Why’d you have to ruin everything: How today’s designers are trying to better their older peers’ unsustainable practices in the fashion industry.

Fig 1. Christian Boltanski's exhibition titled "Clothes as Bodies"

Ever since the globalization of the fashion industry, we have heard countless claims coming from younger fashion designers and lovers pointing their finger to their older peers for their malpractice of sustainability within the industry. Thus said, this week's post is particularly special to me since I'll be reinvesting what I've gained from my most recent read "Fashionopolis: The price of fast fashion and the future of clothes." by Dana Thomas. This book's most recurring themes are sustainability, fast fashion, and the greener innovations new players are bringing to the drawing board. In addition, to how the older generation took our world for granted when building an empire, we now know as the fashion industry, not thinking of the generations to come.

Also, to set the scene a little better, when the globalization of the fashion industry arose, people were still wearing neon colours and styling their hair the voluminous way. In case my brief description didn't carve the decade well enough: it was the 80's. Back then, sustainability wasn't much of a concern. The main goal was strictly to make more clothes for cheaper, faster, and that's fast fashion's origin story.

The first person I'd like to shine a light on is none other than Stella McCartney, daughter of Paul McCartney but truly went way further than any other nepo baby. Famous for her luxury self-named brand, McCartney has also made her company known to be the first ever vegan luxury brand. She's even gone as far as sourcing materials such as wool from a sustainable sheep farm in New Zealand, to sourcing the cellulose that make up her viscose from Swedish timber that is certified by the Forrest Stewardship Council. On page 178 of Thomas' Fashionopolis it is said "A lifelong vegetarian and ardent supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), McCartney has conceived and produced clothes and accessories that are "animal free," meaning no leather, no fur." She adds "her supply chains are transparent and traceable. Her stores are built with recyclable materials and many are powered ecologically.". It is also mentioned that McCartney has been producing Environmental Profit and Loss reports (EP&L) since 2013.

All these actions are in part the result of the past designers' actions regarding the utilization of the materials and they're not-so green actions. Moreover, when McCartney began these eco-friendly actions in the 90's she mentions that she was ridiculed since being green was a trait given to the "brown-clad, granola set", essentially nothing all that positive. This goes to show, how persistent younger designers are when it comes to fixing their older peers' mistakes regarding sustainability.

Fig 2. Stella McCartney in a lab testing out sustainable components.

The second emerging green peacekeepers is a London-based company called "Unmade". Founded in 2013 by engineers Ben Alun-Jones and Hal Watts, as well as knitwear designer Kirsten Emery, Unmade is an "on-demand knitwear and print platform that facilitates the production of one-off or short-run garments and sweaters at a mass level." (P.242) Put simply, with the help of their newly developed software connected to a proficient knitting machine, they provide their clients with customized knitwear interruption-free and made in select quantities, all that on an industrial level.

Fig 3. Unmade's studio

Thus said, by using a made-to-order production method, there is significantly less waste that occurs when manufacturing these garments. In a perfect world, I'd ask: why doesn't every company follow a similar path as Unmade? But the reality is, not every brand can afford it. Not only is this software intricate, it is also more complicated, demanding, and costly to orchestrate compared to your run-of-the-mill overseas manufacturer.

Briefly, ever-since the globalization of the fashion industry resulting in quickly, mass-produced garments, our environment has been de-escalating faster than ever and has not stopped. However, there have been black sheep's in the industry, refusing to follow this mainstream way of manufacturing. As mentioned above, designer Stella McCartney and company Unmade are part of the resistance to this unsustainable manner. By ecologically sourcing materials or reducing production waste by limiting manufacturing quantities, it proves that there are in fact ways to try and fix the past. This may not entirely resolve our environmental issues, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.

Stay tuned for next week's topic: "Is that 13 year-old holding a Prada bag: How much is too much when it comes to spoiling kids?". And if you like what you're reading, subscribe to Gen F for more!

Sources

FASHIONOPOLIS; The Price of Fast Fashion and The Future of Clothes by Dana Thomas