fashion education

It has been a long time since I wrote about fashion.

Which, thinking about it, is quite odd since it is my roots. It is where I started. I guess the whole expat side of my life on this sunny island took over a little. Apologies if any of you couldn't give two hoots about fashion. But I am kinda excited to tap away at my laptop about this one. And you never know, maybe this will interest more of you than you thought. 

Fashion. A perpetual minefield of controversy, culture and couture. Yes fashion is pretty clothes, brightly lit runways and glossy magazines. Yes, people think it is superficial, materialistic and I guess sometimes vulgar. And yes fashion is an influential industry.

But I think fashion is seriously misunderstood. I guess that is easy for me to say since I studied it. My Writing Fashion and Culture degree taught me to write, taught me the sociological theories behind fashion and taught me the practicalities of the fashion industry from photography to photoshop editing.

So I was over-the-moon to read this article about a new initiative from British Vogue editor Alexandra Schulman. She wants to educate young girls about the tricks the fashion industry uses. She wants the 10-minute film to highlight the process of a creating a fashion image, from make-up, to shoot, to post-shoot editing, to magazine. The film will be sent out to 1000 schools in the UK.

Ms Shulman told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: "The idea was to try and demonstrate all of the skill and resources that go into making a fashion image, so young girls can see clearly how the model is changed by Vogue magazine."

I think this is a good step forward because the fashion industry for me is a very misunderstood place. People assume the industry is a negative place and has nothing but a negative effect, but if you start to dig a little deeper and understand the foundations of fashion, you will see it is more than pretty clothes and airbrushed magazine covers. I guess Meryl Streep says it best in The Devil Wears Prada.