Meet Munashe Ashlyn, a fashion graduate from Coventry University. Her final year project is a publication called Soft Silk Soul, which also includes merchandise and digital marketing to connect with a more inclusive and diverse group of women to inspire and entertain them. “I am a plus-size black woman who grew up with little-to-no role models to look up to,” says Munashe. “I am creating this publication for young adolescents and women to see imagery that reflects their reality. Overall, the publication is something all women can find relatable, inspiring and insightful.” Read on to learn more about her work and plans for the future!
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
My greatest lesson at university has been learning that I have all the tools within me to create anything I want. Everything in my imagination is tangible and can be executed when researched thoroughly and consistently. I learnt that I do not need external validation, consistent approval or reassurance to pursue my goals and that I have the talent and tenacity to make it in the Fashion industry. I transitioned from being taught at college to learning on my own and challenging myself to work without assistance and step-by-step hand-holding. University has been a catalyst for me to become comfortable with my independence and taking accountability for my time. I learnt that my time is the most valuable asset I have and how I use my time determines my final outcomes in every area of life. I learnt that living a prosperous life and having a thriving career is incumbent on my efforts to evenly distribute my time.
At Coventry University, we took regular trips abroad to places like Paris and Berlin to visit Fashion exhibitions. I had the opportunity to network with industry professionals at such events. This gave me the opportunity to overcome my travelling anxiety and my social anxiety. My experiences at Coventry University have given me the confidence to step into the person I want to be, and I have realised that everything I’ve ever aspired to already exist in me. I just needed university accompanied with all the trials and tribulations that come from embarking on a rigorous degree course to activate my determination and awaken all my creative abilities. The industry placement year confirmed to me my passion is most definitely in Creative Arts and Fashion. I opened up to the world and had more opportunities to travel, network and showcase my skills. The greatest lesson has been proving to myself that I am capable and what I have is needed in the world.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
For my final major project, I embarked on a journey to create a magazine publication about women and creating positive imagery to represent women in artistic mediums with a focus on Fashion Photography. I wanted to showcase art and fashion that celebrates being natural, being who you are and loving the skin you are in. I intended my publication to be a series of Fashion Photography with in-depth commentary and analysis from myself about women, femininity and inclusivity in modern UK society. However, the focus is not solely on fashion, the magazine is a document that depicts the experiences and stories derived from modern life for women and femme identified people. It’s about the experiences women go through in life and how we navigate the world both creatively and personally. I reflected on my childhood, reminisced about past times and asked myself “what imagery would have benefitted me as a young girl when I was growing up?”.
I used this question to myself to create a mental mind map about potential themes for the publication. Here are a few that came to mind: Love - Dating in the Age of Filters and Dating Apps, Childhood – Revisiting Childhood, Family – Platonic and Familial Love Explored. Mental Health: Body Image and Self Esteem. I used all these themes to experiment in Semester One, this allowed me to use my environment, talk to women and gather research to decide which concept would create a breadth of work that I can use to produce a solid body of work whilst being impactful and awakening for the viewer. Initially, I wanted to focus on Fashion Photography but due to COVID-19 restrictions, I had to brainstorm and come up with a new way to communicate my ideas without face-to-face human interaction. However, I decided to explore a different avenue and focus on illustration and communicating concepts, ideas and experiences through drawn illustrations. My Illustrations are figurative characters that are relatable, and women can see themselves in my illustrations.
What form will your final project take?
The goal of my Final Major Project is to create a zine-style fashion publication about women. The publication is called Soft Silk Soul and the first issue is called ‘What Makes Us Feel Good?’. The publication will be accompanied by stickers, badges and curated packaging under my brand name Soft Silk Soul Publications. I have created Fashion Merchandise including but not limited to Silk Scarves, Silk Bandanas, Illustrated T-Shirts and Tote bags. My intention for this project is to create a legitimate business that I will continue beyond university and become a fruitful venture and passion project for me. There are three core elements that build the form of my project:
1. Digital Marketing The digital element of my publication will embody showing the design process through Social Media channels such as Instagram. The digital space is focused on creating a marketing campaign for the publication and building a customer base for my products and online services. The digital spaces online will allow the brand to build a name for itself through creative design elements such as Posters, Curated Social Media Posts, E-commerce Website Design and UX/UI Design to accompany the Website.
2. Physical Merchandise Along with the E-commerce website for customers to buy the zine for online viewing. I will also sell a physical copy of the zine to be posted out which can be bought on the website I have designed for my final major project. The E-commerce website will also list all the Fashion Merchandise I have designed for the project. The overall goal for Soft Silk Soul at the final submission will be to have a fully-fledged brand that has a publication at its core with products that derive from the contents of the publication. Soft Silk Soul will have a designed website, a selection of designed products, and a strong social media presence. I want to show that I am adaptable and can work online and offline to create an Art & Design based Fashion business that functions in all areas of design.
What materials have you used and how did you source them?
During the first semester, I did extensive research on paper quality for the publication and I found three companies to get samples from. I discovered that there are so many different types of paper and paper finishes. I want my publication to be something my customers keep and cherish for many years. I had to be sure that the paper I chose would not tarnish over time and had an appropriate finish so that If for example a bit of water spilt on it, I didn’t want that to be the end of the publication’s life span. I received paper samples from The Newspaper Club, for example, their paper was beautiful, but it was tissue paper thin and would have been compromised within a day or two of ownership. I tried Laminate Finish Silk paper from Mixam and it was exactly what I was looking for, sturdy, strong, slightly water-resistant and durable. This is one of the research methods I used to source great materials for my zine.
Outsourcing to different companies and requesting samples to narrow down my material selection has been a key component to making my zine successful. I used online searches to find high-quality publication production companies. Additionally, I liaised with local publishers and found local printers in Coventry who give student subsided services. However, their paper quality wasn’t the ideal fit. I have used custom print fabric companies such as Contrado to print my silk scarves for my E-commerce website shop. They offer a wide range of silks and satins with different weights which made them the perfect choice. I received the recommendation to use Contrado from my tutor as they offer 40% +£10 off discount for students, this made it easy to sample my scarves multiple times until I reached the desired design and finished product.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
Over the Christmas holiday period after completing semester one, I took time to reflect and evaluate my project. I looked at my initial ideas for my project and adopted a fresh perspective. I spent so much time in the first semester of this project focusing on the problem [lack of diverse and inclusive media] which distracted me from coming up with a valuable solution. The truth is there is still a long way to go, but those who choose to inclusivity are thriving and I am one of those creatives who believe in advocating for positive change. Thinking about this over Christmas made me realise my power and the impact of communicating social change in an optimistic format. It was at that moment “What Makes You Feel Good?” was conceived in my mind and I ran with it. I completely switched my perception and instead of feeling downtrodden about the issue I was trying to combat [lack of diversity and inclusive media] I adapted my thinking to a more productive and conducive way of creating ideas and solutions.
My project has evolved from discussing the problem and ruminating on that to flipping the switch and looking at our experiences in a nuanced and balanced perspective. I am gifting the reader a chance to feel good and create new ideas about how to encourage themselves to feel better about daily life in the pandemic and beyond. I am content with what I have achieved up until this point and I believe that continuing to build an online following, continuously creating captivating imagery and illustrating stories through personal interpretation will garner the recognition my brand needs. I have big ideas about what I want for the future of my brand, in a few years’ time I hope that it can be a fully-fledged publication house that not only collaborates with like-minded creatives but, endorses and sponsors upcoming designers in the digital design sector. The progress of my project beyond university will be focused on the future of fashion and using fashion as an artform to develop ideas and new ways of designing. The pandemic has taught me that being flexible and thinking laterally is the innovative path to staying a few steps ahead of obstacles that arise in creative project planning.
What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
I am a plus-size black woman who grew up with little-to-no role models to look up to. I am creating this publication for young adolescents and women to see imagery that reflects their reality. Overall, the publication is something all women can find relatable, inspiring and insightful. However, I have made a conscious effort to include a lot of imagery of dark skin black women in my work. I think that it’s important to show women of all shades and races at the forefront of beauty movements because it’s representative of the world we live in. I think it’s time to shake the table and let everyone have a seat at the table when it comes to beauty standards and what is deemed ‘Fashionable’ or ‘Trendy’ in terms of body image and women’s aesthetics. Diversity is a hot topic at the moment, and I think it’s important to understand the issue of racial equality in Fashion in a way that makes sense. I want to see black creatives featured behind and in front of the camera. Last year, there was a huge controversy regarding Jaquemus and their Spring 2021 lookbook.
They posted pictures of mostly black and brown models but when they posted the behind-the-scenes footage of the Photographers, Shoot Directors, Stylists and overall studio team they were predominantly white. This is a problem because it creates a dynamic of false diversity. It perpetuates the ideas that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people are only needed in Fashion when it comes to being the face of the product for one day at a photo shoot, but they aren’t needed or wanted in the daily production and creative process of the product. That is what my project is all about! My publication highlights the importance of having black talent speak for itself in creative spaces without someone else dictating the narrative. This was echoed by Michaela Coel when she declined a million-pound deal with Netflix when they wanted her to be the face of the show ‘I May Destroy You’ whilst stripping her of all creative direction or scriptwriting in the show which would have made her a puppet for their personal agenda. Black stories need to be told by black people, women’s stories need to be told by women and femme-identifying people because they are our experiences, and they deserve to be heard authentically.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
I am passionate about seeing more black women at the forefront of fashion movements in the UK. I want to be part of the change-makers who make multi-cultural art spaces mainstream in the UK. I think it’s important to showcase all talent from all different perspectives through storytelling and creating safe spaces for all voices to be heard in a way that feels authentic and unfiltered. I also want to see change when it relates to internships and unpaid work in the Fashion industry. Unpaid work is something that is somewhat seen as mandatory and almost like a right passage for Fashion students and graduates. However, the culture of unpaid work and normalising unpaid work promotes elitism and creates a culture of excluding those from low-income backgrounds in the entry-level workplace.
As a result of this only rich, privileged students and graduates are able to pursue creative arts because they have generational wealth to fall back on. This also results in the same people from the same social groups climbing the success hierarchy whilst those from disadvantaged low-income economic circumstances stay at the bottom unable to climb because they need to make an income to survive. I would love to create a campaign to end unpaid internships and create a movement to hold employers accountable or at least get to a stage where those from low-income homes can be given grants and bursaries to supplement an unpaid internship. I want the Fashion industry to become a level-playing field where everyone has the chance to succeed as long as they have the drive, ambition and innovative ideas. I think that starts with promoting inclusivity, celebrating our differences in culture and supporting those who are disadvantaged to have equity when entering the workplace.
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
My core plan is to continue with my publication and build it into a freelance business alongside working a full-time graduate role in either Social Media, Graphic Design or UX/UI design for a Fashion, Beauty or Editorial Magazine. I have had an amazing time working on my project and it has become such a huge part of my life this past year. My publication will have a continued life span of its own once I complete my degree. I intend to expand the brand to become more than the publication. I hope to secure investors who will support me in taking my publication to its fullest potential. I envision the brand becoming a range of products starting with a quarterly fashion publication that also have a monthly box subscription which will come with Art, Fashion and Self Care products inspired by the zine. It will include resources from charities and organisations that signpost to free and specialised professional mental health resources. I also envision taking the brand to a stage where I can collaborate with charities.
I want to build a solid bridge between the creative arts and using art to bring awareness to social issues like women’s homelessness, mental health, race and identity. I would love to curate seminars, open discussions and think tanks under my brand name for schools and women’s groups to build community and friendships for women and girls who need it the most. I see art as a powerful tool that can be used as a catalyst for social change, art is both relatable and impactful depending on the perspective of the viewer. Everything I pursue after university in regards to my business has to be purposeful and contributing to a better, brighter and bolder future for women. I have huge aspirations that I know are attainable, I cannot wait to get myself into the industry.