Can fashion ever be sustainable?

Can fashion ever be sustainable?

Charlie Howard: So I don't know if it's ever going to be completely possible to be 100% sustainable, but I think you can start off by not ordering as many clothes off the internet. No-one needs that many clothes. Caption: Can fashion ever be sustainable? Caption: Graeme Raeburn Performance director at Raeburn fashion studio Graeme Raeburn: I think ultimately no, it can't be sustainable because everything is going to have an impact of types, but what we can do is actually radically reduce the impact that it's having. Caption: Charlie Howard Model and host of Fashion Fix podcast Charlie Howard: Fast fashion can be described as clothes that come out every single week in order to satisfy the consumer's needs and wants. And as we're finding out, it's incredibly bad for the environment. Caption: Why are we addicted to fast fashion? Charlie Howard: We live in a world of Instagram where there's just images every second of the day just being pumped onto your feed. And I think that when it comes to clothes, this creates this excitement in the consumer where they constantly need more. Caption: More than two tonnes of clothing are bought each minute in the UK and 11m garments end up in the landfill every week (OxfamGB, 2019) Graeme Raeburn: I think particularly in the United Kingdom we have a problem with fast fashion and very much profit-driven fashion industry. Ever wanting cheaper and more affordable, more rapid turnaround types of clothing. Graeme Raeburn: Something might be half as cheap, but if it lasts for only 25% of the time it's a false economy. Garments are made for lower quality, which means that they're worn less and then actually ultimately thrown away into landfill or incineration. And all of this is very bad for dwindling natural resources on this planet. Caption: What can the fashion industry do? Charlie Howard: Just like diversity, being sustainable is a real buzzword right now, and a lot of companies are jumping on that bandwagon because it makes them look good, it makes the consumer feel that they're doing something good when they buy a product as well. Graeme Raeburn: On one hand the fashion industry has been very irresponsible in the pursuit of always having new looks and new trends and celebrating obsolescence, some people might argue. Graeme Raeburn: But also with that has come a very rapid processing ability and the opportunity is to embrace these new fibres, new processes, new, more environmentally responsible technologies which actually will make for a more sustainable future for us all. Graeme Raeburn: Certainly some of the more environmentally sound materials are more expensive but increasingly, as their popularity grows, the actual cost of the fibre and the manufacture will actually come in line with other traditional fibres. Graeme Raeburn: I would like to think that the UK has pioneered some of the most radical and innovative areas of fashion, both in production and stylistically, and the opportunity now lies with us to do the same and become global leaders in responsible and accountable fashion too. Charlie Howard: So I definitely think companies need to be transparent when it comes to how they recycle their clothes. I think that they owe it to us, and I think they owe it to the environment as well. 19 00:02:48:20 00:02:50:20 Caption: So what can the consumer do? Graeme Raeburn: First of all, think about it. Do you want it or do you actually need it? Try and discern between those different states of mind. And if you do absolutely need something, really consider what it is that you're buying, where it's from, what it's made from. Charlie Howard: Here are some of my top tips on how to make your wardrobe more sustainable. Charlie Howard: Wash your clothes less often. The average laundry cycle releases thousands of tiny plastic fragments into the waterways. Before you purchase something, make sure that you can really commit to wearing it at least 30 times. Dressing sustainably does not mean that you have to compromise on style. Graeme Raeburn: The honest truth is that actually fashion is happening, and it will continue happening, so this might actually prompt more creative explorations of the space, more responsible, accountable types of design and consuming, potentially into the digital or the virtual. Graeme Raeburn: The fantastic thing about the problem with clothing is we're all part of the problem, but we're also all part of the solution.