October 2023

THE PLANET VS THE FASHION INDUSTRY

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The fashion industry is facing a critical junction in self-reflective contribution to emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) through oil-intensive practice used in manufacturing, distribution, and disposal of consumer products. 

Currently, the industry is responsible for 8-10% of GHG emissions, coming just behind oil production and complex supply chain transportation processes in the assimilation of consumer products (Zheng Ji, 2019). Significant contributors to increased carbon emissions centres around textile production, which has been associated in generating 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent (Filho et al, 2022). Disposal of clothing garments also contributes to inducement of potent gases involved in associated climate change. Current ‘fast-fashion’ practices seen more prevalently in wealthier countries has depicted increased disposal of textiles at a significantly alarming rate (more than one hundred pounds of textile waste per person each year in the US) due to the need of the latest ‘in-style garms’ and seasonal decluttering (Lundberg & Devoy, 2022). Discarding of textiles leads to dumping in landfills which when not provided with the proper oxygenation due to less advanced waste systems, commonly seen in lower economy countries results in production of methane, far more potent than CO2 (Lundberg and Devoy, 2022). 

Fortunately, a collective focus on environment-friendly, net-zero and sustainable approaches have observed within the industry to transition from old systems. To address this, the industry has undertaken a ‘circular economy’ approach to benefit the society and environment through regenerative practice and in the long-term business sustainability (Ellen Macarthur Foundation, no date). Micro-approaches observed to eliminate waste and pollution seen through reuse and recycling initiatives promoted by e-commerce apps such as Vinted, Depop, Etsy and PLT Marketplace. Cutting down on disposal of products helps in restorative use of products through preservation of value and reduction of landfill deposition. 

At the forefront of this sustainable approach is the advent of the G7 Fashion Pact which is a collective of global leaders involved in the fashion and textile industry aiming to tackle climate change, restore biodiversity loss and protect the oceans through lower impact product synthesisation and material procurement, use of renewable energy and commitment to nature positive actions through scientific research and sustainable biodiversity measures (The Fashion Pact, no date). These measures put into practice adheres with the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals in cutting GHG emissions to 50% by 2030 and therefore providing significant environmental and societal benefits to the world for years to come. 

REFERENCES

Ellen MacArthur Foundation, No date. The circular economy in detail: Deep dive. Available at: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/the-circular-economy-in-detail-deep-dive#:~:text=A%20circular%20economy%20favours%20activities,materials%20circulating%20in%20the%20economy. (Accessed: 01 Oct 2023).

Hifructose. (2019). The Recent Textile Art of Paola Idrontino. [Online]. hifructose.com. Last Updated: 19 February 2019. Available at: https://hifructose.com/2019/02/19/the-recent-textile-art-of-paola-idrontino/ [Accessed 5 October 2023].

Just-style. (2022). Climate change textile project proves fruitful. [Online]. www.just-style.com. Last Updated: 27 September 2022. Available at: https://www.just-style.com/news/climate-change-textile-project-proves-fruitful/ [Accessed 5 October 2023].

Leal Filho, W., Perry, P., Heim, H., Dinis, M.A.P., Moda, H., Ebhuoma, E. and Paço, A., 2022. An overview of the contribution of the textiles sector to climate change. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10, p.1419.

Lundberg, D., Devoy, J., 2022. The Aftermath of Fast Fashion: How Discarded Clothes Impact Public Health and the Environment. Environmental Racism, 22 September. Available at: https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2022/the-aftermath-of-fast-fashion-how-discarded-clothes-impact-public-health-and-the-environment/ (Accessed: 02 Oct 2023).

The Fashion Pact, No date. Our Work: Areas of Action. Available at: https://www.thefashionpact.org/our-work/(Accessed: 01 Oct 2023).

Zheng Ji, C. 2019. ‘Raising awareness of the environmental impact of clothes production’, King’s College London, The Policy Institute, 14 October. Available at: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/raising-awareness-of-the-environmental-impact-of-clothes-production (Accessed: 01 Oct 2023).

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Fashion or Our planet? You choose.

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When you ask someone young or old, what is our planet? Humans general response can range from the Earth, a large rounded astronomical body, a star or just where we live. However when you change the question to: How do you as an individual affect our planet? Not many could answer. Some may even be confused, but I can tell you that at least once in our lifetime we have affected ‘Our planet’ directly through fashion. Yes, the clothes we wear daily, the new released shoes we queued hours for at the Black Friday sale; the endless amount of socks we buy as “I lost them in the wash”. Fashion is a major contribution to the climate crisis, pollution, poverty, death and many factors that cause destruction and devastation to Our planet.That’s why this week I’ll be talking about the first pillar of sustainability:Planet.

Circular economy:

The circular economy is an economic system that is constructed on reusing and regenerating materials or products in a sustainable/ environmentally friendly way. How does that relate to fashion? “The CE has initiated motivation within the fashion industry to tackle some of the issues arising from production/consumption of fashion. In fact, there are three main principles of CE: design out waste and pollution; keep products and materials in use; and regenerate natural systems.”(Gwilt, 2020).One example of the industry not adopting the circular economy is that fashion is responsible for 1715 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2015 and emissions will grow by 63% by 2030. Listening to Katarina Rimarcikova in one of my lectures was a true eye opener for me- she expressed “We would need 3 planets by 2050 because of the amount of resources and product use”.

Sustainability:

Sustainability is maintaining or supporting a process over time. If fashion was sustainable brands would focus on reducing the impact the ‘life cycle’ has on the planet, but also be conscious of the individuals behind their brand. In 2015 the United Nations summit endorsed 17 SDGs (sustainable development goals) in its 2030 agenda. One SDG that particularly stood out for me is number 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. This is something I believed,before my research, that all companies would adopt…but I was wrong. “It takes 2700 litres of water to produce a cotton t-shirt, Levis uses over three thousand litres of water to produce jeans. 5000 children die each due to a lack of clean water.” (Corner, 2014).In my opinion i wouldn’t say that’s responsible and is all of this really worth it for a T-shirt? 

However many brands have sustainable focal points. One brand in particular is Patagonia. They use 100% renewable energy, work with organisations such as Finnwatch to focus on human rights and can reuse, resell, and recycle their products after being purchased. 

The inspirational Patagonia advert:

“The wasteful and polluting impacts of the industry are set to drastically increase by 2050” (Ellen MacArthur 2017). In short, sustainability has been floating around the fashion industry for many decades now and although people are agreeing we need change, it simply is not happening. Fashion or Our planet?You choose.

Reference list:

-(Corner, F 2014. Why Fashion Matters. London: Thames and Hudson)

-(Gwilt, A 2020.A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion. London: Bloomsbury Publishing)

-(Patagonia https://eu.patagonia.com/gb/en/our-footprint/migrant-workers.html)

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PLANET BLOG

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The fashion industry is built upon four pillars: planet, people, profit and purpose. Today I am focusing on “planet” and why it is so important to fashion, business and our future. Let me start with some staggering facts about the fashion industry and these may, hopefully, make you want to change your shopping habits and open your eyes about the harsh reality of the fashion industry and its impact on our world on a global scale. 

   There are just over 8 billion people on our planet today and we all can’t just walk around in our birthday suit so we must dress ourselves and most of us like to dress in style and care about what we wear. We all have favourite brands we like to buy from, and they are forever changing and adapting to trends on a yearly, even seasonal, basis and this creates a large amount of pollution and waste every year from the vast amount of production. This industry is one of the largest polluters to the world, it is responsible for 8-10% of the humanity’s carbon emissions which is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Around 20% of industrial wastewater pollution worldwide originates from the fashion industry. The equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles are released into the ocean each year from clothing production. Before 1940 only a few thousand tonnes of synthetic fibres were consumed, it rose to 60 million tonnes in 2018. 

   These are some devastating facts about the world of fashion that need to be acted upon as soon as possible as this is not a sustainable production method, especially on the year on year growth. We must redefine sustainability and use the “re” practices: reduce, repair, reuse, recycle, repurpose, restore and regenerate. This moves me on to talk about the circular economy. What is circular economy you ask? The principles are to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials at their highest value and regenerate nature. This is so important as the current system will always produce pollution which is only going to create catastrophic affects to the global climate sooner than it should ever happen. Something that all fashion businesses should focus on is adapting to a more effective way to tackle climate change and the irreversible damage this current system is causing. 

   Some things fashion businesses can focus on to be more sustainable are using materials that are biodegradable or natural fibres so these materials will grow with no fertilizer use and consume less energy and water thus reducing the overall carbon footprint of the brand. Using a business model where you can resell the clothes from previous collections from the consumers themselves so no clothes will go to waste, and they will be used and bought again from someone else which is a great way to reduce waste and keep a close connection with the brand and its customers. Brands like depop and vinted are reducing the mainstream brands sales.  Examples of fashion businesses that have a resale platform are Canada Goose, Carhartt, Levi’s, Lululemon, Patagonia and so many more are jumping onto this business model as it is so successful for reducing waste and production of new clothing.

   Lets move onto talking about SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) there are 17 of these the United Nations work on, I want to specifically focus on number 17, partnership for the goals. I’d like to emphasise how important it is for brands to really focus on working collaboratively towards a more sustainable business model. Encouraging effective partnership between workplaces is so important, working closely with suppliers, for example, and communicating with them about future targets should be a main priority and this would also increase more recognition to their consumers as everyone wants to be more sustainable. For a respected brand to focus on this topic also brings more favour to them without greenwashing and comes from the companies morals and recognition to climate change. 

   I’d like to finish with saying although the industry is at an all-time low with being sustainable, it can only go up from here. My generation (Gen Z) is here to redesign the fashion world to be more aware of the current situation and its effects on the environment and my aspiration is to do so.

Bibliography

GENEVA ENVIRONMENT NETWORK https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/

VOGUE BUSINESS https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/sustainability-where-fashion-is-heading-in-2022

FORBES https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2023/01/02/the-state-of-sustainability-in-the-fashion-industry-and-what-it-means-for-brands/

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Planet blog one

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In the fashion business field, there are four key pillars that play a dominant role and will never be left behind: the planet, people, profit, and purpose. These four ideas, which are intricately linked to one another and all share the same significance, are the foundation upon which all brands and enterprises establish their operations.

For the first pillar planet, according to the statistics presented by Climate Trade in 2023, the fashion industry ranks third among the most wasteful industries, accounting for approximately 10% of the annual carbon footprint of the earth. Also, the fashion industry causes catastrophic impacts on soil, water, forests, and other ecosystems. In this case, after consumers’ awakening, companies started to realize the urgency of fulfilling the sustainability strategy. And during this process, many new concepts emerged. The circular economy, for instance, a replacement for the preceding linear economy, aims to keep resources in use for as long as feasible. In this process, goods can be converted and reformed several times to exhaust their last value through a technical or biological cycle. This economy is a solution to the fact that people are losing so many finite resources.

Till now, all the practices of the sustainable strategy are originated from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that were presented by the United Nations, urging people to end poverty, inequality, protect the planet, and so on. Among all the 17 goals, ‘good health and wellbeing’ is one of the most fundamental ones, for it’s the most primary need for survival. And tons of fashion brands have taken action in this field. For instance, Ralph Lauren Corporation’s global endeavor to combat cancer, the Pink Pony Campaign, has been ongoing since 2000. 100% of the price of unisex fleece hoodies purchased by customers is contributed to Ralph Lauren’s fight against cancer, and 25% of each Pink Pony collection purchase is donated, benefiting people from all over the world. As it has expanded in the Chinese market in recent years, a noticeable number of consumers actively respond and spontaneously initiate solidarity on social media for this campaign. Through this, the brand successfully builds a reputation among consumers for its sustainability and humanitarian care.

In fact, fashion is intended to encourage the personal expressions of every individual. However, all these expressions are based on the point that people can make a living on this planet. At this point, fashion ought to play its vital role and be an incentive for people, not just because it made an undeniable negative impact but also because it is the product and reflection of human society. Fashion can no longer move forward without this planet, and the fashion industry will be betrayed if it can no longer think what people think and do what people do.

In short, sustainability from the planet pillar is becoming a core and well-known strategy in the fashion industry. It’s where fashion is heading and the urgent demand conveyed by consumers and the whole society. This demand will endure as long as humans still inhabit the planet. Fashion business, especially fashion marketing, is the way to convey strategies, connect with people, and cater to all these needs. Even though sustainability has been discussed for such a long time, there will always be new solutions in this world where change is both necessary and inevitable.

Reference:

Plasencia, J. (2023) ‘The world’s most polluting industries’, ClimateTrade, 11 May. Available at: https://climatetrade.com/the-worlds-most-polluting-industries/ (Accessed: 4 October 2023).

Ellen MacArthur on the basics of the circular economy (2020). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBEvJwTxs4w (Accessed: 5 October 2023).

Pink Pony | Ralph Lauren® UK (no date) Ralph Lauren. Available at: https://www.ralphlauren.co.uk/en/pink-pony/705914 (Accessed: 5 October 2023).

Collaborating for Change: Sustainability Report 2022 – Drapers (no date). Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/collaborating-for-change-sustainability-report-2022 (Accessed: 22 October 2023).

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Ganni

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I’ve chosen Ganni as my favourite brand. It’s a Danish contemporary ready-to-wear fashion brand and it was founded by Copenhagen gallerist Frans Truelsen in the year 2000, it started gaining cult popularity. as a designer label in the late 2010s under the tutelage of husband-and-wife duo Nicolaj Reffstrup and Ditte Reffstrup. 

In my perspective, Ganni has created an attractive and successful brand identity and did interesting advertisement and visual merchandising. In different fashion magazines, the layout and colour combination have always created eye-catching effects that make me want to learn more about this brand.

Additionally, the design of Ganni’s products will always be introduced as cute, playful and enthusiastic because of the combinations of different colours, logo and unique illustration on products, which can always touch up my daily outfits and create a better outcome. 

Moreover it combines the “cool girls” and ‘sweet girls” vibe in their design, for example, colourful cowboy boots and a pink leather jacket. These are the ganni products that i have ever purchased and can satisfy my wants and needs of both cool and cute. 

Furthermore, aside from the design of Ganni’s product. Comfortness and sustainability for their products are incomparable. The quality and comfort of their products remain unchanged despite being washed and ironed a hundred times.

Overall, Ganni has done well from a different perspective, its content always contains the latest news and keeps up to date with different fashion trends. So it satisfied the PESTLE analysis of the brand and created a great outcome.

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My Favourite Brand

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My favourite brand is Vivienne Westwood, a British brand that includes elements of punk, classic glamour and vintage. The founder of the brand believes that gender equality doesn’t mean that women should dress like men, but that they should emphasise female curves and symbols. As a result, the brand’s clothing often features deconstructed corsets and dresses, which are visually sexy and express the spirit of femininity. The brand’s jewellery and accessories also use dramatic gold, pearls and Saturn as key elements, integrating traditional design with futuristic style.

The brand was also featured several times in a famous early Japanese manga called NANA, which was my first exposure to the punk style. In recent years, the popularity of y2k style and retro has brought NANA and VW back to the attention of the younger generation，and the brand’s items that appeared in NANA have begun to be followed.
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微信截图_fast fashion

Planet

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Why fashion affect planet？

In the past few decades, the fashion industry has taken a huge part in global pollution. These causes of waste and excessive resources are partly due to the promotion of fast fashion, seasonal trend changes, leading to premature product replacement and fashion obsolescence, and another important reason is the lack of management and distribution channels of the second-hand clothing market, which puts a lot of high-quality clothing that can still be used for a long time into landfills.

Reasons for fragmentation of the industrial chain

The most important reasons include the fragmentation of the industrial chain, from the place of materials to the place of production, and then to the place of distribution, the huge consumption of transport and energy costs, for example, from the completion of the production of a piece of clothing to the distribution of dozens of steps, multiple layers of over-packaging, the need for hundreds of employees, and as people look at the huge global fashion industry, the subsequent generation of a huge textile waste disposal problems has already appear. (Radačičová, 2020).Such a phenomenon can be categorised as a break in the circular economy.

Climate action

Pollution to the environment can be reduced from the start of fabric making, and some textile manufacturers have started to make more textiles that are free of cancer-causing chemicals than some of the already familiar OIL-BASED TEXTILES, which have wastewater released into the environment without having to be landfilled into the soil, thus reducing the harm to the environment. (Why Fashion Matter, Frances Corner, 2014, pp.2)

Example of industrial chain problem solving—circular economy repair

 The famous fast fashion brand HM has carried out practices regarding sustainable supply chains.H&M uses efficient, low-emission modes of transport to reduce excess wasted energy. Currently, sea or rail transport is H&M’s main mode of transport from suppliers to distribution centers, accounting for more than 80 percent of the total transport volume. The result is a reduction in CO2 emissions of more than 700 tonnes per year. To reduce carbon emissions, H&M has established an intelligent transport system, reduced the number of transit warehouses, reduced the volume of air and sea transport to 40%, and increased the volume of products transported by rail. (Sustainable Fashion Supply Chain: Lessons from H&M, BIN SHEN, 2014)

Necessity of second-hand shop-responsible consumption

For another way to reduce waste, Oxfam research estimates that if half of the next wardrobe for all adults in the UK was second-hand, the emissions reduced would be equivalent to an airplane flying around the world more than 17,000 times. （NN(2023)Discover how you can reduce textile waste for Second Hand )

conclusion

A major reason for the huge amount of pollution generated by the fashion industry is the fragmentation of the industry chain, where workers in different factories do not have uniform production standards and management systems, resulting in the quality of most of the products not being able to be used by the public for a long time. In addition, most people do not realize that the popularity of the second-hand market can reduce a large part of the waste of the environment, therefore, the lack of the two steps of recycling and reuse has caused the fashion industry to continue to pollute the earth.

reference list

Matušovičová, M., 2020. Sustainable fashion as a part of the circular economy concept. Studia Commercialia Bratislavensia, 13(45), pp.215-223.

Corner, F., 2014. Why fashion matters. Thames & Hudson.

Shen, B., 2014. Sustainable fashion supply chain: Lessons from H&M. Sustainability, 6(9), pp.6236-6249.

Matušovičová, M., 2020. Sustainable fashion as a part of the circular economy concept. Studia Commercialia Bratislavensia, 13(45), pp.215-223.

NN.(2023).Discover how you can reduce textile waste for Second Hand September,Climate,Rubbish,recycling and environment,https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/news/2023/discover-how-you-can-reduce-textile-waste-second-hand-september(3.October.2023)

Corner, F., 2014. Why fashion matters. Thames & Hudson.

Shen, B., 2014. Sustainable fashion supply chain: Lessons from H&M. Sustainability, 6(9), pp.6236-6249.

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My Favourite Fashion Brand – With Jean

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I tend to struggle with what are your favourite questions. This could be due to the fact that my personal preferences often change, and specifically in this context, answering the question: What is your favourite fashion brand? There are far too many to choose from, and various elements have to be considered to answer such a question. Such as the brand’s ethics, quality of collections and of course my personal preference!

When pondering on this question I was able to pinpoint the Australian female founded and lead brand, With Jéan. I personally discovered With Jéan earlier this year and have since admired their collections. From their staple viral Sabrin dress that was unescapable on tiktok, to their archives collection which features soft, feminine lace materials and cuts which are really flattering! I appreciate the versatility and transferability of With Jéans pieces as you can easily style their clothes for several occasions! Sustainability is an important factor for brands to consider and With Jéan is cautious with what materials they use, where they source and how its made, as they ethically produced in small batches in China, uses biodegradable plastic, and in June launched an eco-friendly swim collection with a specific focus on their fibres that consist of 100% recycled materials! With Jéan founders 2 best friends, Sami Lorking-Tanner and Evangeline Titilas were conscious shoppers before co-founders and want sustainability to be of the essence of With Jéan! I also appreciate that With Jéan is not afraid to branch out and experiment with their brand, such as targeting a new market in their most recent gender neutral collaborative collection with Jefff Weins!
 Overall, With Jéan is one of my current favourite fashion brands and I am looking forward to seeing the brand continue to grow and keep an eye on their following collections!

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Fashion Brand

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Corteiz is currently one of the most innovative and upcoming streetwear brands, overcoming and replacing brands such as Palace and Supreme in the media. Many young people can be inspired by the designer, Clint, as he started this now million pound brand from his bedroom in London. The appeal of this brand to young people is its exclusivity, instead of a typical online shopping or in store approach, corteiz make their products hard to source through using a locked website of which only members can access, as well as doing seasonal drops for 24 hours as opposed to having their products available to buy at anytime. Their creative way of marketing creates hype around the brand and makes people proud to own the brands clothes.

Its unique logo featuring Alcatraz Island and the tagline “Rules The World” has caught the attention of public figures such as Drake, Central Cee, Dave, Jorja Smith, and Stormzy, all of whom have been spotted wearing the brand. Instead of paying these celebrities to wear these clothes like many brands using influencers, the celebrities buy and wear the clothes because they find them fashionable just like the general consumers, this promotes the business in an organic and authentic way, encouraging more people to buy the garments, especially because the celebrities wearing the clothes match the target market for the brand.

The brand is extremely inspiring since it was a university based project and has since become one of the most sought after brands in the UK, partnering with brands such as Nike.

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My Favourite Fashion Brand- Nina Ricci

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Nina Ricci is a fashion house founded in Paris in 1932 and although the brand has been established for a long time it was only recently I became familiar with the brand. In Septemeber 2022 Harris Reed became the new Creative Director of Nina Ricci and became the youngest designer in the brands 91 year history at just 26 years old. Harris Reed is a designer who I have been inspired by for many years after seeing his designs at the Met Gala and on celebrities such as Harry Styles and Florence Pugh. When Reed became the Creative Director of Nina Ricci and showcased his first collection with the brand in March 2023 at Paris Fashion Week I immediatly fell in love with the brand and began following the fashion house on social media. The main reason I love this brand is their diversity in their runway shows the brand is widely diverse across age, race, size, gender and beauty as Harris Reed wants Nina Ricci to be “for everyone”, which I find very inspiring. Furthermore, I also chose Nina Ricci as my favourite brand as their fashion really stands out to me compared to other luxury brands. The last 2 seasons at Nina Ricci have focused on bold gender fluid styles, something Harris Reed has brought to the fashion house, their eyecatching silhouettes and vivid colours are what made me love this brand.

Nina Ricci Spring/Summer Paris Fashion Week 2023
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