Blog 1: The cycle of concerns in the fashion industry
Over the past two weeks, watching and engaging with the Better Lives lectures has enlightened me on topics of concern in the fashion industry, but has also showed me how themes such as, diversity, power and sustainability can cross over and link together. These concerns within fashion are complex and is something that is embedded into all aspects of the industry. I feel as though it is hard to distinguish just one topic of concern that has impacted me, as they all have a critical and equal impact on the future of the fashion industry and also the planet.
All of the points of concern within the fashion industry intertwine. One leads onto the next, like an inescapable cycle. This came to light after listening to the lecture, ‘Fashion Sustainability and Power’ by Julia Crew. In particular, the ‘Power and the Consumer’ section of the lecture stood out as the biggest link between the concerns. As consumers, we have great power, and with this power comes great responsibility. Julia explained that every time we make a purchase we are ‘voting with our wallet.’ We are voting on the brands in which we support. We need to know that the people making our clothes are being paid enough, otherwise we are contributing to the exploitation of others, equally we need to know that what we are buying is made in an ethical and sustainable way. With each purchase we can vote for or against humanity, equality and the planet.
The ‘Power and Media’ section of the lecture also highlights the crossover of concerns in the industry. The recent inflation of advertisement in fashion is a problem for many reasons, one being that it encourages consumers to buy more clothes than they need. It is not sustainable as it contributes to the notion of wearing something once and then throwing it away, known as the phenomenon of fast fashion. In addition to this sustainability issue, there is also a concern of power when discussing fast fashion. Fast fashion keeps rich richer and poor poorer. The industry creates extreme wealth for some, while practically enslaving others. The demand for the production of clothes at a rapid rate increases the amount of sweat shops and exploitation of workers. This power imbalance between the rich and the poor lead onto diversity issues within the industry too.
In final reflection, I think that as a hair and makeup for fashion student it is going to be a challenge to tackle these areas of concern within the industry as they seem so global and irreversible. Yet, as Julia Crew concluded her lecture, she mentioned that even though issues like these can make us feel powerless, we do have a voice. It can be hard to comprehend the future of fashion, as the world moves at such a fast pace, and the scale of concerns seem so large. However, it is our responsibility as fashion students to work together, be creative, innovative and change the future of fashion.
References:
Julia Crew (2020) ‘Fashion Sustainability and Power’ [Lecture]. Better Lives.London College of Fashion. 10 February.