So uni is kicking my ass and one of my homeworks was to take a character, and twist its aesthethic around... while keeping its archetype untouched.
uh... So here is Greenwasher going from corporate suits to a blend of Y2K w/ Yuppie fashion (and a few notes i couldnt erase but they're ingrained in the canvas and its late and im too lazy to erase them + i need them if i show this to my class)
Small analysis under read more
Hey, ok, so lets get into the breakdown a bit (i lied this may be a bit long)
The archetype I went for Greenwasher went beyond the Shadow (Repressed things, the darkness of the world, you're thinking of the villain in most media), and into the Creator (as the word entails, you're thinking of artists, for example, here). Why? Well it comes into the worldplay of Green washing. Green washing is a concept about Companies lying about their environmental imprint, aka. they tell you they love and care for the environment while actively harming and destroying it... So how does this come into play with something like the "Creator" Archetype?
Thinking of Greenwasher I, realized that perhaps the one area I've heard green washing be used the most... was Fashion. H&M particularly came to mind because I remembered very clearly one of their eco friendly collections be bashed over it being, green washing... And, mind you, Green washing is everywhere, but with Fast Fashion and how Jeans in specific take so much water to be made... It felt right to orientate Greenwasher into someone who is very into fashion, who is very into looking good and following the trend to feed into one of the things people are always in need of: Clothes. (Amidst many other things)
Y2K x Yuppie was a fun find, I initially thought of, well, what is the most completely opposite thing I can turn Greenwasher to... Y2K fashion came up bc it was fun thinking of this dude wearing what Y2K is known for... But, then I thought of how I didnt, exactly, want to strip him from his corporate place because that much is, also, part of his essence, part of what makes him fit the "Shadow" Archetype so well. Cogs, are corporate people. Thats where Yuppie came from.
Y2K is a fashion aesthetic I see its very linked to this young adult/late teen age group, its very youthful, it feels very juvenile in some sense and it is also very, out there, its the kind of thing you see and think of say, K-Pop idols... So I had that turn around for Greenwasher but then, I am lacking the one part I wanted to keep for him: Formality.
Yuppie came as the weight the scale needed to balance itself. Yuppie, or Young Urban Professional fashion entails the young professionals joining the work force in high paying jobs, and in that sense, gaining a lot of money and living a life they probably couldnt afford before. The Yuppie Handbook presents this as a Yuppie wearing tailored suits or having the latest tech (back then it was the Sony Walkman), even indulging in brands that we know are expensive and exclusive (Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Rolex).
When you blend them both and you put into consideration Greenwasher is a Cashbot, you have someone who is not beyond joining latest trends and aiming for a youthful look to appease this new market coming through... But also someone who will flaunt his capital in every, step, of the way. Every piece of clothing in Greenwasher is meant to be tailored or expensive, gold is a staple in his fashion, and it does not matter if he can wear it (see: glasses), if he has to sell the look, he will for sure look good and complete it to a T.
Greenwashing becomes a narrative in the design through subtle choices. Between these, we have the flora and pearl usage:
Pearls are a mixed bag on its usage because, in its base, they dance on this thin line of being sustainable, to being pollutive. We need to remember that pearls are often than not, coming from oysters... animals. A mollusk if you wish to be more specific, and like any other animal based item, there is a danger to farming something so sought after.
The flora used has its own mess as they are all endangered species: Gingko is part of the many endangered plants according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), alongside Hildegardia migeodii (top right part of the vest), and Hibiscus noli-tangere (leaves and flower*), which, funnily enough, receives its name from latin, directly meaning: Touch me not. While not endangered, Lawson's Cypress, on the hidden wrist watch in the hand holding the cygar, is also on the list as a Near Threatened species, quite literally one step from entering the Threatened group (where the other mentioned plants are situated).
Finally, something happens when you ask me about how I name Greenwasher between me and my good friend, to make for an ease in calling the Generalists. I do not talk much about them, but if you've seen my oc's list, you know I have named Blamestormer as Nikolai Raskolnikov, or in the chance he's also mentioned, Nikanor Lebedev. Both answer to the same character in different universes (TTCC/TTR and TTEVH respectively). Now, I mention that so you know Im not pulling this up my ass and much less, now.
Greenwasher has received the name "Jean Amanita" from me, and this too, is composed. Jeans are one of the fashion industries with massive ecological impact, as not only does it need huge amounts of water to be used in its making, but the leftover material is toxic to the environment. Amanita, on the other end, is a mushroom, and you may say "Ok, nature pun hahah", but if you think of the red with white spots mushroom... you'd know that Amanita Muscaria is quite toxic, if not outright a Psychedelic and Hallucinogenic. So... I guess you could also make commentary there on drug usage in exclusive "Rich people" spaces... Isnt that interesting?.
edit: I forgot to add this but the * responds to the flower being found on the Hibiscus L., which I've seen is the Genus? For Hibiscus noli-tangere? So thats, yea.
