(Readers please click on to the link above to watch the video)
Message: Where curious minds gather to offer fresh perspectives on the issues/trends influencing sustainable fashion.
11 million tons of textiles are thrown away every year. /That’s 26.7kg of clothing per person in the UK alone./The primary culprit of this fashion waste? /Fast fashion./ In the 21st century, many retailers have adopted fast fashion and been rewarded with great profits in return for our overconsumption of clothing. In the meanwhile, environmental and social consequences have been ignored, resulting in elevated levels of environmental destruction, (images of landfilled with waste) which have largely gone unnoticed by customers.
This is due to a lack of communication and transparency within the apparel industry resulting in consumers’ having an insufficient understanding of the effects, resulting in an unsustainable approach. My project aimed to reduce fast fashion consumption by effectively raising public awareness of its harmful impacts. The research critically analysed the attitudes and behaviors of people aged between 18-26, the primary consumers of fast fashion, towards fashion consumption in order to devise a targeted intervention to achieve this. As they grow older, they will also have more buying power to purchase higher end fashion products which are more likely to have sustainable sourcing practices.
References:
BBC Earth (2019). Can Fashion Be Sustainable? | BBC Earth. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoiU8sprXpQ&ab_channel=BBCEarth [Accessed 6 Aug. 2020].
SustainYourStyle. (n.d.). Fashion & Environment. [online] Available at: https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/whats-wrong-with-the-fashion-industry?gclid=CjwKCAjwkdL6BRAREiwA-kiczMWoX-358AKhhrG81B9YcVAbukqGth0psUQCw6fh2URcX_uvKmqOHRoCoGMQAvD_BwE [Accessed 6 Aug. 2020].