Blog 2: Reflecting on themes
These past months were made up of informative lectures, where we discussed various fundamental themes: sustainability, diversity and social responsibility. All of this made me think more about the importance of using my voice to make a difference in the fashion industry.
The fashion industry has a big impact on people. People use clothes to express and communicate their identity. Even people who claim not to be interested in fashion are still purchasing clothes and are therefore exposed to fashion. Since the industry has such a huge influence, I believe that it should spread the right messages and emphasize the importance of sustainability, diversity and social responsibility. Some differences in terms of diversity have already been made in this past decade. During the 2010s there was a great number of models of different cultures, ‘races’ and sizes who were representing brands. Furthermore, brands who embraced these three topics are strikingly rising. However, there is still a long way to go.
When it comes to the topic of social responsibility, cooperation and listening are essential. I believe that working with different kinds of people is the best way to broaden your horizon by listening to what other people think and what they have to say- it also pushes oneself to think outside of the box.
Even though the industry is trying to change for the better, it cannot be ignored that it is one of the biggest polluters in the world, therefore contributing to climate change. Sustainability is essential right now to save our planet. Still, there are many consumers and brands ignoring this fact, even though being well aware of this.
Right now, we are living in an uncertain time, where not only the climate emergency, but also a virus is impacting our world and way of life. Just like other businesses, the fashion industry is also negatively affacted by this sanitary emergency, causing many fashion brands to close their shops and postpone or cancel major fashion events. It is unclear how bad the outcome of this virus will be, however, for the planet the present situation means a break from daily pollution. This can be seen already in some cities, such as Venice, where the water is getting clearer again and animals are returning to their old habitat. Consequently, this should be a wake-up call for everyone, since it demonstrates that the earth can get better if we become more conscious about it. It is unclear what the future holds and how the fashion industry will operate after this. However, some designers, such as Giorgio Armani have already reacted to this situation saying that fashion production needs to slow down.
Currently, I am studying Public Relations and Communication, where I would have to communicate the idea of brands to the public. As a future PR person, I think it is important to learn and engage oneself with these fundamental themes to communicate and spread those to the public to raise awareness. Furthermore, I believe that it is important to only work with brands which share the same values as me in order to push for changes in the industry.