Meet GFF Talent, Camille Lemoine, a fashion communications graduate from Heriot-Watt University. Camille’s final major project is a publication called Stubborn Weeds. It’s a publication building a space where fashion can exist as part of a more regenerative future and contribute to today's back-to-the-land movement. Read more about her work below!
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
During my time at university studying Fashion Communication I have developed a broad range of skills - including photography, film, creative direction, graphic design, trend forecasting and journalism. Most importantly, however, I have learnt that being curious and questioning the things that you are most passionate about will create the most meaningful work.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
My publication 'Stubborn Weeds' is a space where fashion can exist as part of a more regenerative future and contribute to today's back-to-the-land movement. This book was initially inspired by my own home-steading childhood and witnessing a similar shift in society as victory gardens made a comeback during the first global lockdown. The turbulent events of the past year have helped us nurture a social revolution from our backyards. Our instinctual desire to be more self-sustaining and in tune with the Earth’s natural rhythms has returned after suffering the fragility of our food systems amidst food shortages and watching as a deadly virus –which derived from our imbalanced relationship with the earth and the belief that we are separate from nature– continues to remind us of our precarious human vulnerability.
We are rejecting modern society’s blueprint to progress and fulfilment by fostering the opportunity to explore the fundamentals of our existence and find meaning in our own vitality. From mushroom farming in an urban flat to growing food in the community garden, we are creating abundance from existing spaces and resources. Our gardens have become a place of radical action and change, reshaping our political and economic systems from the backyard. This publication will explore this subject through creative direction and photography. The narratives behind the images are inspired by my own intimate relationship with my garden growing up, as well as the idea of re-localising our food systems which will nurture a more meaningful relationship with our food, environment and communities.
What form will your final project take?
‘Stubborn Weeds’ is a digital publication that is mostly visual, exploring narratives via creative direction and photography. Imperfections and inconsistencies are celebrated amongst these pages, with the graphic design created from vegetable waste mark-making and natural dyes. All styling pieces are hand-made from existing resources or food itself, which become anew again in the form of a meal, as illustrated in the final pages.
What materials have you used and how did you source them?
I want fashion to become part of this move towards self-sustenance, and explore ways in which fashion photography and styling could contribute to this conversation. All creative direction within 'Stubborn Weeds' has therefore adopted a DIY approach. The outfits have been made by hand by myself using things like blown eggshells (from our chickens), carrot tops, goose feathers from the garden, mussel shells etc. All props and outfits were either composted after use or made into a meal as shown at the end of the publication. All setups were also made using old pieces of paper, wallpaper paint and natural dyes. No studio or lighting equipment was used. The majority of my models were also neighbours and family members, representing my own community in the outskirts of Glasgow in a place called Torrance.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
My publication has evolved from an interest in the modern Victory Gardens and how they related to elements of my own childhood, to questioning the nature of modern life. Growing our own food is not just a humble and slow pass time, but it is a radical act that rejects capitalism. Whilst working on this project in isolation I have had time to reflect on my previous lifestyle and the negative effects that modern life were having on me.
I had an overwhelming desire to reconnect with the earth and engage in primal activities such as vegetable growing, foraging and working with the land. This made me realise that the modern Victory Gardens represent a much larger shift within society. Collectively and purposefully reshaping our lifestyles to exist in harmony with the environment and our local communities. This pushed me to consider how fashion photography and styling could become part of this change.
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?
The narrative behind my work inspires readers to engage with the self-self-sustaining movement in order to create a more sustainable and reiterative future. In terms of fashion specifically, I hope that my alternative approach to styling will change viewers perception of what contemporary fashion should look like, and what it should stand for.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
Photography and creative direction have the opportunity to become part of a movement advocating for more regenerative fashion industry. I am passionate about sharing an alternative approach to styling, that works in harmony with the environment, and that influences the viewer in a more authentic and impactful way.
The afterlife of an image and its by-products are rarely thought about, and the image itself will too often further drive a desire to consume. I believe that the elements within an image should be recognised beyond that fleeting moment, evolving into new forms.
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
I plan to gain more industry experience in photography and styling once I have graduated. I also hope to take this publication further and create a second issue exploring the relationship between farming and fashion.