Green Is The New Black!
Sustainability and Fashion
The youth are our future, and according to Mckinsey’s U.S. survey, our future does not appreciate fast fashion or extravagant live fashion shows. The study found younger generations are willing to pay more for garments whose production creates the least negative impact on the environment. Sustainability is a term that is frequently heard in news reports and has become a hot topic of discussion in the fashion industry. Although a push for advances in improved sustainability dates back to the seventies, it serves as one of the world's largest trends today.
All over the world, the environmentally-conscious have voiced concerns regarding fashion week, arguing it contradicts the sustainability movement. Chair of the British Fashion Council challenged designers to promote and tackle sustainability in their designs showcased in this past February's London Fashion Week. Designers adapted their seasons' runway looks to meet this challenge. Not only were "big name" designers such as Tommy Hilfiger, Burberry, and Vivian Westwood joining the challenge, but smaller brands rose to the occasion and wowed the audience with delicate and bold looks. February 2020 was pre-pandemic; the excessive live fashion shows hosted before Covid 19 are history for now and may never return. The pandemic has forced sustainability to remain at the forefront of the industry and continue to play a prominent role in the designer's seasonal collections. Fall 2020 Fashion Week events held across the globe used technology and innovation to display designer's works with the least amount of live interaction, which resulted in less impact on the environment.
Sustainable efforts were seen across runways even before Covid 19 changed our lives forever. In February's shows, some designers made small changes, exchanging plastic buttons for buttons made from biodegradable materials such as corozo nuts, georgettes created from recycled plastic waste, and textiles made from plant fibers. Others created fully sustainable collections. February's London Show pushed smaller, entirely sustainable brands into the spotlight. Riley Studio, a gender-neutral brand that prides itself in “creating from waste," unveiled its collection of sturdy neutral basics. Riley released their collection filled with structured recycled wool trousers and cozy recycled cashmere sweaters in soft grays and oatmeal's, a perfect representation of the British look.
As reports of the fashion industry's environmental impact become public, consumers notice and push for more sustainable efforts from the industry. In 2020, there has been an increase in the inclusion of sustainable fashion within established retail brands such as ZARA and H&M. While these major retailers have promised change in their future manufacturing and the design of products, smaller brands created solely based on sustainability have taken center stage. One such U.S. company, RCxR, a brand based on “creating custom, one-of-a-kind pieces using the best sources in recycled clothing,” has recently released its newest collection, which creatively reconstructs and manipulates recycled apparel into new trendy pieces. RCxR is a perfect example of a new wave of apparel brands rocking the market with their creative alternatives to on-trend clothing.
This shift in fashion cannot go unnoticed. Designers must begin to adapt their production methods and design practices to meet consumers' wants and needs. As designers navigate their brands to greener pastures, they will need to be knowledgeable of laws affecting labeling, authentication of second hand luxury brands and requirements for green certification marks. A new age of sustainable fashion is taking over the industry, as Tommy Hilfiger stated during an interview with The Independent, “because in two to three years if a brand is not sustainable, it will be out of business.”