Once the ethics board approved the study, the makeup artist commenced their primary research. Such research is obtained directly by the researcher rather than using data collected form previous conducted research. “The goal of primary research is to answer specific questions that directly pertain to the project at hand.” McCrocklin, S. (2018). Collecting primary research can be done so using multiple methods such as interviews, focus groups, surveys, and questionnaires. A focus group and a survey will be carried out in order to collect appropriate qualitative data. The process of the ethics application can be read in a previous blog.
The artist began with creating a survey using an online platform named Survey Monkey. The intent of the survey was to help aid in finding out how important it is for the future of fashion to be sustainable. The platform was easy to use and manage and allowed the artist to carefully study findings in order to use within the major project. Ten open-ended questions were uploaded to the survey all offering multiple-choice tick boxes to keep it simple for users, and to collect information needed from the respondent. QuestionPro (2021) suggests “Open-ended, long-form questions offer the respondent the ability to elaborate on their thoughts.”
Through analysis of the findings, the makeup artist discovered that the majority of people would say that there are not enough brands within the fashion industry that are sustainable, and any that are cost more than other brands in order to cover their costs for creating clothing ethically. The majority also prioritise other factors when buying clothes such as price, fit, and style over sustainability. This suggests to the artist that other factors have priority over sustainability and that, at the moment, not enough brands are sustainable enough. Price seems to be the leading factor for people when purchasing clothes, and with sustainable brands currently costing more than other non sustainable brands, majority seem to put this importance over that of sustainability. However, despite this the majority also came to the agreement that fashion must become sustainable eventually and that if sustainable brands became more affordable and trend based, people may be more inclined to buy from them. Another key finding was the little amount of education on the negative effects caused by the fashion industry. Majority were unaware throughout the research of some of the ethical issues that occurred and may felt inclined to think more on these matters before purchasing items of clothing again. This lack of education is something the makeup artist wants to push in all four of the final looks. Pressure to keep up with trends was discussed in depth during the focus group and seemed to be a key issue many felt as though linked to the lack of education. This was a concept that the makeup artist wanted to emulate within a final look showing the pressure and lack of education on sustainable fashion.
Ultimately this research allowed the artist to gather opinions and views from a variety of people with different concerns within fashion and use the findings to better understand the importance of sustainability within fashion. These findings will furthermore be applied to the major project and the final images.
McCrocklin, S. (2018) Primary Vs. Secondary Research [Online] Available at https://www.geopoll.com/blog/primary-vs-secondary-research/ (Accessed 28th December 2021)
QuestionPro (2021) Primary Research: Definition, Examples, Methods and Purpose [Online] Available at https://www.questionpro.com/blog/primary-research/ (Accessed 28th December 2021)
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