EMMA CROYDON

Yesterday, after sarcastically calling an International Business student "funny" (don't worry, they were deserving of it), I was hit with the comeback "almost as funny as your career choice", out of the blue. Because of this comment, I am dedicating this blog post to the importance of creative subjects, a topic I personally feel very strongly about as a visual communication student. In an age where the average person's attention span is no longer than eight seconds, the truth of the matter is that the world has simply gone visual, and simply relying on text alone does not work anymore. Creativity is the key to our worlds progression and success. Without designers, the room you're sat in would not exist, as well as the chair you are sat on or the clothes you're wearing right now. I feel that the extent of the importance of creativity is often dismissed, and it isn't quite understood that design, creativity, art, etc, is a component of almost eve...

As part of my recent Fashion communication and promotional study, I have explored the world of fashion photography and visual analysis which is an area of my course that I most enjoy. I think I personally enjoy this particular area of my study because I generally like breaking things down and piecing them back together to discover new insights and information that I wouldn't have initially noticed. As a viewer, I think that it is important to have your own interpretations of photography, but it is also important to understand and recognise the photographers own intentions, which is often only discovered through thoughtful analysis rather than one look. After the challenge of being allocated a fashion photograph at random in class and analysing it in depth, I decided to dedicate this blog post to a fashion photograph that personally intrigues me and analyse it. Photographer: Viviane Sassen  Image: Viviane Sassen a Dutch artist, born in 1942, who lives in Amsterdam. She ...

I decided to dedicate a blog post to this Ted Talk by author Sarah Knight after watching it last week as it inspired me and changed my attitude towards life in general.  By defining the 'fucks' that you give as three important valuables, 'time, energy and money', Knight makes you realise how many of those fucks we tend to waste on a daily basis, and how draining and restricting this can be for our everyday lives. Continuing on from this concept, Knight discusses something she likes to call a 'fuck budget', which in summary, refers to our minds piggy-bank of fucks (time, energy and money). The fuck budget concept explains how we, as humans, have a limit on how much time, energy and money we possess, so why waste it on people and things that we simply do not give a fuck about, when we can invest those fucks into people in things we actually give a fuck about?  Knight also influences us to not give a fuck in a way that is unapologetic, which may sound selfis...

Once a chubby, working-class lad doubted by the fashion industry from London’s underprivileged Stratford region, McQueen used his natural talent and passion to work his way up into the fashion industry and became a world famous icon. His unique perspective on fashion was shown within his sinister and beautifully dark shows such as 'The Highland Rape' and 'Art Class' which delivered messages and emotions in a way that has never been done before.  His work completely defies fashion and breaks boundaries, often resulting in controversy and widespread discussion.  The documentary takes you on a journey through his emotional rollercoaster of a life step by step until McQueen's tragic suicide occured after an overwhelming stage of his life at the peak of his fame and career. The fashion industry both created his life and took it, but as they say "no one discovered McQueen, McQueen discovered himself".  This documentary is truly mesmerising and opens up a...

1) SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE... Being an individual that can only speak English, the worlds third largest language by number of native speakers, feels lazy to me. I have always found bi-/multilingual people very impressive and have had the desire to be bi-/multilingual myself, but no drive to learn over the years whatsoever (the Spanish lessons in year 7, 8 and 9 where I learnt how to count to ten do not count). Of course, learning a new language from scratch is extremely complex and cannot be done overnight, but I urge myself to at least become mildly fluent in a new language - perhaps Spanish, as it would be the most beneficial, or French, as I admire the beauty of the language and have a huge place in my heart for France. Sign language is also something i'd love to learn. 2) PLAY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT... Although it sounds super cliche, I would love to play guitar and be talented at it. I think the guitar is the most soothing instrument and also a very versatile one, as it can...

If you haven't yet seen Collusion by Asos, it is a new collection (released October 2018) designed specifically for generation Z. The collection is a neutral exploration of casual pieces and sportswear that are designed to mix and match and gender non-conforming. What initially attracted me to Collusion is how experimental it is; it offers fashion to those who demand a little something more from fashion. As well as their meritorious clothing, Collusion is animal-free, they're size inclusive and the majority of their cotton is sustainably sourced, making it a collection that is successful and notable in various areas and a good example to the fashion industry. I'm excited to see what else Collusion have to offer us in the future and how else they can keep fashion refreshing. Search the collection in full here: https://www.asos.com/search/?q=collusion What do you think?