Another important aspect of Fashion Communication ethics...

Journalism.

A lot of what involves Fashion Communication, meaning "mass commuincation" is the journalism side. I have been doing much of this with my SIG blog and with it's every growing popularity I must follow the code of ethics for journalism. I researched this aspect through Wikipedia and found a long list:

"The primary themes common to most codes of journalistic standards and ethics are the following.

[edit]Accuracy and standards for factual reporting

• Reporters are expected to be as accurate as possible given the time allotted to story preparation and the space available, and to seek reliable sources.
• Events with a single eyewitness are reported with attribution. Events with two or more independent eyewitnesses may be reported as fact. Controversial facts are reported with attribution.
• Independent fact-checking by another employee of the publisher is desirable
• Corrections are published when errors are discovered
• Defendants at trial are treated only as having "allegedly" committed crimes, until conviction, when their crimes are generally reported as fact (unless, that is, there is serious controversy about wrongful conviction).
• Opinion surveys and statistical information deserve special treatment to communicate in precise terms any conclusions, to contextualize the results, and to specify accuracy, including estimated error and methodological criticism or flaws.

[edit]Slander and libel considerations

• Reporting the truth is almost never libel [3], which makes accuracy very important.
• Private persons have privacy rights that must be balanced against the public interest in reporting information about them. Public figures have fewer privacy rights in U.S. law, where reporters are immune from a civil case if they have reported without malice. In Canada, there is no such immunity; reports on public figures must be backed by facts.
• Publishers vigorously defend libel lawsuits filed against their reporters, usually covered by libel insurance.

[edit]Harm limitation principle

During the normal course of an assignment a reporter might go about—gathering facts and details, conducting interviews, doing research, background checks, taking photos, videotaping, recording sound—harm limitation deals with the questions of whether everything learned should be reported and, if so, how. This principle of limitation means that some weight needs to be given to the negative consequences of full disclosure, creating a practical and ethical dilemma. The Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics offers the following advice, which is representative of the practical ideals of most professional journalists. Quoting directly:^[17]

• Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
• Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
• Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.
• Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy.
• Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
• Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.
• Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.
• Balance a criminal suspect's fair trial rights with the public's right to be informed.

[edit]Presentation

Main article: News style

Ethical standards should not be confused with common standards of quality of presentation, including:

• Correctly spoken or written language (often in a widely spoken and formal dialect, such as Standard English)
• Clarity
• Brevity (or depth, depending on the niche of the publisher)"

[edit]

Taken from Journalism ethics and standards Wikipedia

Truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability and limitation of harm are the main ethics highlighted here. Other important ethics involving fashion communication is advertising. After reading Advertising Ethics: Emerging Methods and Trends the most important points and the ones that were vital to fashion communication were use of deception, racial and sexual stereotyping. Although I do believe use of deception is very prominent in the fashion industry with peoples' appearances being widely altered and screwing our perception of beauty. Companies like Dove are trying to prevent the use of deception but there is still a long way to go.

Critical Reflection and Summary: Digital Portfolio

 

Fashion Communication is mostly obtained from Ryerson University situated in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Fashion communication is described as one of the fields of “mass communication”. It is a mode of mass communication to promote fashion with such methods as social media, exactly what we have been learning through the BAPP course. Other methods used are video, advertisement, films, etc. Ryerson University describes Fashion Communication as, “Business-related courses in areas such as marketing, business, communication, fashion in international markets, fashion and society are combined with professional studies in communication design, illustration, typography, curation and exhibition, photography, video production and fashion journalism to produce a graduate who can work in all areas of fashion communication.” (Ryerson Faculty of Communication and Design website, http://www.ryerson.ca/calendar/2010-2011/PDF/Comm_Design-FT-1011.pdf.)

The reason I have chosen Fashion Communication as a suitable title is because the description of what exactly it is ties into a lot of what I do. Not only am I involved in the modeling process of the fashion industry but I have been involved in the production, design, marketing, business and communication side as well. Social media such as my Facebook fan page, Twitter and my SIG blog which has become more popular than I expected are great examples of my work in communication. These outlets have also helped in the business and marketing side of my career, helping to promote the business which is myself.

I have been observing those around me in the fashion industry and  I ask questions that have been transformed into my inquiry questions. I have also begun to take steps in approving my design skills such as signing up for jewelry design courses at a nearby college called George Brown. I have also been observing and learning from my friend, mentor and employer Andy Jones on aspects of sewing and clothing design. Andy Jones is a designer fresh out of college who has already started to make a name for himself. He is one person who has definitely helped me in different ways in the fashion industry.

Answering the question in Reader 4, “What knowledge and skills do you think you will need for the future?” I have already lightly touched that. Fashion Communication involves not only the knowledge of communication, marketing and business but aspects of design, illustration and basically the general production side of the fashion industry. Fashion communication is the back bone of the fashion industry and one must have a broad knowledge and extensive amount of talent in order to be successful. As I said before, I am taking these steps by attending classes, observing my peers, being involved in the production of shoot and shows behind the scenes as well as in front. There will be skills though that I know for sure I will need, for example, photography and graphic design. Once I have mastered the clothing/jewelry design and illustration part I will begin to look into these fields as well.

One important aspect of my Critical Reflection that I would like to bring up is my work in jewelry design. The jewelry design was all part of observation, trial and error and asking questions from peers. My jewelry would not be at the level it is at now if it wasn’t for trial and error especially. After much experimenting and help from Andy Jones, my designs now have a very definite look and skill added to them. Taking Andy’s advice and reading from such books as “Drawing Jewels for Fashion” by Carol Woolton, I am currently creating jewelry that has a “story”, a certain look and have used my knowledge and own life experiences to make jewelry that identifies me as a designer. Before I would just create anything that popped into my head that I thought would be aesthetically pleasing without a plan or a background story to it. Reading about the successful and international jewellery designers in “Drawing Jewels for Fashion” I learned they all were inspired by something, whether it was nature, an ancient civilisation or even their own life story. That’s how I’ve come to the conclusion to incorporate my dance training and my love for the ballet into my jewels. I am also very particular about material that I use now. For example, lately I created my “Swan Lake” earrings and matching necklace and took particular close attention to what materials I was using and if they were appropriate to the theme. I used very light and feminine materials, or at least what I consider light and feminine, such as white gold, fresh water pearls which were the colour of baby pink, Swarovski jewels which were either black or white to represent the two swans and black glass beads cut to look like feathers representing the black swan (which you can see examples of in the above pictures). My design is still through trial and error but I definitely think it has improved the last couple of months.
I think if I keep persueing the different skills needed for Fashion Communication my inquiry can be a success especially if I continue to ask the right questions from the right people and continue observations.

As for ethics I will review what I have posted here and there through my blogs in the past altogether in this summary. What I have learned about the ethics of the fashion industry is to make a brand for yourself, whether it is design or marketing. Whatever you are doing must not be an idea concocted from thin air, there must be an explanation and/or a story behind. Research and paying close attention to detail is extremely important. Many people coming into the fashion industry think this business is just about making something or someone look pretty. There is so much time, research and thought put into the work that if you're not willing to do all three then you will not be successful. Most importantly it is who you know. Networking and connections are what get you by in this industry so paying close attention to asking the right questions to the right people is vital. Sometimes though this has no effect and someone could simply not like you for whatever reason. This business is very finicky and you could tread on someone's toes without even realising what you said or had done. It is very hard to know what the ethics are in the fashion industry but from a survey I did in my SIG blog I learned at the end of the day it is who you know.

Another interview for my inquiry plan

I have already posted this in my SIG and I am reposting it here. Tracy was kind of enough to spend some time answering a few quesitons I had for her about this industry.


Hello everyone!

I am so sorry for not posting recently, this week has become so overwhelming and I am currently in the process of working on my Professional Inquiry for school which has been HELL to say the least! I also had a bridal shoot out in the beautiful setting of King City which was a lot of fun but took all day! I really enjoyed it though and had worked with both photographers before, Cyrus Mir and Anda Pleniceanu.  Looking forward to seeing the results!

I have had a the pleasure of interviewing Tracy Clifford, a reputable stylist who has been assistant to Oscar De La Renta. After graduating from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Tracy dedicated her studies to fashion while attending the Instituto Lorenzo de Medici in Florence, Italy and went to have a successful career as a major style consultant. I asked her to share some tips, ethics of working in the fashion industry and things everyone should know generally about this industry.

1.      What inspired you to become a style consultant?

The simple answer is that I have loved fashion ever since I can remember.  I have always felt a connection to finding beauty in the world, and particularly so with clothing.  From my point of view, fashion gives us the ability to express ourselves artistically. Wearing beautiful clothing elevates our experience and has the ability to make us feel more self-actualized.  There are very few things in life that provide the opportunity for such a profound experience on a daily basis. 

I feel a special connection to fashion in particular.  I have always been able to choose amazing pieces that are unique, beautiful, and most importantly, compliment the body.  Fashion cannot exist in a bubble.  I think many consultants (and designers) loose sight of the fact that the primary goal is to use clothing to compliment a woman’s body and make her feel beautiful.  This is a particular skill of mine.  Plus, fashion is fun! 

2.      Has anyone inspired you in particular?

Though there are many designers that I admire, my true inspiration from fashion came from two very important women: my mother and Marissa Hartington. 

My mother has fabulous taste.  She always looked perfect and put together.  Growing up, she took me shopping and exposed me to beautiful clothing.  Most importantly though, she allowed me to express myself with clothing.  My family spent a lot of the winter every year in Naples, FL.  My favorite part of Naples (besides getting away from the Chicago snow!) was going with my mother to the Big Pink Building which housed Marissa Collections, an amazing fashion boutique.  It was at Marissa Collections with my mother that I first fell in love with fashion. 

My dad always said if you want to be in an industry, look at the most successful person you know in the industry and determine if that is who you want to be.  Marissa Hartington, the founder and owner of Marissa Collections, was (and is) the most successful person I know in fashion.  When I thought about if I wanted to be like her, the answer was a resounding yes.  Marissa is, in a word, amazing.  She is able to see fashion and spot trends like no one else in the industry.  I am constantly amazed by her taste, dedication, and tenacity.  I am so fortunate that Marissa took me under her wing, taught me about the industry, and allowed me to practice what I learned when she hired me to be a buyer for Marissa Collections.    

3.      Did you always want to be a style consultant or did you have other aspirations and training when you left high school?

I tried following in my father’s footsteps and working for his law firm and then for a judge.  I think I spent most of my time analyzing the lawyers’ clothes, instead of the law!  I also dabbled in the magazine business for a bit.  However, when I got hired at Niemen Marcus, there was no turning back. 

- What was it like assisting Oscar de la Renta?

It was amazing.  I started at the bottom of the totem pole but I kept my eyes open and observed everything around me.  I really learned a lot about fashion from the designer’s viewpoint, which was a new experience for me because I had always thought of fashion solely from the consumer’s point of view.  The experience allowed me to see the real guts of the fashion world.  Being around all of those beautiful clothes wasn’t too bad either!

4.      What do you think attributes to his success?

The simple answer is beautiful clothing.  Oscar’s natural talent, creativity, and understanding of a woman’s body is unparalleled.  His clothes are unique, in the moment and still remain timeless and wearable.   

5.      What has attributed to your success?

My success is driven by my clients.  Making them feel comfortable and beautiful is my number one goal and my clients appreciate it.  I am always thinking about them as I spot trends and browse the newest fashion.  For instance, I am in Spain as I am writing this, and I saw an amazing dress that would be perfect for one of my clients.  I took a picture of it and sent it to her so she can take a look.  The other thing that attributes to my success is making fashion fun for my client!  I want them to have fun picking out their own style (with my guidance) and to remove the stress and pretension from picking clothes.  I want my clients to feel the same joy from picking clothes as I do.  Fashion is such a fun thing and I want my clients to experience that too!

                                                                                            

6.      What is the demographic of your customers? Is there a demographic you market to?

I don’t think of my work in terms of demographics or marketing (much to my business manager’s chagrin).  Honestly, I work with women who want to look beautiful and have fun picking amazing clothing. 

7.      What is your favorite part about your work?

The clothes and my clients!!!  I love spotting the latest trends and taking pieces from the runway and making them wearable for my clients.  It is so gratifying when I see my clients beaming after they tell me how beautiful they felt at an even or that they felt so good when someone complimented their outfit.  I had a client call me last week almost giddy because she got stopped by a woman on the street who wanted to tell her how great her outfit looked.  These are the kinds of things I live for!

8.      Have you ever had to deal with ballet dancers or work in the dancing world?

Many of my clients are dancers.  I love working with them because they understand beauty in movement.  It is a lot of fun to pair fabrics and designs that take advantage of dancers’ natural grace. 

9.      Do you think fashion is important to the dance/performing arts world, not just costuming?

Of course!  Fashion is crucial to performers.  Needless to say, performers do not only practice their art on stage - it is a way of life.  I love to help performers express their vision when they’re out of costume.  As the Bard said, “all the world’s a stage.”  

Thank you so much to Tracy Clifford! You can find out more about her and her services at her website Tracy Clifford Style.