The Design Brief

QUT Creative Industries

Bachelor of Fine Arts (Fashion)
KFB202 DESIGN STUDIO 4 2012

MODERN MODESTY: A layered brief

The brief encompasses three critical and current trends in today’s global world;

India as a design influencer,

modesty as a progressive social trend,

and sun/weather safety addressing our climatic environment.

India; a country of mysterious paradoxes,
where civilisations and times intermix, and where unity is created through diversity.

India is of huge importance to us, and not just in terms of growth – it is a country that is currently experiencing significant upward creative momentum, driven by the growing middle class. This has remarkable implications from a design perspective; never before has India been at the forefront of every design-minded person as it is now. The diversity of culture, rich use of textile traditions, and uniquely modern use of colour and print form a starting point for this brief.

A significant aspect that is ingrained in Indian culture and religious values is modesty, a concept which defines the second layer of the brief. Modesty is a forward thinking social trend that designers need to explore and address, with the emergence of our modern global world. Modesty is not about being modest in colour, print, texture or design creativity, it’s about revealing less, restraint, and being modest with body exposure.

The third layer for the brief and perhaps the most pertinent to our region is sun safety. Queensland, proudly referred to as the ‘The Sunshine State’, has a UV (ultraviolet) index during the summer period that is regularly rated as extreme, and exposure to the sun can cause irreversible skin damage with less than six (6) minutes of exposure.

In this intense setting, with the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, many people (adolescents in particular) are still sun baking and wearing minimal protection in the quest for a golden tan. Even after extensive and wide-ranging public health programs to promote sun safety, the current ‘Sun Smart’ message does not align well or appeal to the audience that is at most risk – 50% to 80% of an individual’s lifetime sun exposure occurs in childhood and adolescence. A new approach to the sun safe message must be found and perhaps masked by other motives that appeal to all audiences. The message may need to be stealthily applied, and in reference to the other facets of the brief, a push towards ‘fashionable’ or ‘modern’ modesty could be one of the answers to a very complex and critical health issue. This sub-theme may seem at odds to the overarching themes of India and modesty; however, the connections are actually quite strong, in the context of a new global culture where a more modest and covered look becomes forward thinking and progressive.