lack of female’s in the industry itself at the top. It was either last year or the year before, the Grammy committee appointed the first female CEO ever. I think we need more women up top because then that will encourage women to go into it because it is intimidating. Ninety percent of the musical meetings for gigs etc. are male led and 9/10 if not 10/10 times I’m the only girl there. So, for someone that’s quite confident, I’m not intimidated by it, but it is very intimidating.”

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BLLE let me know, what supporters can do to help females succeed in this industry and feel like they are represented. We should be embracing call out culture and making our voices known on social media to keep the conversation going.

Support local artists as this could help give confidence to younger generations wanting to pursue a career in music. BLLE also gave insight into a business called ‘Safe Gigs For Women’ that aid musicians to create a safe environment for women to enjoy going to gigs. Hopefully, collectively a change will be on the horizon.

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Image can be important in the industry, it’s almost like your trademark. But is there pressure for women to have a certain type of image to be successful? “Oh, 100%. As a guy, I feel like you don’t have to put much effort into how you look. You can be very unconventionally attractive and be quite a regular guy you’d see at the co-op. Like, imagine if Beyoncé went on stage in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and no make-up on. She’d get absolutely slated for it. It is a brand, so your image is important but that should not be overlooked from the music because at the end of the day when you listen to music, you’re not looking at someone’s face.”

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Photo by Namroud GorgiosUnsplash

Words by Carrie-Beth Blackburn.

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© Photo by Breston Kenya from Pexels

2020: The Rise of Clean Beauty.

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Photo by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels

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Photo by Lindea Costea from Pexels

Skincare Solutions for the Perfect Post-Lockdown-Glow.

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onsistency is key and as we’ve all got a little extra time on our hands this next month, what better time to refresh and master the skincare routine of your dreams than mid-lockdown? We’ve combined two holy-grail e-commerce brands into one routine to achieve the effortless glowy base we’ve all been dreaming of ready for summer. We’ve created a three-step routine, tried and tested using The Ordinary’s clinical and problem-solving solutions merged with Glossier’s dewy, clean beauty approach that will make you never want to skip a step.

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Who should follow the routine? Anyone who wants to achieve a healthy glow and isn’t afraid of investing into a step by step routine.

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Why do I want it? Forward thinking skincare at an affordable price. Not to mention the bottles make great bathroom décor.

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How long should I use it? As advised by both brands, the advantages start to show after just four weeks.

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Where can I find them? The Ordinary can be found on most beauty online retailers such as Cultbeauty, Beautybay and LookFantastic, whilst Glossier is found simply on Glossier.com.

Step one is to achieve a clean base before adding anything to it, gently massage Glossier’s ‘milky jelly cleanser’ into the skin leaving it feeling ultra-conditioned and free of any dirt. This cleanser sets the perfect base for serums to lightly diffuse into the skin.

Step two is to apply serums. The Ordinary has a wide range of serums to tackle particular problem areas of the skin and some of the product names can sound a little intimidating to those new to the skincare game, however, shop their daily essentials kit to find neutral serums that work for everyone. Our top favourites are:

Photo by Luibov Ilvhuck from Unsplash

The Ordinary Caffeine solution. This miracle solution aims to brighten up the under eyes and cancel out those bothersome dark circles, meaning no need to keep spending hours researching the best coverage concealers and make-up free freedom.

The Ordinary 100% Plant-derived squalene. This completely natural serum is the unflawed hydration product that everyone needs, it not only aims to add suppleness to the skin, but this product also doubles up as a natural heat protectant for hair whilst adding a glistening shine.

Step three is to seal the deal and moisturise to lock in all the laborious work we’ve put in so far. Dependent on the desired final feel of your skin, Glossier’s

Primer

Moisturising

rich

gives a luxurious and soft touch for those of you who’s skin can often feel dehydrated throughout the day. Whilst

The Ordinary’s natural moisturising factors cream is protective, scent-free

and light enough to feel like you’ve skipped this whole step, perfect for those with oily or sensitive skin.

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Concluding the serum list is Glossier’s future dew. The priciest item in this routine but one you don’t want to miss.

This product creates a gleaming effect on the skin and can be worn alone or to add a natural highlight on top of make-up.

Combining two holy-grail brands into a perfect postlockdown-routine.

Set this routine in place with Glossier’s rose water soothing face mist for added dewiness and shine. We promise you won’t regret it.

Words by Carrie-Beth Blackburn

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