'a celebration of isolation blues & next gen's ideas on the post-COVID consumer'
we asked bleaq creatives what kept them sane during lockdown, and what hopeful thoughts they had for the post-COVID consumer. scroll through for curious insight to our designers, and even join the discussion to chat & share thoughts on highlighted topics.
​​'for the post-COVID consumers i’m hoping for them to look into arts and crafts more and support small businesses who produce locally and sustainably like us designers - who are trying to achieve and make a living from what we do' - mona cordes
BORN FROM LOCKDOWN: popped culture's satirical tees were a outcome of COVID lockdown
FILMED DURING LOCKDOWN
Mona Cordes: Selshamour x Hide & Seam
MUA ~ Poppy @Poppyellah / @popppyellah.mu + Riya @riyamariacx
Hair ~ Masayuki @y.masa0711 + Maiko @hairby.maiko
Filmmakers ~ Asia @asia.rose.k w/ Connor @connor__hamilton + Liam @liamwestpfel_
Music ~ @birdsoflondonsparadise
"What I got up to boils down to doodling stuff, which eventually turned into a t-shirt brand"- barney, popped culture
post-covid consumerism
"I’m hoping that one of the changes we’ll see in a post-covid consumer base is people checking what kind of entity they’re willing to put their money towards.
I think, or at least I hope, that a lot of people realised how awfully certain corporations/employers actually treat their staff, how there seemed to be this contempt coming from certain companies vis a vis their safety and what they were owed.
Hopefully this pushes consumers towards more ethical and independent brands.
It also allowed people to rethink their lifestyles and reevaluate some of the things they don’t need, could buy second hand, or could make themselves. So I guess the next step is people trying to be more independent and self-sufficient, which hopefully leads to a lot more creativity and only really shopping for stuff they can’t do themselves. This in turn will hopefully lead to a flurry of innovation and creativity from already established sellers."
THE MAKING OF 'HOLEY TIGHTS'
a circular initiative born from lockdown boredom:
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"I was just bored and a bit wine drunk, listening to Durutti Column then I started to have a clear out. I could not believe the amount of tights I had shoved at the back of my knicker drawer. Then I looked into the problem with tights - and they are literally the single use plastic of the textiles industry, nylon being made of the same fibres as plastic bottles. So I started asking for tight donations and sewing random bits together with ribbon and j-cloth, then got Freya over for a fun shoot with melon...
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I've also started drafting my thoughts on the post-COVID consumer, are we Generation Trash? How will we react?"
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'i just started rooting through my underwear drawer and found loads of tights' - shannen maria samuel
"I took the time to just sit and spend hours on a drawing or painting, without any particular goal in mind, just a matter of practicing and creative for the fun of it "
- Liam, 33 1/3
"Looking back, In lock down I actually put out quite a lot creatively without realising. I recorded a fair amount of new music for a poetry/music project, had my first run of photography prints made available to buy, I also took the time to just sit and spend hours on a drawing or painting etc, without any particular goal in mind, just a matter of practicing and creative for the fun of it. Some of it ironically ended up being used for the 33 1/3 project, because without realise a lot of what I've been making has been geared towards a certain aesthetic, which a lot of the brand is now based upon.
Throughout lockdown there's been a huge shift in consumer buying habits, whether they've taken the time to learn a bit more about the social and environmental impacts of buying better, buying less or buying from small businesses, there's definitely an awareness of smaller brands and creatives being hit hard by the pandemic, and the importance now of supporting them, compared the the huge soulless retailers that have profited massively over the pandemic. We just have to hope that that mentality sticks around for the foreseeable future." - Liam, 33 1/3
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What kept you sane during lockdown? How else do you feel the COVID pandemic affected the creative industries?
We would love to hear your thoughts!