Did you know that one of the world’s greatest polluters is the fashion industry1? According to United Nations Climate Change (UNCC), the industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions2 and this is set to rise by more than 60% by 20303.
In reaction, the slow fashion movement took hold. Beginning as a whisper, over the years it has gained momentum and quite the voice. As demand for organically derived materials and well-made garments, produced locally by adequately paid employees, grows, we look back at sustainable fashion history and celebrate the milestones that made it possible:
1980-90s: The rise of fast fashion
Fuelled by consumer demand for cheap, disposable fashion, the fashion industry experienced a retail revolution that transformed the world. The industry produced a more or less constant avalanche of new garments in high street retail outlets4. Low prices were glorified – the cheaper, the better.
1991: The turning point
A high-profile scandal, over reports of low wages and dangerous factory conditions in Indonesia, hit Nike in 1991. As this sparked public anger, many companies began to invest in ethical manufacturing practices to protect their reputation5.
1995: Gathering momentum
Reacting to the very real ethical issues surrounding the supply chains, the World Fair Trade Organization was formed in 1995 to encourage producers, retailers and consumers to work together towards a more sustainable, fair global economy. Companies at the forefront of fast fashion started to come under fire for the low wages and poor working conditions, beginning to realise that sustainability was where the future lay4.
2007: A movement is named
“Slow fashion” as a term was coined in 2007 by Kate Fletcher of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion. As with the “slow food” movement, Fletcher saw a need for fast fashion to slow down. In her article published that year in the Ecologist, she wrote, “Slow is not the opposite of fast – there is no dualism – but a different approach in which designers, buyers, retailers and consumers are more aware of the impacts of products on workers, communities and ecosystems.”
In the same year, the REACH regulation of the EU was adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment posed from chemicals.
2009: Legislation and regulation
Two years later, in 2009, the EU passed the Commission Regulation no. 551, making the use of phospors illegal in washing processes and detergents.
2013-present: A win for humanity
Like a phoenix rising, in 2013 a not-for-profit, Fashion Revolution, was born out of the ashes of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh. Calling for people in over 100 countries to campaign for reform, with the use of the clever hashtag #whomademyclothes, it soon became a social media phenomenon and inspired millions and has successfully contributed to the slow fashion and sustainable fashion revolution6.
The last ten years have seen top designers like Stella McCartney and Alessandro Michele push back against the pressure to deliver new products ever faster and actively contribute less to fast fashion. Independent labels that put excellence first are winning industry accolades.
Thanks to increased public awareness around the environmental impact of fast fashion, top brands including H&M are launching clothing recycling programs; Levi’s is spearheading a sustainability campaign; high-end designers like Gucci are committed to more sustainable practices. And now it’s up to us, the consumers, to show that this isn’t just a passing trend but a real desire to #RethinkFashion.
Consumer behaviour is finally changing. Rather than rushing to the high street, we’re putting more value on what we already have, and buying fewer clothes or giving old clothes new life.
Image credits:
Header image: Courtesy of Fashion Revolution
Image of two women crossing the street holding shopping bags: Stocksy
Sources:
1. A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future Report
2. UN Helps Fashion Industry Shift to Low Carbon
3. Fashion Industry, UN Purse Climate Action for Sustainable Development
4. An Analysis of the Fast Fashion Industry
5. The Nike Controversy
Speaking about milestones, want to see ours? Here is how Dylon's sustainability journey is going.