Issue 1
Love In the Time of Corona
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY TY SHOTS, LEAH FURGBERT & JAMES PRICE
Lockdown has felt like an endless spiral of Netflix binging and overeating. What seems like a never-ending broadcast of half-hearted government speeches saying lockdown could be over soon and continuous announcements of cancelled festivals and plans for what was supposed to be the summer of living our best lives. As a result of coronavirus, the world has entered an almost total lockdown and the past two months has seen an unprecedented change in the structure of the creative industry.
But, as easy as it’s been to fall into the rut of wake-up, Netflix, eat, Insta, sleep and repeat, we have seen an unbelievable amount of support and effort coming from the creative community. Separated from friends, family and lovers many creatives have taken this opportunity to exercise their minds for ideas and initiatives they can start-up during this time.
Leah Furgbert - Me , Myself & I
Never have I seen so many zoom call invites and webinars being offered to people from all corners of the industry. The most recent one I attended was one of Graduate Fashion Week’s, weekly webinars that have been set up offering graduates, that are missing out on their showcases this June, advice on life in the industry ahead. Hearing from specialist consultant, Jan Miller, who was dishing out her best advice for graduates looking to start their own brands, she highlighted how even with the many years in the industry she has under her belt, there was only so much advice she could offer to the 500 eager graduates that had tuned in to hear her talk. During the Q&A’s students asked for books that Jan could recommend on starting up a brand and she said honestly that there was no point in her recommending them because Covid-19 has changed the way we need to work so much, like sourcing local manufactures and fabrics rather than looking abroad.
“It’s unnerving not knowing what the future holds for us as graduates, but I’m taking every opportunity as it comes,” says Jassinta Carr, Fashion Promotion and Imaging soon to be graduate, “There’s been a lot of Instagram accounts starting up to help showcase peoples work and I think that it’s great to see people getting behind each other because we’re all in the same boat.” With the uncertainty of what is to come for the class of 2020, you would think it would demotivate a lot of people but it’s rather allowed people to push the boat out and really embrace their independence and get a taste of what ‘going it alone’ is going to be like a little earlier than expected.
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Leah Furgbert - Me , Myself & I
Living and working from home can be stressful not being able to go out and search for motivation, our eyes have been glued to our screens and we’ve turned to each other online for inspiration. A lot of graduates have moved their studios home to create final collections and projects, even most of The Blacklist content has been created by contributors from their makeshift home studios. The grind has definitely not stopped with Depop sellers making bank off the pandemic, creating custom facemasks, N95 masks and hand sanitisers. Even though we have passed the peak in the UK, there is still a long way to go so creatives are really trying to find the best solutions for being trapped at home.
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Exploration of Self - James Price
The news that Notting Hill Carnival was officially cancelled did not come as a shock at all, but I can’t say the thought of not parading drunkenly down the streets of West London celebrating with my friends didn’t bring me down a little. However, that didn’t stop the organisers from doing their bit for the community this year. Deciding to host a Zoom Carnival to raise money for the Brixton Soup kitchen, really shows how collectives are working hard to support each other and bring the community together in these hard times. And they’re not the only ones – BBZ, Pxssy Palace and many more have been hosting parties on Instagram Live to keep spirits uplifted and the sense of community alive. Creative Con was another initiative started up during lockdown with a variety of guest speakers including our very own Shanice Mears, discussing ways creatives can be making money online.
It’s definitely been hard to keep motivated and I can honestly say the creativity being shared online has really kept me and many others going. It really shows how we as a community can really keep thriving in difficult times, now that’s not to say that the occasional lazy Netflix day isn’t needed.
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Exploration of Self - James Price
Leah Furgbert - Me , Myself & I
Living and working from home can be stressful not being able to go out and search for motivation, our eyes have been glued to our screens and we’ve turned to each other online for inspiration. A lot of graduates have moved their studios home to create final collections and projects, even most of The Blacklist content has been created by contributors from their makeshift home studios. The grind has definitely not stopped with Depop sellers making bank off the pandemic, creating custom facemasks, N95 masks and hand sanitisers. Even though we have passed the peak in the UK, there is still a long way to go so creatives are really trying to find the best solutions for being trapped at home.
Exploration of Self - James Price
The news that Notting Hill Carnival was officially cancelled did not come as a shock at all, but I can’t say the thought of not parading drunkenly down the streets of West London celebrating with my friends didn’t bring me down a little. However, that didn’t stop the organisers from doing their bit for the community this year. Deciding to host a Zoom Carnival to raise money for the Brixton Soup kitchen, really shows how collectives are working hard to support each other and bring the community together in these hard times. And they’re not the only ones – BBZ, Pxssy Palace and many more have been hosting parties on Instagram Live to keep spirits uplifted and the sense of community alive. Creative Con was another initiative started up during lockdown with a variety of guest speakers including our very own Shanice Mears, discussing ways creatives can be making money online.
It’s definitely been hard to keep motivated and I can honestly say the creativity being shared online has really kept me and many others going. It really shows how we as a community can really keep thriving in difficult times, now that’s not to say that the occasional lazy Netflix day isn’t needed.
Exploration of Self - James Price