BRANDING ME
BY LAUREN ROBERTS
INTRODUCTION
Brand me is our moduel for our current trimester, this is about building your personal brand creating future proofing assets for within the fashion industry. It’s about developing a brand identity, marketing that brand and being a team player. It allows us to develop in the key concepts and markets through art direction to also critically analysis for further suitable communication methods.
INTRODUCTION
CONTENTS
Introduction
Childhood
My background
School
Me on a deeper level...
My style
My5
What colour am I?
How im different...
Engagment
Its fashion darling..
Brand X
Influence me
Creative agency
Combined tris moodboard
CHILDHOOD
Reflection on childhood
Looking back on my childhood it was different to many, untill I was 6/7 I lived in Cardiff with mum and dad which I can remember to be a happy time in my life as im the youngest I was spolit and always had my own way. Unfortunately due to domestic violence case me and my mum had to move away, stay in refuges and hostels untill we got to Chester. This was a traumatic period in my life, suddenly having to grow up and be there for my mum was hard. Staring a new school in year4 not knowing anybody round here and being in a area where there wasn’t many people like me, meaning people of colour was again something hard to face. Little did I know I would make friends for life in that primary school whom people I still speak to today. There was highs and many lows throughout my childhood but through that it has made me the strong and caring person I am today.
MY BACKGROUND
What values were instilled in you by your parents?
My mum has always taught me to stick up for myself weather that be with words or actions she always made it clear that no one should make you feel a type of way for something out of your controll. I mainly think she was prefering me for the world of racism always making sure im happy within myself and proud to be who I am. She has always told me to be strong in any situation which is something I admire about her, because for a long time she had to be strong for me and put herself first. She was also always passionate about education I feel if she wasnt this way would I have done 3 years in college and go to univercity? who knows but its a trate I will carry on when I have my open children.My dad has not been apart of life since I was 6.
Were they positive or negative influences?
Most values from my mum I assosiate with being positive because I know she only wants the best for me and at the time she was preparing me for what I could face throughtout life and what skills I need to get through it.
SCHOOL
Looking back I loved primary school, meeting new people and making friends with people from all years I got on with everybody. It was only when we go to high school I had some problems. I remember having lots of friends from all the highschools in the area in all the years, it was in high school I noticed I had good friendships with people who were older than me it was like they understood me better and could talk about our similar experiences so more relateable. In school I found it easy to make friends where ever I was always known to be the funny one but also the good listener. Towards the end of highschool is when I first experienced racism to a point where I could actually understand what was going on being the age of around 16/17. I was bullied by an older woman for about 2 years before I actually took it apon myself to do something about it. Unfortunatly, I did this in the wrong way by turning phyiscal with the woman, having to go to court and being fined for beating someone up for calling me derogatory slurs over that period of time confused me as I felt I was pushed to that. After that I realised being phyisical isn’t always the answer. So when she got her friend to spit on me and call me a nigger is when I decided to take a different approach and go to the police, this was the first time I went to court as a victum and shared what had happened and got some justice, the man actually got 6 months in jail for this.
ME ON A DEEPER LEVEL....
Why do you do what you do?
I do what I do to make myself happy and people I care about happy. My main miority is making sure im happy within myself, health, confidence, appearence which is all things im working on to be best version of myself but also for my future. What is the ultimate goal for your future work and life? Since I was younger I always remember wanting a good career and a family of my own, growing up with familly scattered around the world has been something I have struggled with here and there which is why its always been a desire of mine to have a big family that are very close. In regardes to work life this is something im never really certain on, from college I used to want to be a visual merchandiser and during my time at university I have more interest in creative direction, styling, shooting, building on my digitals and story telling. What motivates you?
One of my biggest motivators is myself, having to grow up quicker than your average child seeing/hearing negative things, being around certain people has made me want more for myself. My mum is someone who motivates me alot, seeing what she has been through and hearing some of the stories from when she was a child was very hard, but also seeing her get up everyday and face any problems while being the best version of herself is very insperational to me and I took upto my mum. What are you passionate about?
I have found that growing up is a prodominatly white area that being a person of colour comes with great challenges. This is something I have had to trial and error from doing it the wrong way to the right. I can say now that race is something I am passionate about, just because you have a different skin colout to other people doesn’t mean you should be treated any differently to anyone else which is what I stand for. What makes you unhappy or unsettled?
Seeing people recieve hate or horrible comments about the colour of their skin is something that really bothers me and angers me. No one asked to be brought into this world and nor can you choose the colour of your skin, people who see colour make me feel unsettled. What makes me feel alive?
When I see people of colour on the front covers of magazines like Dazed, Vouge, ID, as it’s really nice to see them get the recognition they deserve and people apprecate the black beauty instead of manipulating it to look like something else or trying to hate on us for it.
DIRECT
OUTGOING DETERMIND
PHOTOGRAPHY
VISUAL
STYLE
QUIET
LOYAL
MY STYLE
My style is something that has changed alot over the years, from childlhood with mum dressing me in sports wear with alot of colour which carried on into my childhood years growing into loving basics like jeans and a boxy tshirts. In highschool when I was around 14years old I had my first operation on my back an all went well, unfortanatly the same problem came back when I was around 17years old leading me to have around 3 or 4 more operations. This lead me to have something called a pico-machine which was used to heal my open wound. This was the first time I really considered fashion is more that just you wear, this is where my style changed the most moving more away from athlesure to baggy jeans, baggy joggers, jumpers, tops to disguise the fact I was having issues with my health, to hide the wires of the machine because I didn’t want anyone to know I was having problems and certainlly did not want to talk about them openly. I find that if im having any sorts of issues that unless your within my close circle I wont feel comfortable. As this is something that is still ongoing at the moment although not to that extent, I feel my style has now chnaged again to more modern, wide leg pants and jeans with tishirts and blazer is what I consider to be mu basics now and also what I feel comfortable in but also confident about the way my body looks in those clothes.
MY FIVE
Who are your five and do they align with who you want to be come?
MY 5
Who are your five and do they align with who you want to become?
Mum - My mum has always been there for me when I have ever needed her, she has played the role of mum and dad for 14 years now and has always put me first and did she best she could at the time. Growing up she was selfless and always put me and my needs first which is something I admire about my mum. Our relationship now is the strongest it’s been, I feel growing up I have learnt to be strong, brave, adventours and protective from her.
Mum - For as long as I can remember my mum has always been there for me, she has played the role of both mum and dad for me since I was 6 and done the best she can. She has always put me first and what I needed and wanted over the needs of herself. Our relationship now is stronger than ever we are open with eachother and help one another.
Who are your five and do they align with who you want to become?
Mum - For as long as i can remember my mum has always been there for me, she has played the role of mum and dad since i was around 6 years old and always done the best she could for us. She has always put me first and what i have needed or wanted over herself which is sonething i admire about my mum.
VWho are your five and do they align with who you want to become?
Sister Alisha - Me and my sister have always had a close relationship, when she was around 15/16 I was born and she used to always treat me like I was her baby. She is also at university in cardiff studying journalism and has always been passionate about her education which is something I admire about her.
Mumsisterbrother-
Sister Alisha - Me and my sister have always had a close relationship even though she is 15 years older than me. When I was born she would treat me like I was her baby, my sister is wise, thoughful, trustworthy, always honest and spontaneous which are things I love about her.
best friend Ellie-
Brother Aaron - My brother when he was younger was a trouble maker also known to be the class clown and the naughtest child my mum had he faced alot of challenges due to him being deaf and being bullied for that. Now he wants better for himself getting his own flat and moving away from London and the surroundings that brought out the worst in him. Im proud he fact he has acknoledged the problem and took himself out of it.
Alisha - me and my sister have alwauys had a close relationship even when she was living in austrailia. When she was around 15/16 is when i was born so there is a large age gap between us, i am the baby of the family although my mum did miscarry after me unfortunatly. She is also at university studying journalism which is something she has always been passionate about and she has always taught that if i am passionate about something to persur it.
best friend Charlie-
Brother Aaron - Me and my brother haven’t always been as close as we are now due to him being a trouble maker in his younger years living in London. Now living in Manchester and becoming the best version himself is what I love about him. Him being deaf is something he struggled alot with but now he embraces it which makes me happy.
Best friend Ellie - I have known Elllie since highschool and it was around year9 that we became bestfriends, she is one of my best friends now and I couldn’t imagine my live without her init. Since we left school she worked at hickories for a few years before knowing what she wants to do. Ellie has a little brother with down syndrome and her goal has always been to work with special needs children, shes done research on corses to get into that industry. I admire Ellie for finding something she is passionate about and wanting to learn more all in aid for her brother.
Aaron - my bother was always known to be the touble maker in school and around London which is where my mum lived at the time, because he is deaf he struggled with getting bullied and picked on for his hearing aids which lead him to refusing to wear them. Now he wants better for himself and getting his own flat and impoving his way of looking at life. Im proud that he acknloged the problem and took himself out of it.
Ellie - I have known ellie since high school and it was around year nine that we hit it off and became the closest of friends. Still today she is one of my bestfriends and i couldnt imagien my life without her init. since we left school ellie has worked in hickories but having a down syndrome brother working with special needs children has always been something that she wants to persue. Looking into the dfferent courses available for this is something i am very proud of ellie for doing as ino its hard but ino its something that will pay off.
Best friend Ellie - We met in highschool and become best friends in around year 9 she is now one of the closest people to me. I admire Ellie for her work drive, always wanting to get stuck in leanring nex things, her passion for working with children with needs steming from looking after her brother with down syndrome, she is so patient, caring and generous.
Best friend Charlie - We also met in highschool and clicked strsight away and is now still one of my closest friends. I admire Charlie for wanting it all, her drive for work long hours and days at the hospital but also being the best mother to her daughter Esme-Rose and the baby due. I admire her for many reasons like dedication, presence, patience and organisation.
Charlie - Me and charlie have also been bestfriend since highschool, and still to this day are bestfriends. Charlie now has 2 children esme and ablie which i an due to be godmother to, i am proud of charlie and the strong mum she is today. Having her children and moving out to her own flat with her little family is something i cherise for my friends.
Best friend Charlie - Charlie and I have also known eachother since highschool and have always been bestfriends from the start and still now, I have watched her become the best mum to her first baby while smashing her job at the hospital she is now pregnant with her second. She has a lovely little flat in a nice area with her partner and the baby which what I took upto when I see her and I love spending time with Esme-Rose and being apart of their family.
WHAT COLOUR AM I?
My younger self would have jumped to the answer pink at this question. When I see the colour pink it’s like a nostalgic feeling because it reminds me of mu childhood because in both houses ive grown up in ive had a prink bedroom. It reminds me of all the sleepovers I used to host and all the good memories I have from those times. Also looking back on pictures of myself when I was little my mum would always put me in pink so when I see pink I always think about my childhood.
Now I would say my colour is black through aesthetic I always think that black makes a room pop its a more moden colour but also one thats timeless. My current room has alot of black now rather than pink. Even with style I find I wear black alot, it makes me feel comfortable but also put together. I do think it compliments my skin tone.
WHAT BUILDING AM I?
I would say the Eiffel Tower because, it’s strong, stands tall, goes through all sorts of weathers as to me that’s us (humans) groing through all our bad&good times but still standing tall. This picture is taken by me when I visisted Paris in August 2023 and fell in love with the place!
My main goals within the fashion industry are to continue to better my digital skills, I enjoy using the Adobe Suite and researching and experimenting with different skills within there. After, discovering my passion of culture relevence and communicating the importance of racism within fashion is something I enjoyed and really excelled in. This is something I will be taking forward because being a woman of colour myself I feel it’s important that I raise this awearness and continue to support the black community. In my opinion the industry is lacking in black creators which needs to change.
GOALS
WHAT SONG AND BOOK AM I?
If I were a book it would be The story of tracey beaker this is because I used to love the show and would watch it at any given chance when I was young I felt it was like a comfort show to me and also relateable. It was one of the books I kept going back to, I don’t read as much anymore which is why i’ve chosen a nostalgic approach to this question.
If i were a song it would be Tems The Key this is one of my favourite songs since it first came out, It’s relatable in cases like people loving you after they hurt you, and feeling the need to be saved. Its now I realised there is certain things I do or go back to when I seem to be hurting or acting a certain way when in hine site its a trigger.
WHAT FLOWER AM I?
If I were a flower I feel like i would be a Daffodil because I would want to remesble my roots as Wales is my home. I also feel like it could mirror my personality which is bright, happy, bubbly and enthusiastic.
HOW IM DIFFERENT......
What makes me stand out?
I think the main one for me is being a person of colour, I have learned that the fashion industry has not always been a safe place for people of colour, but in todays society that is changing and although its going in the right direction I do feel there is still a long way to go. Also my infectous personality I have a warm aura that seems to always make people smile and feel comfortable and I take pride in that.
What do you offer that no one else can?
I can always offer a prespective from a person of colour, which could be insignful for many brands moving into a more diverse space. A space where everyone feels included and valued.
What bothers you about the world around you?
There are two things that bother me about the world, the first being the fact racism is still around to this day. It’s something that should be in the past because people of colour aren’t going anywhere. It’s something I have had to go through on more than one occasion and its awful. I used to be someone who was ashamed to be half black, I would do everything to fit in with everyone else, fashion trend wise, appearence wise and sometimes even how they acted to just not stand out. Secondly, I feel strongly about littering there are to many bins everywhere for people to be throwing littler on the floor, fly tipping and generally people just dumping rubbish anywhere that isn’t a bin or allocated to rubbish. I feel it’s inconsiderate to the surroundings and the people there, it creates a negative feeling for the area and in all just makes unessary mess.
ENGAGMENT....
How do you engage with peers, mentors and academics and what does this say about your personal brand so far?
I feel I am fully engaged with peers, mentors and academics, hearing their storys, their interests, job roles they have done people they have worked with and everythiing else is interesting to me. I find im always willing to listen and learn about new people. I think for my brand it shows im prefessional with academics and always willing to listen, to try new things.
ITS FASHION DARLING...
Strengths - Researching is something I have continued to like in all trimesters so far and gaining knowledge on tools used. Team work, I felt this is something me and Nadine did well to produce the podcast.
Weaknesses - Feel I didn’t give this trimester 100% due to personal problems eg my back/health, with that it took me a while to understand the project and it’s aims as my focus was on other things. Presenting is also something I find difficult and needing to keep professional.
Likes - Croquis this is something that was new to me and which I thought was an interesting tool creators use, which is something I have also taken forward within my work.
Dislikes - Issey Miyake I think from my lack of focus within the project I didn’t understand why he was so special until more towards the end that I realised the reasons behind the things he created eg movement of the body is when I discovered he was also before his time within the industry. Producing the podcast I felt was also hard an out of my comfort zone, not sure if this is something I would consider doing again.
BRAND X...
Strengths - Researching, Team Working with Kyla, Visuals came along in this trimester experimenting with layouts, fonts, sizes, and trying to develop my own personal styling.
Weaknesses - Not posting enough of this content on my 204 instagram, this was unfortunate as I feel my digitals really moved forward within this trimester.
Likes - Really enjoyed creating the collaboration between loewe and dime finding a gap in the market and designing the products was something different and challenging but fun. Also conducting the location shoot and being the photographer was also something I enjoyed and took forward from this tri into my ongoing work. Thought the conceptual styling session with Sophie and Lee was insightful and forced me to be abit more creative.
Dislikes - I can honestly say I dont have any dislikes about this project I found it very interesting learning about the analysis between how brands collaberate and the process behind it which is something I really enjoyed.
INFLUENCE ME ...
INFLUENCE ME
INFLUENCE ME
Strengths - Researching, Creating content, Conducting photoshoots, Styling.
Strengths - Researching is something I have continuded to do throughout all trimesters and enjoyed, creating content is something I managed well within this space, conducting the photoshoots is something I have gotten better at the more im doing so and the styling within the shoots is something I thoroughly enjoy.
Strengths - Researching, Creating Content, Conducting potoshoots and styling.
Weaknesses - Looking back I don’t feel the editing was as good as I thought it was at the time. Always experiment within different styles to find the one which suits your narrative the best I feel if I did this the edits would give something more. I think the aesthetic was clean but it could have been polished. To prevent this, always step back from it and reflect and ask opinions.
Weaknesses - Looking back I don’t feel the editing was as strong as I thought it was at the time. To prevent this always step away from projects and reflect often also asking for opinions can help.
Likes - Conducting the two photoshoots is something I like doing both studio and location and seeing the end goal come to light. Also learning new methods like the 10x10 20x20 is something I will take forward.
Weaknesses - Looking back i dont feel the editing was as good as i though it was at the time. Always experiment within different styles to find out which suits your narrative best, i feel if i was to do this again the edits would give something more. I think aesthetic wise was clean but it could have been polished. To prevent this always take a step back from it and reflect and get opinions.
Likes - Conducting 2 shoots for this project, studio & location creating the content from the bts was something I enjoyed creating, also enjoyed the styling thoughout this trimester catering for the look I wanted, learning new methods like 10x10 20x20 methods.
Likes - Conducting two shoots for this project, studio and location creating the content from the bts was something i enjoyed creating also enjoyed the styling aspect throughout the trimester and learning different methods like the 10x10 and 20x20.
Dislikes - Looking into the influencer industry in deapth knowing its something that doesn’t interest me.
Dislikes - Gaining the knowledge of influencers and their life is insightful but also allowed me to discover that its not something that interests me.
Dislikes - Gaining the knowledge of influencers and their life is insightful but also allowed me to discover that its not something that interests me.
CREATIVE AGENCY...
Strengths - Researching, Digitals, this is something I pushed on in this trimester experimenting wide with contast and use of saturation/lighting on backgrounds , Photoshoots this is something I have continued to enjoy throughout all trimesters, Restyling and redesigning was fun, Communicating my story this is something I did find hard in the beginging but after getting more creative while also encorperating target audience and satistics into the story made it easy. Also, having the manager role is something that I seemed to ease into very quickly but successfully although it was out of my comfort zone I enjoyed it and felt it’s helped with my confidence.
Weaknesses - Presenting is something that has continued to be a weaknesses but is also something I want to work on to be better to be more confident and professional while doing so.
Likes - This trimester is one I felt I came out of my shell and produced some really good work, I loved streetcasting in the end meeting the potential models that worked with our criteria. I really enjoyed conducting the actual shoots and the getting ready process and seeing it all come together. I embraced the story I was communicating and felt I told it in a creative way. I think this was because being diverse and equal is something I am passionate about as I personally have not always felt that way which is why its important for me to make others that were in my position to feel valued like anyone else.
Dislikes - I can honestly say I had no dislikes about this project it has been my favourite so far and the one I have most exceled in.
1 Peggy Ann Freeman the first black women to picture on the front cover of vouge, I think this was a ground breaking moment for black people and the black beauty getting the recognition it deserves. Its like a reminder of where it all started.
2. Michaela Coel is someone I have always love her from her acting career but seeing her on the cover of vouge just feels to be another success for the black communiity.
3. Anok Yai on the cover of Dazed this is one of my favourite images of Anok with the white power coming down is an interesting concept for purple rain.
4. Mounia was the first ever black model to walk for Ye Saint Laurent catwalk in in the 1980s. She started the pathway for the likes of Bethanne Hardison and Naomi Campbell to follow on the modeling career for the black community. This was one of the starting points for the rise of black models.
5. This image of Anok Yai is her opening the Prada fashion show being the first black model to open the show for over 20 years. This was a big moment for Yai and also the black community in a sense of accepting feeling.
6. Naomi Campbell walking the runway in the 1991/92 show for Thierry Muglar in a iconic looking chandliar dress.
7. Tom Ford have been coming up on my socials alot recently and their use of black and mixed race models excites me. I used this picture from a campaign back in 2016 because there use of models of colour seems to be continues unlike Prada.
8. This image is from a H&M campaign 2024 this stood out to me because of the use of black models and recently I have noticed the constant use of models of all colour within their campaign. Seeing big brands start making the changes that need to be done to become more diverse feels like a step in the right direction.
9. I have also found Mui mui using diverse models throughout all their recent campaigns I really like them as a brand and for them to be diverse and continuesly is nice to see the brands who always use models of colour throughout their brand decisions.
Virgil born 30th September 1980 and died on the 28th November 2021 at 41 years old was an African American fashion designer. He founded his own label called Pyrex Vision in 2012 which he transformed into the Off White label we know it to be. He was also appointed the artistic director of Louis Vuttion’s menswear in 2018 (the two first images are his work for Louis Vitton) previously was the creative director of Kanye Wests brand Donda. His aesthetic blends streetwear with luxury, Virgils work was timeless and minimalist which is something I love about his work. I have chosen some images from different collections noticing he goes back to the cobolt blue in his campaigns.
Kerby born 1st November 1986 is a Haitian/American fashion designer. He has his own label called Pyer Moss and was also appointed the creative director of reebok in 2020 and departed from them in 2022. He is known for raising awearness in terms of racism within his collections. These images I have chosen are a collection from 2016 basied on police brutality in reference to black lives matter movements happening in that time which ended him recieving death threats from the kkk.
Stella Novarino also known as Stella Jean born 17th June 1979 is an Haitian/Italian fashion designer. Stella dropped out of education to pursue a career in modeling and through that discovered her passion for design and taught herself. Stella Jean has her own label and through that takes her origin with her into the brand designs this is something I love about her work. Stella was also the only Italian designer to take the stage at a black lives matter protest in italy 2020.
Aurora James born 1984 is a Canadian/ Ghanaian fashion designer.She has her own label called Brother Vellies founded in 2013 in order to promote traditional African designs and techniques after spending a while traveling Africa she dedicated her brand to what she learnt from that trip. She also founded the 15 percent pledge as a non-profit business to support black owned businesses she did this in 2020 after the George Floyd murder. The pledge is for stores to commit to 15% of their shelf space to black owned businesses, I personally think this is amazing and a step into the right direction for the black community.