“Raw” is a short film that illustrates the principles of “Fashion Revolution”.

 

After Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, when a garment factory collapsed and killed over a thousand people, two activists started militating for responsibility in the fashion industry and more transparency in the supply chain. The purpose of this movement is to transform the exploitative industry by raising awareness around the world.

 

“Raw” depicts a collection of futuristic clothes that also deliver a revolutionary statement. The collection is youthful and rebellious, targeting dynamic people with an interest in the socio-political context of the world. The written messages embellishing the clothes hint at the situation of oppressed workers from disadvantaged social backgrounds that constitute the main source of profit for clothing companies. So, for the savvy viewers (regarding the fashion industry), the message is to start thinking about the ethics of the brands they buy.

 

The indoor setting has an industrial look, the grainy texture of the walls and stairs instill coldness. The outdoor setting consists of a black&white graffiti wall where the characters display their attire. The filmmakers play with reflections, using glasses and mirrors to create illusions.

 

This is a fashion movie that borrows the style of high-end productions pertaining to big brands around the world. We find this video work to have a coherent visual style, showing the authors’ potential. However, the technical skills of the team have yet to be refined. The framing of characters and objects seems to be clueless at times and often the image is over-exposed. The choice of displaying white surfaces and textures in full daylight is always tricky for emerging filmmakers. Also, there are other aspects that needed more consideration, like covering the parquet with a décor-matching material, wiping the mirrors and paying more attention to the reflected images.

 

Another issue is the lack of purpose in the actions of the models; they improvise without knowing what’s the idea behind the movement. Professional fashion film builds atmosphere through every apparently random shot and that is achieved with the development of a powerful concept that is acknowledged by the whole team. The facial expression is not enough, the models must use their body consciously.

 

In conclusion, “Raw” is a fashion film with an interesting concept which would have benefited from more attention to details.