Bid to buck 'fast fashion' trend. The government has launched a campaign to tackle the environmental impact of a "fast fashion" culture.
About two million tonnes of clothing end up in landfill every year. More than 300 retailers, producers and designers are part of the "sustainable clothing action plan", launched at the start of London Fashion Week. Ministers say customers should be sure clothing is made, sold and disposed of "without damaging the environment or using poor labour practices". Wearable pineapple fibres could prove sustainable alternative to leather. At weddings and formal events in the Philippines, men can often be seen wearing the Barong Tagalog, a thin and transparent embroidered garment worn over a shirt.
Topshop Goes Green With "Reclaim" Collection of Upcycled Clothing. Trish Clarke, Topshop’s head of technical services, says the collection provides an “ethical solution to disregarded material” through the retailer’s design lens.
“We are inspired to challenge textile waste across our product areas, whilst still creating versatile designs that are wardrobe essentials for our customers,” Clarke says. The (Sustainable) Future of London Fashion Week This blog is part of a month-long focus around sustainable fashion across HuffPost UK Style and Lifestyle.
Here we aim to champion some of the emerging names in fashion and shine a light on the truth about the impact our appetite for fast fashion has around the world. The Growth of Sustainable Fashion in the UK, From Haute Couture to High Street In the past, eco-friendly fashion had two connotations.
It could be prohibitively expensive and relegated to elitist boutiques. Or it could be utterly bland, inspiring visions of loosely woven hemp and rarely-washed shapeless sacks. These days you'll find sustainable fashion in a variety of places, from quirky online shops to East End warehouses to up and down the high street. Sustainable Designs Making Headlines One approach to sustainable fashion is in the use of local talent and materials. Elevate African Luxury Through Sustainability. LONDON, United Kingdom — Africa has always inspired global style, as the archives of every international fashion house attests.
But right now, thanks to the continent’s growing creative confidence, its best design talents are offering the industry something new — their own take on sustainable luxury. While Africa can’t yet compete with mature markets in terms of manufacturing on a large scale, it can shine by elevating its vast artisanal heritage to develop a fresh approach to handmade craftsmanship for discerning consumers worldwide. Valentino Tops Greenpeace's Luxury "Fashion Duel" Ranking on Water Pollution, Deforestation. Greenpeace has thrown down the gauntlet.
In November, the environmental nonprofit presented 15 Italian and French fashion houses, including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and Prada, with 25 “uncomfortable” questions about their supply chains. Its goal? Pharrell Williams, Woolworths Team Up to "Make Sustainability Cool" Woolworths could tell you a thing or two about hiring coups.
The South African department store has just appointed Grammy-winning artist Pharrell Williams, who will spearhead sustainability-focused projects in his role of style director. Ian Moir, CEO of Woolworths Holdings, said at a press conference in Johannesburg on Thursday that he hopes the musician will help the company “make sustainability cool for the next generation of South Africans.” He further described Williams, whose textile company, Bionic Yarn, creates fabric out of recycled plastic bottles, as a “global icon for social cohesion, advancement through education, and environmental awareness.” Woolworths is kicking off the collaboration with a competition that invites students to submit proposals for a “T-shirt that celebrates sustainability.”
Williams will select his favorite designs, which will be produced by Bionic Yarn and sold at Woolworths stores across South Africa. Sustainable Fashion Brands Push Forward. Sustainable fashion is gaining momentum in the industry (photo: H&M) Reformation, a sustainable fashion label best known for their effortless bohemian styles, just gave us more cause for applause.
In honor of Earth Day, the brand launched an environmental impact scale called RefScale. Customers can now click on the globe icon featured on every item’s product information page to discover just how much water and carbon dioxide were used and saved compared to industry standards during the manufacture of each unique item. Reformation’s newly launched RefScale (Photo: screenshot) “RefScale tracks our environmental footprint by adding up the pounds of carbon dioxide emitted and gallons of water we use. Looks from Reformation’s environmentally friendly ‘Low Carb’ collection (photo: Reformation) Major retailers such as H&M are also taking greater initiatives to uphold a more sustainable approach to fashion.
H&M Conscious Actions Sustainability Report presentation in London (photo: H&M) Can a hashtag change the fashion industry? Now in its second year, Fashion Revolution Day (FRD) is a hashtag campaign designed to keep the most vulnerable in the fashion supply chain in the public eye.
Held on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, participants are encouraged to take a selfie showing the label on their clothes and ask the designer or brand #whomademyclothes. It’s an important cause, but can a hashtag campaign really bring meaningful change to the fashion industry? Ruth Stokes, author of The Armchair Activist’s Handbook, says if a campaign is able to raise awareness and reach people otherwise not engaged, then it has provided something of value.
The challenge is translating that increased awareness into real-world practical actions, whether that means changing individual behaviors or the laws made by politicians. FRD has changed the hashtag this year to #whomademyclothes after Pixar took over #insideout in anticipation of the Disney animation film Inside Out. #whocares #meaningfulchange.