PRADA FALL/WINTER 2016 CAMPAIGN

When I was researching fashion campaigns one fashion campaign really stood out to me , it was the fall/ winter 2016 campaign from the Italian fashion brand Prada.It was filmed by iconic photographer Steven Meisel and includes colourful scenery and starry nights. The campaign also includes 27 models including actor Millia Jovovich and longtime Prada face Sasha Pivovarova it also captures the spirit of wanderlust and femininity.

The main thing I really liked about this campaign was the use of changing backgrounds in relevance to the clothing the models were wearing.The backgrounds included moving shots of different environmental factors such as; starry nights , lightening , dusk and dawn as well as the aurora borealis, this is relevant as during the campaign whenever the backgrounds changed the models outfits would change to a relevant style, for example in the scene ( approx. 1.04- 1.19) where the background is of the aurora borealis the model is wearing a colourful jacket which could be a representation of the aurora borealis ( Image One). Prada could have included this as an incite of the inspiration behind this collection. Another aspect of the campaign I really liked was the fact that the hair styling reminds the same throughout the 1.19 minute video , I thought this was a smart idea that Prada as it kept the focus being on the clothes , however the hair styling could also be a representation of the collection being for fall/winter as the styling of the hair included the hair being damp which could be a portrayal of the models' hair being wet as a result of the weather that is associated with fall/ winter.Another characteristic that could support my point about the hair design being a representation of fall/winter is that the hair would be moving which could be another representation of the weather that is associated with fall/winter as it created an effect that made it look like the model was out in the wind.The make up application throughout the whole campaign remains the same however throughout the campaign a few models would have a red lip, I really liked how Prada did this as it kept the focus being on the clothes which is the main purpose of the campaign but it also allowed the viewer to notice the slight changes to the make up application which kept the make up application looking fresh and it avoided the make up from staying the same for the whole campaign. I also really liked the use of movement in the video, the models start walking towards the camera however it creates an effect that when watched it makes it look like the models are appearing to be in 3D, I think this is a really smart way to shoot a campaign video as when I was doing my research of campaign videos this was the only one that created an illusion like that.Prada created this to make their campaign stand out from all the rest and I honestly think they did what they wanted. Have a look at the campaign here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7iD5R4n6aw .

Image One.

Ethical campaigns that infringe on the beauty and fashion industry.

With reports of links between make up and illnesses including cancer, fashion brands using fur and the use of child labour in the fashion supply chain , can the make up and fashion industry have any more ethical campaigns? I think so.

Microbeads.
'what are microbeads?'you may ask.Well they are tiny pieces of plastic that are added to everyday cosmetic products such as face wash and toothpaste. They are usually made out of polyethylene but they can be made out of other petrochemical plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene. Microbeads are small enough to go down your drain and to even pass through water filtering systems and this is what the problem is.(Thorogood, 2016)

As microbeads are so small and I guess could be seen as harmless, you could be surprised to know that in certain products that around 100,000 microbeads are washed down the drain in a single application. And as they are too small to be passed through water filtering systems, this means that they end up in the sea and also in the food chain for example sealife. Scientific research is continuing to investigate and research the effects of microbeads in wildlife . A recent study had the outcome that 90% of birds have plastic in their stomachs. The most frightening thing is that humans have plastic in their bodies as well, such as from toothpaste and eating seafood that has ingested microplastics and the toxins that come with them.Have a look at figure one to see the flow chart of the use of microbeads. (Thorogood, 2016)

Canada and America are going to be banning the use of microbeads in all products and brands such as; L'Oreal, Boots, Avon and The body shop have pledged that they will not be using them.But brands such as ; Dermalogica , the Estée Lauder companies , Elizabeth Arden and L'Occitane still using microbeads in their products.(Beatthemicrobead.org, n.d.)

I had never heard of the effects of microbeads until I saw on the news that America and Canada had banned the use of them, Scientists have no scientific proof what the effect of human consumption of  microbeads  is but I know one thing for sure that having plastic that can be toxic in your body isn't good. I have to question the beauty companies that are still allowing microbeads to be in their products especially when the alternatives such as rice, apricot seeds and walnut are safer and have better outcomes, if the beauty industry knows the effects that microbeads have on the environment why are they still choosing to use them, could it just be because of the customers knowing and loving the microbeads in their products or could to be that they have a product that sells and they are worried that changing the product could have an effect on sales.If you are as shocked as i am about this please sign the petition urging Thersea May to follow in Canada and Americas foot steps here : https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/s/ban-microbeads?source=wb&subsource=20160114ocwb01

                                      Figure One.(beadsnfashion.tumblr.com, 2015 A flow chart 
                                                        of the effect of the use of microbeads.)

                                              

                                          Figure Two.(www.beatthemicrobead.org, 2016 , Lets 
                                          ban the bead , Australia will have banned the use of 
                                          microbeads as early as 2017)

Bibliography -
Thorogood, I. (2016). What are microbeads and why should we ban them? | Greenpeace UK. [online] Greenpeace.org.uk. Available at: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/oceans/what-are-plastic-microbeads-and-why-should-we-ban-them-20160114 [Accessed 10 Nov. 2016].

Thorogood, I. (2016). What are microbeads and why should we ban them? | Greenpeace UK. [online] Greenpeace.org.uk. Available at: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/oceans/what-are-plastic-microbeads-and-why-should-we-ban-them-20160114 [Accessed 10 Nov. 2016].

Beatthemicrobead.org. (n.d.). These products contain plastic microbeads.. [online] Available at: http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/ProductTable.php?colour=2&country=GB&language=EN [Accessed 10 Nov. 2016].

Figure One.beadsnfashion.tumblr.com, (2015). The flow diagram of the use of microbeads in beauty products.. [image] Available at: http://beadsnfashion.tumblr.com/post/132659692427/microbeads-face-to-fish-httpbeadsnfashioncom [Accessed 10 Nov. 2016].

Figure Two.www.beatthemicrobead.org, (2016). Ban the Bead "Microbeads shall be ditched in Australia as early as in 2017" photograph. [image] Available at: https://www.beatthemicrobead.org/en/results [Accessed 10 Nov. 2016].