Peer Pitch & Concept Refinement

 Concept Refinement 
Harlow Warwick-Period 5 

After presenting my concept to class I realized that I need to make my idea more sustainable in the way that it could be continued in hypothetical issues. My original idea was solely focused on thrifting and giving my target audience tips on how to thrift in their area. After talking to my peers and teacher they gave me a lot of great constructive feedback. I have now changed my concept into a broader idea with a lot of different content but still about fashion. This way my target audience also widens, and my magazine becomes more sustainable. My feature article is going to be about cultures and their fashion. I want to expose my readers to new styles of fashion that everyone can enjoy. For the other articles in my magazine, I want to have a section showing people how to shop for their body types ranging from petite to plus-size, I want to be very inclusive. Another idea that I have is to talk about the environmental aspect of fashion, sharing with my readers fast-fashion and how thrifting is a wonderful place to shop for clothes. Overall, the feedback I received after giving my pitch really impacted my vision of my concept.  

One of the main reasons I decided to choose the magazine option for my portfolio project is that there are a lot of small businesses that are very unappreciated. Especially after going through COVID a lot of these businesses had to be put on hold or shut down completely. By choosing the magazine option I would have the chance to reach out to these business owners and advertise what they do. Magazines are a perfect place to display someone's business. In other words, “Despite the industry’s struggles, magazines remain an important platform for many advertisers,” (U.S. Magazine Industry, Watson). The reason that I decided to do a fashion magazine specifically is that I know that I can do a lot with it. After some final changes, my concept is extremely thorough, and I know that I would be able to reach a lot of diverse kinds of people with my magazine. The author in Magazine Publishing Trends states, “They’ve managed this feat by staying relentlessly focused on one specific category and by thoroughly understanding the types of content and information that their audiences want, need – and in some cases, what readers don’t yet know they need,” says CredSpark, an audience insight specialist. (Magazine Publishing Trends, Bezuidenhout). This relates to what I am doing because I am exposing people to unique styles of fashion in cultures as well as body positivity.  

After reading the article “The Abundance, Joy, Beauty, Persistence, Power, and Potential of Independent Publishing: A Conversation with Six Black Editors” it has inspired me to make my feature article about culture. One of the editors, Parneshia Jones, states, “I truly believe we are in a celebratory period of literature by and for people of color, not only because it is brilliant and long overdue in an expansive way, but because it is a necessary channel for how humanity will move forward with the idea that the narrative is not beholden to a singular group of people...” (A Conversation with Six Black Editors, Dungy). This statement excites me because I cannot wait to learn about all the unique pieces of clothing that represent distinct cultures. I want to be able to appreciate minority groups that go unseen by giving them that exposure to my readers. 

AICE Media Studies AS

Portfolio Project Concept Refinement

Fall 2020

CATEGORY	DETAILS
Film OR Magazine	Magazine
Genre	Fashion
Target Audience (Be specific)	Gen Z/ Teenagers
What is your concept? (Be thorough & specific. Review the links on Blackboard)	My concept is to create street wear fashion without the expense. To make pieces from thrift stores and highlight small business owners. I want to show people that you don’t need to have a lot of money to have style. My content would include things such as tips on how to find unique pieces of clothing and places to look for like consignment shops that can sell high fashion pieces for a lot cheaper. I would also love to show diversity in the models, using my friends and anyone else willing to participate.
How did you conceive the idea for this concept?	I really like fashion myself, especially streetwear. I want to show other people my age that they can still have great style and on a budget.
What do you believe is unique about your concept?	What I think is unique about my concept is that I would be creating outfits from inexpensive clothes that then anyone can have themselves. A similar magazine to mine is Seventeen magazine however their audience is directed towards teen girls specifically while my audience would be all people from ages 13-19. My content is also based on a lower income budget.
Why do you believe this product will be of interest to your audience?	I believe this product will be of interest to my audience because there has been a rise of thrifting, especially in the younger population. Recycling clothes and going to thrift stores has become very popular and that is why this is the perfect opportunity to make this my main concept.
FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM PEERS	·        Making sure that different regions of styles are incorporated ·        Southern living-travel section ·        Environmental element ·        Cultural element ·        Bringing awareness of the range of fashion ·        Exposure to style in lower-income communities ·        Clothes that fit different body types ·        Inclusivity and environment