Amy Pickles

Contact:
Amy.pickles@mail.bcu.ac.uk
University/School:
Birmingham City University
Location:
Birmingham
Specialism:
Art DirectionBrandingFashion GraphicsFashion PublicationPromotionStyling
About Me

Welcome to my portfolio! I'm Amy, a graduate from BCU.

Throughout my degree I have developed a passion for Fashion Publication design and Art Direction. My Final Major Project Involved a zine featuring Midlands based independent brands and creatives, and a service providing bimonthly boxes of products from Midlands based small businesses. I named the platform Mercia, the medieval name for Midlands.

I interviewed five brand owners and creatives, where we spoke about future plans for their businesses, how they started their brands and how they find the overall experience. I also collaborated with an illustrator called Liz Carter who created a portrait of each feature. My main motivation and message I wanted to put across was to make more ethical and sustainable choices when shopping and to encourage consumers to engage with local brands and give creatives the appreciation they deserve. I also worked on a website and social media page for the brand.

INSPIRATION

I was mainly inspired by a change in my own shopping habits.

Over the last year, I developed a growing motivation to only buy second hand or purchase from independent brands who I knew were maintaining ethical and sustainable practises. I also researched a lot into the change of the market and consumer habits, and the way a new idea of luxury was developing. I was really interested in a big rise in people looking for clothing from smaller brands that no one had heard of, rather than the desire to have clothing with well-known logos from big brands.

Trying to upkeep these sustainable choices, I noticed a difficulty with finding local brands through social media and web searches, that matched the requirements or aesthetic I was looking for. I realised there was not many ways of filtering through these sorts of brands, and that most of the ones I am aware of came through word of mouth. I wanted to develop a platform and service allowing these brand owners to receive promotion and provide a space for customers to discover new brands to engage with.

MY WORK

PORTFOLIOS

DETAIL

For my dissertation I explored the psychology around our fashion choices.

I was interested in the effects our fashion choices can have on an individual in terms of their sense of self, particularly in a time of lack of activity. I conducted secondary research into past studies involving clothing and the effects on the brain, as well as extensive primary research where I gathered 15 participants to fill out clothes diaries over a two week period. They photographed their outfits each morning and night and noted their energy levels and described their mood. I found the topic very fascinating and have developed a growing interest in fashion psychology.

Thank you for viewing my portfolio! Feel free to contact me via the email provided for further details or enquiries.
Art DirectionBrandingFashion GraphicsFashion PublicationPromotionStyling
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