Can Fast Fashion Be Sustainable? The world of fashion is increasingly under the environmental spotlight as the impact of the industry becomes apparent from pesticides in cotton through to working conditions in Bangladesh.
Top of the hit list are fast fashion chains with campaigns questioning whether the pile it high sell it cheap model can be environmental sustainable. To find out more I headed to Stockholm to interview the leader of H&M Karl-Johan Persson. We embarked on a frank debate with no PR person on-hand to fend off awkward questions. I wasn't expecting this openness. Fast fashion companies can respond to ethical questions by hiding in the pack or by engaging in debate knowing there will be weaknesses which can be exposed. Focus on the longer term was a recurring theme. The company has a long-term commitment to working in Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia. Exploration of the supply chain revealed huge complexity highlighting the dangers of black and white analysis. Five Easy Ways to Recycle Your Old Clothes Keeping up with the fashion trends can be costly business, and when money is tight treats like new clothes are often one of the first things that go by the wayside, according to Debt Free Direct.
These are the times when it's handy to know a few thrifty tricks for recycling and reviving the clothes you already have in your wardrobe, and giving a new lease of life to a tired old pair of trousers, or last season's shirt. What's more, you don't always need to have comprehensive sewing skills to be able to transform an item of clothing into something that's trendy, and on the cheap. Let us share with you a few easy ways to modify your clothing, and if you have some ways of your own, we'd love for you to tell us about them! Lovely lace collar shirt Photo credit: John You know those old doilies that were hand-me-downs from your grandparents, that you've had stowed away for years?
Simply take a collar-less shirt and a doily - one about the size of a side plate will work best. H&M Fashion Recycling Week: Brand Team Up With London College Of Fashion To Create Sustainable Fashion. H&M is continuing their bid for more sustainable fashion by launching their first ever Fashion Recycling Week, hoping to encourage people to re-use their old and outdated clothes.
The high street giant has teamed up with students from the London College of Fashion to create huge window displays in their stores, using clothes donated through the brand's Garment Collecting Initiative. Kendall Jenner in Balmain for H&M There's also the chance to win £250 to spend in H&M stores, by simply instagramming your guess of the number of garments used in each installation and posting a picture of the window tagging @hm and the hashtag #CloseTheLoop. During the week, a giant garment collecting box will be located in London's Covent Garden Piazza and customers who donate their unwanted clothes to any store can redeem double discount vouchers for their next purchases. The brand's new venture runs alongside their already successful Conscious fashion line, which helps to create sustainable fashion. Close. H&M on Conscious Materials.
Where positive fashion meets the red carpet. Vivienne Westwood Joins Red Carpet Sustainable Fashion Contest as Mentor. Although eco-friendly fashion is rarely equated to Hollywood glamour, there is a trend afoot to change that.
Started during Avatar's press tour by former actress Suzy Amis Cameron (The Usual Suspects, Titanic), the wife of director James Cameron, the Red Carpet Green Dress competition challenges designers to create a red carpet-worthy gown made entirely out of sustainable materials. The winning design will then be worn at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony. PHOTOS: Oscars 2012 Red Carpet Arrivals The global design competition -- which will accept designer submissions until Nov. 5. -- serves an additional purpose aside from promoting sustainable fashion.
The $50 entry fee designers pay to submit their sketches will go to help fund MUSE School C.A., a nonprofit co-founded by Amis Cameron. Now in its fourth year, Red Carpet Green Dress welcomes designers of all backgrounds to enter. PHOTOS: Vivienne Westwood Fashion Exhibit "Everybody wants to know what dress you're wearing at the Oscars. Where next for sustainability in fashion? It is easy to underestimate the complexity of sustainability in the apparel supply chain.
But while there are no simple solutions, industry experts believe improvements can come about through social change, collaboration and innovation. A lot has changed in the last eight years when it comes to environmental issues in the textile and apparel supply chain. Back in 2007, the main buzzword surrounding sustainability in the textile industry was organic cotton. "It was the number one issue on the agenda," according to John Mowbray, joint founder of the Rite Group (Reducing the Impact of Textiles on the Environment), which was formed to provide an independent, industry-led platform to address environmental issues within the sector.
"Everybody was talking about organic cotton like that was going to solve the problems of the industry," he told a Rite Group conference in Leeds recently. But a lot has changed since then. Sustainability challenges One solution is innovation. Closed loop innovation.