The outfits by Vivienne Westwood and Katharine Hamnett are very different in styles and their use of colours, texture, materials. Both of them aimed to raise public awareness but on different issues. Katherine wanted to tackle the specific issue of pesticides being used excessively in the cotton industry whereas Vivienne Westwood wanted to tackle the issue of climate change as a whole.
While the “Clean Up or Die” outfit is all black and mostly made of leather other than the printed T-shirt, the “Climate Revolution” outfit consists of a metallic bronze dress with knitwear for the stockings and leather shoes. Both of the outfits have the streetwear vibes as both outfits can be imagined worn on the streets. Katherine’s outfit is rather simple which could be due to the fact that it is for men while Vivienne’s has accessories like stockings, necklaces, long socks and also a placard. Moreover, Katharine only used black colour with shiny metallic studs whereas, Vivienne was more experimental with the colours. Vivienne Westwood even used complimentary colours as well as the technique similar to Barbara Kruger’s where white wordings are surrounded by a bright red box. Aesthetically, Vivienne’s outfit is more creative and looks more like a conceptual designer’s clothing than Katharine’s outfit. In addition, Katharine’s jacket seems like it is meant to be mass produced while Vivienne’s outfit seems exceptionally unique and exclusive.
As the aim of both outfits is to raise awareness on sustainability, they are successful in conveying their messages to different extents. I believe that Vivienne Westwood was able to bring across her message more clearly and articulately than Katherine as Vivienne is more confrontational. This is so as her designs incorporate words that are related to the issue. Although Katherine’s message of “Clean Up or Die” is very attention-grabbing, it is still quite ambiguous and hard to guess what is the actual meaning of the phrase. People tend to just forget about something when they do not understand. Meanwhile, Vivienne Westwood’s message is straightforward and also with the images(The Earth map in red and green) on the placard, it became easier to interpret. In conclusion, Vivienne Westwood was better at using fashion to raise awareness about sustainability than Katharine Hamnett.
This theory of using fashion as an effective way to raise awareness is supported by Diana Verde Nieto who is the co-founder and CEO of Positive Luxury. She wrote an article about luxury menswear label POAN (Peoples Of All Nations) launching a limited-edition hoodie to raise awareness of HIV prevention among young people. “GRS launched its #NoHoodiNoYoni (“no glove, no love”) campaign to communicate the importance of practicing safe sex. As HIV is a preventable disease, the hoodie advocates the message to all communities that it’s ‘cool to be careful’ – proving that fashion has the ability to save lives.” Calum Milan Best, a British American television personality, was spotted wearing the NoHoodiNoYoni hoodie.
While the “Clean Up or Die” outfit is all black and mostly made of leather other than the printed T-shirt, the “Climate Revolution” outfit consists of a metallic bronze dress with knitwear for the stockings and leather shoes. Both of the outfits have the streetwear vibes as both outfits can be imagined worn on the streets. Katherine’s outfit is rather simple which could be due to the fact that it is for men while Vivienne’s has accessories like stockings, necklaces, long socks and also a placard. Moreover, Katharine only used black colour with shiny metallic studs whereas, Vivienne was more experimental with the colours. Vivienne Westwood even used complimentary colours as well as the technique similar to Barbara Kruger’s where white wordings are surrounded by a bright red box. Aesthetically, Vivienne’s outfit is more creative and looks more like a conceptual designer’s clothing than Katharine’s outfit. In addition, Katharine’s jacket seems like it is meant to be mass produced while Vivienne’s outfit seems exceptionally unique and exclusive.
As the aim of both outfits is to raise awareness on sustainability, they are successful in conveying their messages to different extents. I believe that Vivienne Westwood was able to bring across her message more clearly and articulately than Katherine as Vivienne is more confrontational. This is so as her designs incorporate words that are related to the issue. Although Katherine’s message of “Clean Up or Die” is very attention-grabbing, it is still quite ambiguous and hard to guess what is the actual meaning of the phrase. People tend to just forget about something when they do not understand. Meanwhile, Vivienne Westwood’s message is straightforward and also with the images(The Earth map in red and green) on the placard, it became easier to interpret. In conclusion, Vivienne Westwood was better at using fashion to raise awareness about sustainability than Katharine Hamnett. 


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