book workshop #1 @ Fashion x Craft Project 2022

My first workshop for the Fashion X Craft Project, run by Fashion Council Germany and Prince's Foundation Fashion, took place at FCG’s extremely well lit office in Berlin.

The books were selected for some application to design, creativity, craftsmanship the future and sustainability.

The 8 young designers had 4 books to read between them and each pair took the lead on their text. Several of them actually approached me as we were getting refreshments before starting, itching to talk about the books to the point I had to tell them to save it for the workshop!

I’ve included a brief outline of what they thought of each book below:

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

Everyone has an opinion on Ratajkowski, making this a great book to discuss.

A couple of the students hadn’t known who she was but upon looking her up, were able to form an opinion quite quickly and this is why what is an imperfect book works so well in this setting. We’re quick to judge a woman who trades on her beauty, particularly one who dares step outside their good-looking lane and demands to be recognised for some other quality, and there were a range of opinions as to whether she was full of it or not.

One of the students had experience as a model and he related how as soon as he stopped to pursue his design ambitions, all his previous contacts who he thought might have been of value in his new endeavour stopped speaking to him. What got you here won't get you there and all that.

Misfits by Michaela Coel

Besides her personal story and associated themes of ownership, the students enjoyed discussing the use of motif. Coel refers to a death’s head moth throughout her tale and many of the students had some sort of totem or talisman that they kept an eye out for, with one pair preparing to use the fruit fly in their work.

I shared an affinity for the number 23 with one of the designers; my shirt number as a junior rugby player was 23 (13 was regarded as unlucky), even if I wasn't quite as paid up on the merits of manifestation as one or two of them were. Coel's book is based on a lecture she gave that you can find on YouTube if you fancy a 45 minute diversion.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

They hated this! One of the guys assigned to this book found the hatching of children triggering and the plot depressing but what angered him most was how prescient the novel has proven in its depiction of a society organised completely around pleasure-seeking and chemical numbness.

The book prompted further discussion of societal design, predestination and rejecting common narratives as an act of defiance. I found this a difficult read myself but didn't dislike it as much as the designers did and their strong reactions provided some amusement and fertile grounds for discussion.

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

This was probably the book that was discussed the least, partly because everyone was tired at the end of the day and partly because it was a pretty straightforward story, detailing Nike’s business practices and how Knight funded the company with money he never had.

That enabled us to discuss personal and financial risk and while we also touched on innovation, it was probably the least productive discussion of the day.

(if you're interested, here’s a link to our Notion resource with question prompts, quotes and links to supporting material)

One of them said how pleased they were that we weren’t ‘closely analysing the text like in school’, to which I replied, ‘Well I’m not your teacher!’

This workshop was about the designers being exposed to some influences that they wouldn’t normally associate with their discipline and giving them the opportunity to make connections they wouldn’t have made otherwise. The workshop was designed to this end, with an emphasis on discussion and discovery rather than reaching any preconceived conclusions.

There was no test. This wasn’t something they could pass or fail. It was something they could choose to engage with or not. That they all did made it a delightful day.

I’m looking forward to Workshop 2 at Highgrove where I’ll meet some of the people involved with the Prince’s Foundation who are also backing this endeavour.