VIDEOBOOK FASHION FOR TOMORROW
CHAPTER ONE | SUSTAINABLE CONCEPTS
Fashion for Tomorrow Reporter: Hello everyone! Welcome to Fashion for Tomorrow, a video book with fresh ideas for dynamic and creative people eager to get information from qualified sources. FASHION FOR TOMORROW is an approach in sustainable development, with international involvement, and in today’s chapter of the video book we set out to briefly present both the concept of “image” and the principles that support it. We are talking to Mrs. Ana Hriscu, the world’s first Doctor in Mannequin Ethics and Fashion Theater®, to find out what it is about.
Fashion for Tomorrow Reporter: What does Fashion For Tomorrow mean?
Ana Hriscu, PhD: When we talk about fashion, we refer to a generous concept, which captures all aspects of life, because there is fashion in ideas, conversation, behavior, clothing or even proper names. The prerogative of fashion is, for example, art, the business environment, globalization, technology, social, political, cultural changes or even the environment. So, when we say Fashion For Tomorrow, we are referring primarily to sustainability, sustainable development and the solutions it offers to create a better future for today’s and tomorrow’s generations. Fashion is a global phenomenon and industry, comprising a set of related activities that include a multitude of professions and occupations. Fashion is a true vehicle of the world economy, with a huge number of employees and workers. Fashion for Tomorrow is a concept that brings to light the importance of fashion sustainability through attractive intercultural learning methods for all social categories. As I mentioned in my doctoral thesis, the future is a privileged time in the ethics applied to the field of fashion. Fashion for tomorrow is the symbol of the permanent approach taken by fashion professionals, for a sustainable construction of a harmoniously developed society. Fashion for Tomorrow is the motto of an international initiative whose leader is Morrely Kasta Organization. This approach aims to make an informed contribution to increasing the level of information of the general public on the civilizing importance of the fashion field.
Fashion for Tomorrow Reporter: What do you think are the key points in educating the public about fashion?
Ana Hriscu, PhD: Fashion is a fascinating field, with a very important educational and social role. Unfortunately, through easy means of mass communication, the field is prone to be polluted with misinformation uttered by amateurs, who present themselves abusively as fashion specialists. If a person is a good speaker, admirer or participant directly involved in fashion events, it is unproductive to confuse him with an evaluator or specialist in the field. That is why we must always check the qualifications and personal performances in the field, of the one who talks to us about fashion, fashion events or creative industries.
Fashion for Tomorrow Reporter: What do you think would be important to tell us about preparing the youth for the future development of fashion?
Ana Hriscu, PhD: A quality activity in the field of fashion, corresponding to the educational impact it has, cannot be achieved without specialists and qualified staff. In particular, young people and children are vulnerable. For this reason, I emphasize the need to eliminate amateurism, through the existence of a qualified and specialized training of trainers in working with young people and children, in order to legally and competently conduct public fashion activities, in accordance with the importance of the civilizing role and social harmony of this important component of the creative industries sector. It is necessary for the future of civilized society for the younger generations to be socially competitive. By tolerating the lack of qualifications of people working with young people and children, nothing is done but to encourage the increase of the functional illiteracy of future adults.
Fashion for Tomorrow Reporter: What does Fashion For Tomorrow logo represents?
Ana Hriscu, PhD: Through the image concept of this international approach, we wanted to give the perspective of an integrated approach to intercultural learning oriented towards the sustainability of fashion. The key concepts are: intercultural learning, creativity, fashion theater, fashion sustainability, the requirements of a professional fashion week. The LOGO reproduces the concept of fashion sustainability, IT IS A CATWALK OF THE PRESENT TO THE FUTURE, with reference to the ethics applied to the fashion field, a form of moral reasoning and responsible action, which militates, proposes and implements solutions for fashion sustainability. Among its divisions I mention, eco fashion or sustainable fashion, with the possibilities of prolonging the life of a clothing product, creating clothing items in accordance with the principles of environmental protection, workers and fashion consumers. For example, three essential steps in mastering responsible and environmentally friendly behavior are: reduce, reuse, recycle.
We also refer to the activities in the field of fashion with educational and cultural value, in particular the professional ethics of specialists and workers in the field of fashion, the elimination of amateurism and the need for qualified specialized training for the proper exercise of professions that highlight fashion trends: event organizers, mannequin, mannequin trainer, make-up artist, hair stylist, photographer, videographer etc. At the same time, we highlight the ethics applied to the image sector of fashion.
We take into account the norms and principles necessary for the professional development of fashion festivals, fashion shows or fashion TV shows. If they are part of the professional field of fashion, the organizers and designers assume the responsibility to always promote distinction and respectability, as perennial values of civilization.
Fashion for Tomorrow Reporter: What does tomorrow’s fashion have to do with intercultural learning?
Ana Hriscu, PhD: The concept is part of the European project “Sustainability of Fashion in the Spotlight, New Trends of Intercultural Learning”, co-financed by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union. The project leader is Kasta Morrely Association, and the main international partners are the Intercultural Organization for All in Portugal and Sfax University in Tunisia, which is among the top 500 universities in the world. This European project coordinated by Kasta Morrely is one of the 6 projects at the level of the entire Creative Europe 2014-2020 program that have as project leader an institution from Romania. It is natural to be proud of the fact that we could contribute to this achievement for the city of Iași and for our country, especially because it is a project that promotes the sustainability of fashion and the new artistic genre Fashion Theater, which would not have existed without the applied studies of Kasta Morrely.
Fashion for Tomorrow Reporter: As the main organizers of this project that takes place on two continents, what do you propose?
Ana Hriscu, PhD: Through this international project we aim to develop the structured development of new forms of artistic expression in the field of creative industries, raising awareness of the benefits of collaboration between specialists, artists and young people in the fields of performing arts, sustainable fashion design, creative entrepreneurship and non-formal education. In the image concept of the European project, the scarf is the symbol of intercultural learning. It contains traditional motifs of each country in the consortium of partners: Romania, Portugal, Tunisia.
The scarf is a graphic representation of the intercultural fashion collections that promote the sustainability of fashion and that will be made within the project through a unique collaboration of the teams of designers from the three countries. The collections will be presented for the first time through Fashion Theatre® at personalized fashion festivals in Romania, Portugal and Tunisia. The clothing lines will promote traditional pieces and motifs that render in a modern form elements from the national port of our country and partner countries.
Fashion for Tomorrow Reporter: This was the first episode of FASHION FOR TOMORROW, a video book with fresh ideas for dynamic and creative people, eager to get information from qualified sources.
Thank you for your attention and I invite you to participate in the creative activities of this international initiative to write together the following chapters of the Fashion for Tomorrow story!
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