Exploration of a socio-cultural trend in forming my design concept for my fashion editorial shoot

Firstly, here are two amazing inspiring videos shown by Aimee in class

Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2011/12 Full Fashion Show

Lanvin for H&M - The Show (Promo 2011)

Personally, the Lanvin video speaks to me, slopping music played throughout without speaking a word, includes age/gender/era groups, performing different role but all for Lanvin's H&M.Even though i'm not a fan of H&M, i would still love to check the whole collection out.


Louis Vuitton, once again, big production, amazing styling, unbeatable Kate Moss with cigarettes. I don't like the video, nor LV, i personally think it's just the brand power. Another way to say it, I'd love to get the invitation to watch the runway show but I might fall asleep during it since it's so boring. I'm sorry maybe my level of percipient is just not high enough.


There are lots of social-cultural trends going on in this world, twitter facebook social networking; 1950s rockbilly Dita Vontes; sustainability issues; blood sukers and shape shifters; etc etc. Socio-cultural trends are the icon of an era, the flag of the society/country/century. We do realize this world changed rapidly, but sometimes we don't even know how things happened. 


A brand I'm working for is call ILLAMASQUA, a new cult british make-up brand. Two months ago ILLAMASQUA launched their new collection "Toxic Nature", this is the collection video

"In retaliation against the genetically modified society that plunders it, the landscape has issued forth a torrent of hybrid shades. Corrupted hues glister amongst muted tones - extreme, intoxicating versions of their original selves.

This is an atomic-botanical environment where survival is key and camoflague by colour is the path to existence.

We scoured the abandoned toxic wastelands of the world to create an eclectic selection of corrupted hues for the eyes, lips, nails, face and body. Flitting effortlessly from poisonous pastel to hazardous neon, this cataclysmic mix of brave new tones take your look to the outer limits of nature's palette.

Become a herald of the new age of Toxic Nature with uncharted night-time make-up."


(http://www.illamasqua.com/collections/toxic-nature/#films)


Black-hearted business men use animal fur to make money, but in fashion industry it's always ok to wear fur. By looking at these photos, how can we still achieve the sexiness and righteous by wearing fur?

pictures from (http://news.we54.com/a/news/ztmbsy/index_pcao.html)




Natural mother is sick. This socio-cultural trend fashion editorial photo shoot is inspired by the general theme of nature being corrupted by pollution and natural disaster. My partner Caroline Fung and I decided to take elements from what we human destroyed, into this assessment criteria. Since it's an fashion spread autumn/winter editorial shoot, we immediately thought of animal fur. 


The fur has always been considered the pronoun of luxury and high fashion, the numerous major brands like using the furs to annotate themselves to be magnificent and expensive. In recent years along with animal protection tide's starting, the consumer changed resisting to the animal article of furskin by the appreciation, the crowd of rejecting animal fur products increases day by day. While the animal fur industry is attacked, the faux fur is gradually emerged. In the numerous luxurious brands like Miu Miu, Channel, etc, promotes faux furs to obtain the good income.

(http://news.we54.com/uploads/allimg/110425/3_110425163100_1.jpg)

However, in recent years, fur market situation after another, the use of fur limelight or not to become a topic in the wavering between beauty and morality. Internationally, many well-known designers such as Stella McCartney, Sophie McKay refused to use any public statements etc animal fur design. June 2009, the French First Lady Carla. Bruni and the U.S. first lady Michelle also has declared, "does not accept any fur products." In early 2011, a large collection of popular magazines and the Norwegian designer announced that with immediate effectuation to stop by the modeling animal fur in the Fashion Week, thus, fur elements will disappear Norway Fashion Week. (http://news.we54.com/a/news/ztmbsy/gushijiaodian/2011/0425/14910.html)


But a question came up quickly: What do we wanna suggest? No killing animals or wear fake fur? Sometimes model wearing fur and taking pictures with live animal can look wrong easily. But I think we overcome the obstacles pretty well, isn't she just purely sexy with faux fur and my cute fat kitten?

Oh yeah, to make the statement even more clear, my subheading is "you don't need to kill a cat to be a cat". There's an old saying:"every woman is changed by seven cats", so why do you need to take cat's clothes to wear when you are already a giant cat? Wear faux fur can still make you look like one, even sexier.


Photographer: Kaka Liu
Model: May Zhang
Stylist + Makeup Artist + Re-touch: Panda P (me)