What is fast fashion?
The term “fast fashion” describes inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.
In fact, fashion items have degenerated into disposable goods: 80 billion items of clothing are produced annually, but three quarters of them either end up in landfills or are burned after only a short time. In fact, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that as much as one garbage truck of textiles go to landfill, or is burned, every second (1). According to this same report, less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing, when up to 95% of the materials that go to landfills each year could be recycled. Many reports say that fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. Whether or not this number is accurate, it is undeniable that the fashion industry is a dominant player in global pollution. Some of the most polluted rivers in the world are filled with chemicals dumped by textile factories.
Another issue to consider is the people side to fashion. 93% of brands (surveyed by Fashion Checker) are not paying garment workers a living wage (2). And the majority of fashion factories are dangerous for workers - the most well-known proof is the collapse of the Dhaka garment factory in 2013 that took the lives of 1,134 people and left around 2,500 injured.
When you look at the facts, it is clear that fast fashion is both socially and environmentally unsustainable.
Counter-movement: sustainable fashion
More and more people demand change, which is why the movement of sustainable fashion was born. It’s the process of fostering change to fashion products and the fashion system towards greater ecological integrity and social justice. Not only does it concern addressing textiles or products, it also comprises addressing the system as a whole. This means dealing with social, cultural, ecological, and financial systems.
First steps: London Fashion Week in times of COVID-19
In 2019, the global environmental movement Extinction Rebellion was calling for the cancellation of London Fashion Week and the relentless cycle of wasteful, costly fashion shows. Even if last September’s Fashion Week was not cancelled, lockdown gave designers a moment to reflect and put some changes in place. Collections were smaller, designers found themselves creating less, in more responsible ways. The idea of spending time creating clothes from deadstock and pre-owned materials is becoming increasingly popular.
Berlin Fashion Week
January’s Berlin Fashion Week edition revolved entirely around the topic of sustainability.
One of the concepts presented this time was Fashion Open Studio, a showcasing initiative launched by Fashion Revolution, the global campaign that asks #WhoMadeMyClothes?. In collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (MBFW), Fashion Open Studio offers tangible solutions towards a more responsible industry with a two-day series of digital events. The focus is to work with young, up-and-coming designers and explore some of the hands-on processes of creating clothes along the way.
“With Fashion Open Studio, we give young people and designers a transparent stage for responsible practices in the production of amazing collections. We celebrate the elaborate process behind finished collections, which usually remains hidden.” - Orsola de Castro, Creative Director Fashion Open Studio & Co-founder Fashion Revolution
What is more, all brands at MBFW presented an approach to more sustainable designs.
For the opening show, Belgian designer Tom Van der Borght created a quirky and eccentric collection using recycled climbing ropes, leftover plastic, overstock car seating, plant-based faux fur and sturgeon leather, skilfully combining those elements with sequins, metal pearls, studs and braided elastic.
Fashion label #DAMUR presented its AW21/22 collection, a 100% upcycled collection made with stock fabrics and clothes collected in 2nd hand shops around Berlin.
The brand FADE OUT Label reworks deconstructed vintage materials and garments into intricate patchwork pieces, mostly made out of denim. The founders actively disregard the established timelines of the fashion cycle and instead offer permanent collections to which new items are added each season.
Vee Collective’s bags are both lightweight yet durable, as the brand is using 100% recycled materials only and following a minimum waste approach from products to packaging.
Not only does fashion need to be more environmentally friendly, it also needs to become people-friendly. The idea behind PEOPLE is to give adolescents who would usually be excluded from society because of personal struggles such as drug abuse or mental illness a voice through the production of fashion garments. The Berlin-based social fashion label strives to empower at-risk youth by encouraging the participants to develop self-confidence and self-efficacy and to strengthen their social skills.
All of these brands show us that sustainable practices in the fashion industry are no longer wishful thinking, but in fact very much achievable. All it takes is a rethink.
Sources (and further reading material)
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