Fashion and Sustainability

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By Barbara A Lopez

The universe of textiles is globally complex and extremely polluting. Converting fibres to fabrics requires a massive amount of energy, water, chemicals and land.

There is also a considerable amount of waste and emissions in the life cycle stages of production. The pollution is often unregulated and the impact is felt globally.

These impacts start at the factory and continue as the garment is shipped, used and finally thrown away. Understanding the sustainability of fabric manufacturing is critical to protect our wonderful planet Earth.

In order to be truly sustainable, designers must take into account the social and economic factors that impact the cultural diversity of a given society in the region where they are working and reawaken a new respect for clothing.

The manufacturers and the people who make our clothes are often underpaid and victims of social injustice. They are the precious threads of culture that could unravel if not considered.

There has been a shift in our society from mindless to mindful consumption Consumers across the globe are becoming more concerned about how their purchases affect the overall health and environment of our precious planet Earth and the people who inhabit it.

Building a new vision for fashion where sustainability is the highest priority is critical to our understanding of awareness and responsibility to our environment. Provoke, nurture and inspire people in a radically new and different direction. Re-imagine new ways to do business through a series of ground breaking collaborations. Imagine an industry using eco-clothing and textiles.

Eco-clothing textiles are those that inspire and communicate with the environment. We should mend, make do and repair. Remix and transform unwanted and obsolete garments through customization. Dismantle and reuse textiles from unused clothing. Explore the future of fashion by embracing repair and re-engaging communities in collaborations for repair.

I believe fashion of the future will have an emotional resonance. Few of us really need more of anything, so we will be looking for items that will touch us in some way. These are the deeply rooted vehicles of our identity. Progressive consumers that are passionate towards sustainable solutions are our thread towards a cleaner and less toxic environment for our future.

Designers fashion is more then just clothes, it reflects the way we choose to live our lives. Clothes are signs, symbols and expressions of our culture. They represent the way we feel about politics, activism and pleasure. Help build a new vision where fashion and clothing are fused with awareness and responsibility.

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