Blog 2: Themes Reflection
Blog 2: Themes Reflection
Better lives has made me reflect greatly on social and personal responsibility when talking about sustainability, especially within the fashion industry. Throughout the lectures, consumer habits have been pointed out and discussed on multiple occasions. Previously, I was in denial about how my consumer behaviour had an impact on the environment, choosing to pin the blame solely on big fashion corporations instead. However, it’s clear to me now how the consumer is also equally to blame. I’m now trying to take a more sustainable approach to my consumer behaviour, and how I work on photoshoots/projects.
Although sustainability has been a major topic of discussion in recent years, I always deluded myself into believing I was exempt. I’ve always been conscious of the affect that the fashion industry has on the planet/environment, but I’ve chosen to ignore this when purchasing items for single use, just to sit in the back of my wardrobe after I’m done with them. In Nick Almond’s lectures on emerging technology within the fashion industry, one of the topics we discussed consumer behaviour and how it can become more sustainable. We highlighted the importance of shopping sustainably, and mainly buying used clothes rather than buying new.
Rather than buying new, one can visit their local charity shop and give once used and loved clothes a second lease of life. However, buying new isn’t always bad. By taking a moment to research the brands that one is buying, it becomes much easier to shop sustainably. Many designers are working to become more sustainable, for example Vivienne Westwood (an advocate for sustainable and ethical fashion) has a line of bags, handmade by Kenyan locals, providing the poorest of Nairobi with fair wages, and a better life. Buying these products new, provides disadvantaged people with the chance to improve their lives.
The idea of social responsibility is an important concept for brands/companies to consider alike, and many brands are. Vivienne Westwood has worked towards a more sustainable company for years and years. Stella McCartney is another big sustainable brand, being fur, leather, feather and PVC free. The processes used to make all her clothes are as eco-friendly as possible. Other big brands are following suit, with Burberry stopping use of real fur in its products and stopping the destruction of unsold goods. However, other big-name brands are yet to follow suit. In France, new laws have been put in place to ban brands from burning or dumping unsold product, and instead they must either recycle or donate products.
In my future projects I’m going to consider how I source clothing and props used within the project. Rather than buying something new to use once for the project, I will rather look at borrowing clothes from others and buying pre-worn/used clothes, in the aim of being more sustainable with my work.
The Fall Mag (2019) Sustainable, part I – Vivienne Westwood. Available at: https://thefallmag.com/vivienne-westwood-sustainable-pt-i/ (Accessed: 26/03/2020).
Stella McCartney (2020) Sustainability Policies. Available at: https://www.stellamccartney.com/experience/en/sustainability/policies/ (Accessed: 26/03/2020).
Shannon, S. (2020) Luxury brands burn unsold goods. What should they do instead?. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/luxury-brands-burn-unsold-goods-what-should-they-do-instead (Accessed: 26/03/2020).