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FEMINA EXHIBITION
My ‘Hair care’ outfit exhibition space at ‘Femina’ exhibition- 18th April at the Brunswick, Leeds. It was really great to see my work exhibited amongst other female artists work who I admire and it got a great reception.
FIESTA FEM - A COLLECTIVE OF FEMINIST DOCUMENTRIES
I was approached by Lissa Lionbach, a broadcast media student at Leeds Beckett university at FemFest (see previous post) to be involved in one of her documentaries. The documentary is based upon female artists in Leeds, who will be taking part in Femina -a feminist exhibition taking place on 18th April.
Lissa came to interview/film me both at my house and in the university studio to talk about my Nipple-Bocker-Glory concept and current projects I am working on. I also did a live nipple casting on Lissa, in which her colleague filmed, so she could discuss her feelings during/after the nipple casting. I then turned the casts into customised earrings for Lissa (see image 03). The interview with Lissa was more of an informal discussion, which meant I could talk at ease about my concepts. I discussed how I’ve linked Nipple-Bocker-Glory into my final collection and the recent ‘Hair care’ project. I’m really looking forwards to seeing the result of the film as any exposure of my design work is a positive progression for me.
NIPPLE-BOCKER-GLORY PROGRESS
At this stage, I have closed the ASOS Marketplace boutique and opened a shop on etsy.com instead. (www.nipplebockerglory.etsy.com) ASOS charged £18 per month along with 20% commission on each sale. Selling my earrings at £15 each and now not having the time to upsell my jewellery as I was over summer, this just wasn’t feasible. Etsy is a much more suitable platform, taking only 3% commission and selling amongst a great arts and craft community.
After following creative groups in Leeds such as &/or Emporium Network, I found there are frequent market opportunities for me to sell Nipple-Bocker-Glory work. I have now held a few stalls to sell my work, two of which have been unsuccessful due to the location and the crowd attending/ passing by (The Teenage Market, image 03.) Obviously Nipple-Bocker-Glory is aimed at a niche market, so I’ve learnt that I the venue and the advertisement technique is an important aspect to consider before holding a stall.
I did however participate in an event called ‘FemFest’, which was held over the course of a weekend, with lots of exciting feminist themes/ activities taking place. Here I exhibited the photographs from the collaborative shoot with Michael Savage along with holding my stall on the Saturday. I made lots of sales, engaged with similar female designers and ran out of business cards, so it was a definite success.
BUSINESS CARD
A scan of my Nipple-Bocker-Glory business cards.
INTERVIEW FOR GRYPHON NEWSPAPER
Although no previous publishing luck, soon after beginning Level 6 I was approached by Jessica Murray- editor of the Gryphon newspaper in Leeds. Jessica waned to interview me about the concept of Nipple-Bocker-Glory, as she had seen my work on social media. I was really flattered and excited about this opportunity to promote myself as a designer as well as preaching my brand philosophy. Pictured is the newspaper clipping of my interview, I’m happy with how she edited and selected my words from the voice recording.
SELLING & PROMOTION PLATFORMS
Firstly, I began on Depop, as it’s a cheap, informal selling platform with un-demanding requirements: www.depop.com/nipplebockerglory. I really wanted a more professional online shop to give N-B-G a better status, so once I have enough items to list, I applied for an ASOS Marketplace boutique, which I was granted: www.asos.mp/nipple-bocker-glory.
ASOS have stricter rules regarding photography, packaging etc, costing £20 AND taking 20% commission. For an un-recognised designer it’s difficult to maximise sales without a larger following so I may close the ASOS boutique and transfer it to Big Cartel or Etsy until I have more time to put into promotion.
I set up a Facebook page www.facebook.com/nyplbockerglory (yes apparently the word ‘nipple’ is too offensive for a Facebook URL) and Instagram account www.instagram.com/nipplebockerglory. Unfortunately, the original 5-day-old Instagram account was deleted without warning or detailed explanation other than ‘violating Instagram’s terms’ so I created another, being very cautious with my posts.
In my posts, I create an ‘intersectional feminism’ brand philosophy through re-posting relevant imagery and captioning with my personal thoughts on feminist issues, as it is a subject I am passionate about. I also try to create the illusion of how well the product is selling and promote my jewellery as if it is an ‘up and coming’ trend. To compliment their worth, I take pride in packaging my nipples with vibrant tissue paper, tape and envelopes.
ARTIST STATEMENT FOR NIPPLE-BOCKER-GLORY:
“It began as a conceptual project. From an interest in the conflicting inter-feminist opinions on the #freethenipple movement. Realising the movement can seem somewhat superficial; fighting censorship of the female nipple actually embodies a deeper meaning on body objectification & gender equality globally.
The tongue-in-cheek 'Nipple-Bocker-Glory' range explores 'Free the Nipple' from a 'Fourth Wave Feminist' stance, preaching a new kind of freedom. Censored nipples belonging to diverse Wonder Women are turned into exhibition-esque wearable jewellery. The nipple is re-claimed by the Female Gaze and glorified for it's natural beauty and biological importance.The movement has been criticised for unintentionally excluding women who's bodies may not meet the 'socially accepted ideal' of beauty standards. In reality, the majority of women can relate to this body negativity on different levels. Depicted in their rawest form, the nipples are cast from a variety of female bodies. Whether big, small, scarred, pierced, hairy, wrinkly, lactating or masectomised, the jewellery empowers the individuality of realistic female beauty.
'Nipple-Bocker-Glory' proposes a notion that challenges conservative dress as the solution to de-sexualising the female form and the idea that the female body is always sexual when exposed. Anthropologist John Flugel (The Psychology of Clothes,1930) concludes that humans innately dress for decoration over modesty; it is layers of social conditioning that has sexualised breasts as they are not a primary sexual organ. Mass media- music videos, TV, advertising, the film industry etc - inevitably perpetuates this sexualisation. However, is it not equally oppressive that women should respond by covering their bodies to be 'respected' rather than males covering their primal urges?
Change begins with perception. It's important to call out the objectification of the Male Gaze as well as acknowledging the brain-washing power of the media. We can then begin banishing shame created by the projection of unrealistic beauty standards and the perception that women exist as a 'sweet treat' available for male consumption. #jpNBG
Feeling that little bit freer by freeing one nipple at a time.”
OXFAM WORK PLACEMENT.
Back in January 2016, I learned of a work placement available with Oxfam over Easter 2016. Being a lover of Oxfam for their sustainability, I was very keen to undertake a work placement with them, so I applied for the placement, stating, “I have always had a passion of searching through charity shops to find brilliant hidden treasures. I am fully aware of the negative consumerist attitude the fashion industry promotes and from this I take a great interest in sustainable fashion. Charity shops encourage re-cyling whilst helping other people which is why I admire them so much. I have always loved re-working garments or creating new garments from old materials, which you will be able to see in a link to my portfolio further down this e-mail.” I particularly wanted to show Holly Rothwell (manager) the self directed project I did creating garments from recycled fabrics, as I feel it is a relevant topic (see image for Level 5 project).
This being said, I has already attained work experience with luxury fashion brand Marques ‘Almeida over Easter, so I was given the opportunity to work with them at a later date. I’m eager to gain experience in diverse areas of the fashion industry, to attribute my knowledge as a whole, so the Oxfam placement posed an interesting contrast to my experience with Marques ’ Almeida.
