Fashion. Victim.
Written by John MacphersonThe way stuff pops up in Twitter often surprises me.
This morning it knocked me for six.
Two tweets, two images, related. But miles and miles apart. In so many ways.
First I saw this (posted by @TamaraAlrifai ): https://twitter.com/TamaraAlrifai/status/651261266581962752
I have no idea of the veracity of the caption and its provenance, whether this is faked image or not (as some commentators have asked). Maybe that can be established. But taking it at face value its a desperate image depicting the situation experienced by some of the very lucky refugees who make it ashore.
A few tweets later I came on this from Tristan McConnell (@t_mcconnell ) https://twitter.com/t_mcconnell/status/651277816798027776
Migrant-inspired fashion shoot. Image © Norbert Baksa
I was struck by the visual similarity. But struck even more by the notion that images of ‘migrant-chic’ might be a suitable idea to explore for a fashion portfolio. I wonder what magazines might be interested in this sort of vibe? Is the sort of stuff that career success in the fashion industry is built on these days? What am I missing?
I’ll say nothing more.
What else is there to say.
Author — John Macpherson
John MacPherson was born and lives in the Scottish Highlands. He trained as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards, before completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and then qualified as a Social Worker in Disability Services. Along the way he has cooked on canal barges, trained as an Alpine Ski Leader & worked as an Instructor for Skiers with disabilities, been a canoe instructor, and tutor of night classes in carpentry, stained glass design and manufacture, and archery. He has travelled extensively on various continents, undertaking solo trips by bicycle, or motorcycle. He has had narrow escapes from an ambush by terrorists, been hit by lightning, caught in an erupting volcano, trapped in a mobile home by a tornado, kidnapped by a dog's hairdresser, rammed by a basking shark and was once bitten by a wild otter. He has combined all this with professional photography, which he has practised for over 35 years. He teaches photography and acts as a photography guide & tutor in the UK and abroad. His biggest challenge is keeping his 30 year old Land Rover 110 on the road. He loves telling and hearing stories.