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Sofia Stevi exhibition at BALTIC

‘turning forty winks into a decade’

Sofia Stevi (born Athens, 1982) makes paintings, sculptures, books, works on paper, and installations. She draws inspiration from literature, philosophy, and the everyday, her works bring together a wide range of references, from the writings of Victorian poet Christina Rossetti, to found images on Instagram and textiles designed by the women in her family. Moving between the real and imaginary, Stevi’s works are often deeply personal, exploring desires and dreams.

Steve’s sweeping lines and bold colours describe form with a sense of playfulness and animation. Her paintings capture fleshy fruits and soft body contours with a cartoon-like expressiveness. Made with Japanese ink on untreated cotton fabric, pinned directly to the wall or stretched over frames, the works evoke the domestic but contains charged eroticism. A series of symbols and abstract body parts repeat and recur; torsos and limbs dissolve into psychedelic patterns and washes of colour.

For this exhibition at BALTIC, ‘turning forty winks into a decade’, Stevi has made a new body of work including paintings, fabrics collages, books and pillows, which touch on dreaming and the unconscious. The symbols Stevi uses can be read as an alphabet or as a key to unlocking meaning. Alongside these, Stevi presents a selection of her recent works, together with an archive of her paintings, housed in a collection of hand-stitched books.

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Offline Audit 1

Location: Hoults Yard, Newcastle - Ousburn area

Description of promotional environment: His art is displayed on the walls on the carpark of Hoults Yard - an industrial estate

In-store promotional experiences/touchpoints: N/A

Customer/who is shopping there: Not a physical shop - just artwork on the walls

Levels of engagement: Not that high as people who see it are mainly people who work at the offices in Hoults Yard

When are they shopping: Seen during work days - shopping N/A

Rewards in-store for physical experience: No store so N/A

Any 360 connection with online platforms: No

Potential improvement/PR opportunity: Physical store displaying his artwork would increase engagement with consumers, more exhibitions displaying his work and collaborations

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Online Audit 3

Site: Twitter

Subscription/Reach: 22 followers, 94 following

Tools of Interaction: 0-5 likes, use of hashtags

Frequency: Infrequent - 4 tweets between 21/6/17 and 19/7/17

Levels of Engagement: (socialmention.com) 2% reach 0% strength 0% passion 1:0 sentiment

Perceived target audience: No specific target audience is perceived from the Twitter account

Content type: Images of his artwork and links to his Instagram page

Typical post: His artwork, and links to Instagram account

Keywords/images: A few hashtags - #streetart - no particular keywords

Links to: Link in bio to website/online shop

Improvement/PR opportunity: No activity since July 2017 - needs to use all social media platforms including Twitter to reach all audiences, needs to be more active and up to date on Twitter

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Online Audit 2

Site: Facebook

Subscription/Reach: 2,292 followers, 4,328 likes

Tools of Interaction: Around 20 likes, use of hashtags

Frequency: Weekly

Levels of Engagement: (socialmention.com) 8% reach 14% strength 50% passion 1:0 sentiment

Perceived target audience: Any age and gender, who have an interest in music and street art - no clear specific

Content type: Visual, but more text than Instagram posts, informative, static, but also promotional videos again

Typical post: His artwork, upcoming exhibitions/collaborations

Keywords/images: #artist #urbanart #streetart #NY #grafittart #prefab77 - all images are of his artwork, or linked to it

Links to: Link in bio to website/online shop, lack of links in actual posts

Improvement/PR opportunity: Prefab77’s Facebook page has similar content to the Instagram page, needs more engagement to get more likes, should change the content on each platform to match that particular audience

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Online Audit 1

Site: Instagram

Subscription/Reach: 15.1K followers, 270 following

Tools of Interaction: 200/300 likes, use of hashtags, 724 posts

Frequency: Weekly/sporadicly

Levels of Engagement: (socialmention.com) 8% reach 14% strength 50% passion 1:0 sentiment

Perceived target audience: Any age and gender, who have an interest in music and street art - not really a specific

Content type: Visual, professional style of writing, stills and statics

Typical post: His artwork, promotional videos of upcoming exhibitions/collaborations

Keywords/images: #artist #urbanart #streetart - all images are of his artwork, or linked to it

Links to: Link in bio to website/online shop, links within the post captions are not actually live

Improvement/PR opportunity: Prefab77’s Instagram account could be improved in a few areas - more links in the captions, needs a clearer target audience, more engagement with the audience in posts, make more use of Instagrams business tools

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Prefab77 Consumer

MOMENTS: Day/night - NIGHT Rural/Urban - URBAN Inside/outside - OUTSIDE Hot/cold - HOT Loud/quiet - LOUD Alone/with people - WITH PEOPLE Sociable/non-sociable - SOCIABLE Ambience - MOODY, INTRIGUING, MYSTERIOUS, FUN Sounds - LOUD ROCK MUSIC Light - DARK, MOOD LIGHTING Smells - FRESH AIR? SMOKE? Tastes - ALCOHOL? Mood/feeling - CHILLED

SPECIFICS: Age - 30/40 Name - GRANT Characteristics - INDIE. HIP, SOCIABLE Attitude - LAID BACK Lifestyle - CHILLED, GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE Career - GRAPHIC DESIGNER / FILM DIRECTOR ‘Look’ - HIPSTER Habitat - AN ALTERNATIVE BAR Preferences - ROCK MUSIC, INTEREST IN POLITICS, FASHION Habits - MUSIC/ART, SMOKING

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Prefab77

Brand history: Prefab77 is an artist who has origins in the north of England, California and New York. Prefab77 is just one man now, however it started with two artists. They both shared very similar values as they both grew up in urban areas. They were both interested in pop culture, and this is very much seen in the artwork. In 2008 Peter Manning took over Prefab77 and now runs it by himself.

Brand values: Prefab77’s work merges rock and roll and iconic historic figures. ‘Creating, hard edged and stripped down artwork that is often political, sometimes anti-establishment, but always beautiful he weaves small pieces of modern popular culture, pure rock and rebellion reflecting on the passing of our familiar institutions, shadowy establishment on the take and take small bites out of the underbelly of our modern culture that gets more bizarre with each passing day.’ Politics, music and history play a huge role in their work.

Mission statement: Prefab77 promise to create ‘hard edged and stripped down artwork that is often political, sometimes anti-establishment, but always beautiful’.

http://www.prefab77.co.uk

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Street art found by myself in the North East

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4 C’s of Digital

1. Creating - Creates unique pieces of urban art - using different materials - Hype around projects with Jonathan Levine - Content for magazines

2. Culture - Taps into British culture - Well known and political/historical figures - Winking Churchill/Queen - Sub cultures tap into Punk and Rock

3. Curating - Large following on Instagram - 15.1K - Instagram account is good and engaging, displaying good strong images and videos - Website not as informative - doesn't give sense of the brands history or passion as much as the Instagram account - could be worked on

4. Connecting - Produced work for Gay Pride - current, relatable issues - Uses symbols and people of power - Political/musical pieces of art

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7 P’s of Marketing

1. Product - Hard edged and stripped down artwork - Political and sometimes anti-establishment - Influenced by the year 1977 - the year of rock/pop in Britain and icons - Beginning to focus more of portrait pieces - Modern popular culture, pure rock and rebellion - Combine pop culture with vintage headlines and newspaper articles - Music/fashion/politics at the heart of the products

2. Price - Affordable for pieces of art - Screen prints £100 + - Prints - £210 + - Mixed media work on routed wood £120 +

3. Place - He has origins in England, California, and New York - Newcastle - California - New York - Berlin - Detroit

4. People - Team is ran by artists Peter Manning and Marc Ross - The art appeals to people around mid 20’s/30’s - they are intrigued by street art and they are politically aware. They are social, have a love for music (rock and roll), and fashion. Rebellious.

5. Process - Ink, stencil, paint, spray paint on different materials - red plike, routed wood, - - Somerset paper - Ripped and torn patterns

6. Physical Evidence - PREFAB77 exhibit their work all over England and America - Their work can be found on the streets and can be bought online - E.g. on the streets of Newcastle - Hoults yard

7. Promotion - Quite a strong website that clearly exhibits work and explain what they do/who they are - Up to date social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram) - shows all new work and upcoming exhibitions and collaborations - Uses videos to show the exciting things that are happening - Uses current issues within the art that are relatable and intrigue their audience - Needs more exposure

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Body image

Body image has become a huge issue within the fashion industry. Whether it’s controversy over ‘plus size’ models, or whether models walking the catwalk are too ‘skinny’. The point being that there is without a doubt always something about body image that causes an uproar within the fashion industry, and those observing it. In recent years, some fashion brands have tried to become more diverse in the sense of body image. For example, Simply Be staged a ‘size inclusive’ fashion show ahead of London Fashion Week. I think that is the fashion industry begin to display more diversity in the form of body image, then people will become more confident in their own skin. This is due to the act that we are, mainly, seeing tiny models walking catwalks and featuring in magazines, so this is what we aspire to be like. I also think it’s bad that when fashion displays diversity, such as plus size models, it causes a massive uproar and controversy. This should be a normal thing as it’s completely natural and normal. People aspire to have that ‘perfect look’ that models have in magazines and on social media, but this just isn't a realistic goal. I think it’s truly awful how the fashion industry still puts these pressures on not only girls, but boys as well. Even though we all think this, the fashion industry still struggles to display diversity. There are clear signs that it’s trying, but obviously not trying hard enough.

A prime example of diversity of body image within the fashion industry is Winnie Harlow. Winnie Harlow is a Canadian fashion model, spokesperson, and activist, however she is best known for embracing her skin condition, Vitiligo. Despite having this skin condition, she has completely made her mark in the fashion industry, and has become an international supermodel. Winnie was discovered by Tyra Banks on the extremely popular television series, America’s Next Top Model. On the show, Tyra stated; ‘Her skin breaks down barriers of what is considered beautiful’. Winnie has made a conscious decision to celebrate her skin as it is. There are “treatments”: UVA light therapy, skin dye, make-up, topical medicines, even surgery, but they don’t interest her in any way. I think the way she embraces her skin is truly inspiring to women who are feeling self conscious in their own skin. It shows that no matter what we look like, we are all beautiful in our own way. The way that she has broken into the fashion industry, despite having this skin condition, is also extremely inspiring. It shows that the fashion industry is trying to become more and more diverse by displaying models like Winnie.

There are huge amounts of people in the world that feel incredibly insecure about aspects of body image, such as skin conditions. Skin conditions include birth marks, freckles, eczema, burns, acne, scars, and rarer conditions such as Winnie’s Vitiligo. People with skin conditions tend to feel the need to cover up, and hide their differences. This is something that needs to change, and the idea of being self conscious about their skin needs to change. I think the fact that Winnie is so open about her condition will help these people embrace the way they look as our skin does not define us.

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Older is golden

Seeing an older model on the catwalk or featuring in a magazine can be some what surprising to some. Brands tend to look for the freshest, youngest faces to model their looks. So when older models appear on the catwalks or in magazines, it can create a talking point within the fashion industry. 

Maye Musk is a Canadian-born American model and dietitian. Having been a model for 50 years, we have seen her feature on the covers of many magazines. CoverGirl, the cosmetics company, has demonstrated a huge amount of diversity when hiring 69 year old Maye Musk. CoverGirl has been displaying diversity in many ways over the past few years, bringing on their first male face, James Charles, in October last year. This was followed by the first hijab-wearing CoverGirl, Nura Afia, last November. CoverGirl has really been building a diverse list of brand ambassadors. I think women will be inspired to see that a 69 year old can get a beauty campaign with CoverGirl. Maye Musk is a complete and utter timeless beauty. 

Lately the fashion industry has been paying attention to older models, however it goes without saying that there is still a lot that needs to be changed in this area within the fashion industry. People will tend to turn their noses up at the thought of older models because it is not what we’re used to seeing. At Milan Fashion Week SS18 show this year, the original Nineties supermodels joined Donatella Versace on the catwalk. The original supers Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, and Carla Bruni, were dressed in long, gold gowns. This was the mark the 20th anniversary of Donatellas brothers murder. It has been years since the careers of these models launched, meaning they are now in their late 40’s/50’s. This big finale caused shock and awe. However these faces are, as well at Maye Musk, complete timeless beauties.

So the question is, where is the age variety?

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Bridging the gap - GAP campaign

‘Bridging the Gap, which was directed, cast, and styled by newly appointed Vogue UK editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, celebrates optimistic American style. Enninful selected a diverse cast of people he’s worked with, championed, and admired, all of whom embody American culture today. Gap white tees become each person’s blank canvas, and offer a glimpse into how our differences can unite us. That’s #BridgingTheGap.’

Gap’s new brilliant and uplifting Bridging the Gap campaign is all about celebrating diversity and individuality. The ad features many familiar faces, including Yara Shahidi, Priyanka Chopra and Wiz Khalifa. From sports stars to actresses to singers, everyone comes together, all wearing the brand’s iconic tee, dancing to the all famous 70s classic ‘Sunny” by Boney M. The campaign is directed by stylist and future British Vogue Editor-In-Chief Edward Enninful, who has clearly chosen models of all ethnicities and colour, furthermore, surprisingly only one white male and female.

The Campaign has bought about huge amounts of positive publicity. People love the fact it’s all about coming together and loving everyone for who we are. “I love the optimistic American style that Gap celebrates and the simplicity of the basic white T-shirt that allows you to be yourself.” Aboah wrote: “Bridging The Gap to me means making space for the next generation, looking at things without judgement and unifying women.” Shahidi wrote: “Communities unite when we allow one another to authentically blossom and shine.”

This campaign shows that it doesn't matter where you’re from, or what you look like, what matters right now is what you stand for, and what we need to stand for is diversity, unity, individuality, love and humanity. I’m hoping that this campaign will inspire us to connect with one another on a deeper level.

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Oh Comely - Analysis

‘Oh Comely is a women’s magazine covering food, recipes, film, fashion, music, art and culture’. It is a playful, honest, magical and independent magazine. It’s a place to hear the stories of ordinary people and looks at life from a different perspective. The magazine was originally started by three students, since then, the team has expanded. In the latest issue, there were six contributors, which, in comparison to other, bigger magazines, is a very small amount of people. Oh Comely was a new, indie magazine that hit British newsstands in 2010. It now has a band reach of over 105K. ‘It occupies a unique position in the magazine market, offering a genuinely alternative read for creative young women’. Oh Comely is published in London, by a small publishing company. The magazine is sold internationally through international outlets, WH Smith, and independently. It is bi-monthly, meaning that a new issue comes out every 2 months. Their website states that their target audience is a 27 year old woman, this is because the magazine focus on topics such as feminism and womanhood. I have been analysing issue 33 of Oh Comely, and have found that in comparison to bigger magazines such as Vogue or Elle, there is a minimal amount of advertisements. In total, Issue 33 has 6 advertisements, and these companies are not as well known as those that are seen in Vogue or Elle. For example, Bloom and Wild have advertised in this issue. All of the advertisements relate to nature of the magazine, clearly they are picked carefully to ensure that they advertise things that the reader will be interested in. Oh Comely is very different to bigger magazines in many ways. The main difference being the people used in the magazine. For example, the cover of issue 33 features model Nejilka in an enchanted forest setting. This setting and the hair, make-up and styling of Nelilka all contribute to the fairytale-like essence of the magazine. Oh Comely always use unknown models, like Nejilka, on the cover of the magazine. This contrasts to the models in Elle or Vogue, as they almost always use celebrities. This shows that the readers of Oh Comely are ordinary women who are more interested in seeing life from a different angle, rather than celebrity gossip. As stated above, the articles in Oh Comely are generally about fashion, lifestyle, food, music, and interviews. They often use submissions of work form their own readers, as well as other contributors. Issue 33 displays a number of articles based on magical stories and myths. This issue contains 11 features, 7 investigations and 4 stories. From my analysis, I have found that Oh Comely focuses on new talent, rather than famous celebrities. This makes the magazine more relatable for the reader. The tone of the articles in this issue is descriptive, whilst being quite to the point. Oh Comely does not include an editors letter, however in issue 33 there is a double page on the contributors to the magazine.

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RED PROJECT #FCNURED

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How does gaining internships in industry help your university degree?

Gaining experience from internships in industry is extremely important in helping with your university degree. An internship can bring a range of benefits and positive impacts, such as improving your knowledge and skills. Strong evidence suggests that placements and internships are extremely beneficial for students. This is in terms of both academic performance and employability. It shows employers that the student has outside experience, not just a degree. It shows that the student has taken an active role in extending skills specific to their subject or industry. Employers will see that they have real-life experience, which displays an increased knowledge of the industry, allowing them to make decisions within a business and to work as a team. It increases an individuals awareness of the world of work, making them a much more mature and well-rounded person.

Having experience from internships is especially important when studying a degree in fashion, this is because of how competitive the industry is. Being a student of Fashion Communication, it is vital to have work experience in industry. An internship will help an individual understand the industry more, prior to actually being in the industry. A student will be able to see the business in active and learning what it takes to run a fashion house/business. This kind of experience is very beneficial, and increase self-management and problem solving skills, with the ability to work in a team. 

Completing a placement can sometimes lead directly to employability following graduation. Having connections with professionals whilst on placement can have strong benefits after graduation and in later life. An internship doesn’t only benefit the individual, it also benefits the employer and the university. The employers within the placement have access to students with a variety of skills that can help enhance a company. It also gives them an extra route to future recruitment, and it allows them to gain a name of supporting students. For the university, it increases the amount of positive contact with employers.

I have found an internship at Birchbox, London, that is the marketing / PR area of fashion. I feel like this internship will increase my knowledge of the marketing industry within brands, and help me discover what is involved in the marketing / PR process of such an exciting and dynamic company. 

http://www.ncub.co.uk/placements-report/the-benefits-of-a-high-quality-placement.html

http://www.fashionworkie.com/internship-placement/paid-marketing-internship-3

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My personal favourite SS17 trends

I was so excited to see what trends the catwalks of SS17 had in store for us. From catwalks in New York, Milan, London and finally, Paris, there were plenty of trends that the SS17 collections showed. The first trend that caught my eye was metallics, the catwalks have proved that metallics are unavoidable this SS17. Metallic silver, brass and gold was seen on the catwalks at Christopher Kane, Versus, and Kenzo. During Kenzo’s Paris Fashion Week show, the fabric was so shiny that it reflected the lighting from the spotlights, and the flash from the many cameras. Marques’ Almeida opted for reflective bell-bottom flared trousers that were so shiny that they almost reflected a mirror image. 

Another one of my favourite trends from the SS17 collections was the simple, yet highly effective, boyfriend jeans and a plain top from Anthony Vaccarello's Saint Laurent debut. The low-slung boyfriend jeans and ‘nineties-esque’ tops creates the perfect, smart, day to day look. This is one of my personal favourites because it is so easy to put together and it will not break the bank in the mean time! I also think that the simplicity of this look makes it more effective.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/fashion-week-takeaway

http://www.refinery29.uk/2016/09/123827/trends-ss17-london-fashion-week#slide-1