Fashion + Sustainability
Although there may be no such thing as 100% sustainable fashion, the concept is undeniably at the forefront of conversation within the fashion industry. As brands grapple with growing consumer demand for more sustainable fashion practices and consumers look inwards to challenge their own behaviour and consumption patterns, the environmental implications of fashion are truly in the zeitgeist. This hugely complex topic brings about challenges and hope, of how we can continue to justify the current production rates of fashion, without jeopardising a fundamental part of our culture and identity. The very notion of this balance in argument brings into question if our desire for new clothes and style, has left mother nature as an afterthought. How sustainable can fashion truly be?
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Is the future of fashion secondhand?
Customers are and will be less and less loyal. To get and keep them for a longer time, traders need to add emotional connections. Brand image and loyalty are built on basic assets such as proximity to the store, a wide selection, low prices, and quality. To attract customers for a longer period, it is necessary to add an emotional connection. Are Shoppers Loyal to Their Brands? Loyalty-based factors previously offered by most retailers now need to add experience and interest. The right price can be a key factor between buying a brand and switching to a competing brand. Of the five attributes studied (price, service, assortment, features, and…
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The UN’s global goals for fashion
In 2015, the United Nations set out 17 Sustainable Development Goals for all member states, creating a global call to action and pushing the cruciality of environmental, social and cultural initiatives for the betterment of our world. The Sustainable Development Goals build upon decades of UN work. Beginning with the Brundtland Report in the 1980s, which outlined fundamental components for sustainable development, and which remains the backbone of the organisation’s work on sustainable development. These 17 comprehensive goals feature 230 indicators, by which progress can be measured, with the aim of fulfilling many of them by 2030. Each year, states come together to report on their progress towards achieving their…
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5 ways to become a more conscious fashion consumer
It is common knowledge that the fashion industry is now of the leading waste producers and contributing to the ongoing climate crisis. While industry professionals and designers are taking their stance on this debate, we as consumers need to make our own contributions. So here are 5 small steps that you can take to become a conscious yet fashionable citizen. Buy less, Consume more Data suggests that the value of unused clothing in wardrobes has been estimated at around £30 billion. It is also estimated £140 million worth of clothing goes into landfill each year. While there is definitely an opportunity for local authorities to take action, individual initiative is…
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Conscious consumption: the cure for our mindless approach to fashion
Mindless consumption is the biggest problem for the sustainable and ethical fashion movement. And whilst this movement has made great advances the statistics still look worrying. The Global Fashion Agenda has predicted that by 2030 global apparel consumption will rise by 63%. This is shocking given our climate crisis. But there is still time to change this, and it’s easier than you think. What is mindless consumption? Put simply, mindless consumption is when you buy something without thought. In the past decade this type of damaging consumption has increased drastically due to fast fashion. Clothing has been produced at much quicker and cheaper rates making it easy to put a…
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Fast fashion and the wholesale ruination of wildlife
The latest Living Planet Index–published by WWF and the Zoological Society of London – showed a 60% fall in wildlife populations in 40 years. But, how does fast fashion play a part in this statistic? How can we, as conscious consumers, help? Fashion is one of the main contributors to the ecological degradation that our planet is currently experiencing. Billions of animals die after being mistreated for our clothes every year. The fashion industry is one of the most uncontrolled and unsustainable businesses of today. Even though there has been a recent rise in demand for clothing transparency, the damage has already been done. But, it doesn’t have to be…
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Is fashion killing our planet?
The UN has predicted that the global population could reach a whopping 9.8 billion people by 2050. If this happens, we will need the equivalent of 3 planets to provide the resources needed to sustain our current lifestyles. So how can one planet create all these resources? And how can we as consumers change our behaviour to stop us killing our planet? How Bad is the Fashion Industry Environmentally? We all know that fast fashion is causing the fashion industry to be one of the main pollutants of the environment. Each year we, as a planet, consume more than 80 billion items of clothing. Another £12.5 billion worth of clothes…
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What are retailers doing to reduce Modern Slavery within their supply chains?
Modern Slavery is a heinous and often hidden crime. It includes slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking. The impact can be devastating for the victims. Modern slavery can be found within companies supply chains. Although you would think slave labour is in the past it still very much alive all around us! We also expect slave labour to occur elsewhere than the UK. However, unfortunately this is not the case. In 2016, 3,805 potential victims were identified and referred in the UK. In the year to March 2017 the police in England and Wales recorded 2,255 modern slavery crimes. However, many more crimes and victims go undetected.…
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Fashion Pact: a promise to save the planet
The most polluting sector wants to make a real change: Fashion bigs make a pact to protect the environment On the eve of the G7 summit in Biarritz, French President Macron reunited representatives of 32 world-leading companies in the fashion and textile sector in order to announce the “Fashion Pact”. https://thefashionpact.org/?lang=en Therefore, the fashion world undertakes to create a coalition giving life to an unprecedented experience. The pact includes luxury and sports brands along with suppliers and retailers, already involved in environmental commitments. Fashion Pact’s aim is to improve and strengthen cooperation between private companies and national states. Based on the principles promoted by the Science-Based Target (SBT1) initiative, the…
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Modern slavery: the dark truth of the UK’s fast fashion garment industry
In 2020, you may be surprised to learn that modern slavery is no longer an issue of the past. Even more surprising is I’m not talking about third world countries or countries that lack workers’ rights laws. This is happening right now in the UK. Earlier this month, Andrew Bridgen MP raised the concern to parliament that there are currently a feared 10,000 garment workers in Leicester trapped in conditions that can only be described as modern slavery. Working against their will for as little as £3 an hour, we ask, how has this happened? Unethical business owners are trapping workers in illegal conditions by trafficking them from other European…
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How can storytelling help to combat greenwashing in fashion?
The story so far For years, storytelling has been used as a device for brands to communicate their values and connect emotionally with audiences. Luxury fashion brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel and Dior have used storytelling to communicate their label’s heritage, values and ideologies. Green marketing has been adopted by companies across many sectors since the 1990s but the market is over saturated. Mass “greenwashing” has meant that attempts to convey sustainable values now come across as disingenuous. With it’s ability to forge emotional reports with audiences, does storytelling hold the key to the success of sustainable fashion? The ugly truth You may think that this doesn’t apply…