Iman Coudoux

Within the first two weeks of the Better Lives unit I attended lectures and briefings that made reference to the following themes of sustainability, social responsibility and diversity within the fashion industry. Upon reflection I feel as though the lectures and briefings were a good insight into the better future Fashion is in need of, a future which happens to be in our hands as ‘consumers’. The lectures made me realise how as consumers, we have more power than realised. We have the power to speak, and brands listening.

The lecture ‘Power’ led by Julia Crew was an eye-opening and influential lecture which raised topics that stuck with me the most. The lecture presented power in relation to sustainability and different aspects within fashion. Starting off with fashion clothing, power has been able to be communicated in clothing worn by Royalty, the Military and Political figures, their attire has been able to communicate their status, class, accolades and professionalism for many years. Fashion has had power in controlling how we chose to portray ourselves and who we chose to be. Within the lecture the quote “Idealistically power should lie in the origins of creativity… Right now, power in fashion boils down to economic power” from Vestoj’s Issue 4: ‘On Power’ caught my attention. The quote made me think about the importance of creativity in the fashion industry and how it competes with the inevitable nature of fashion being a commercial and economic industry. 

A topic raised which shaped my thinking on how fashion could create better lives is the huge divide and equality seen in those who are at the top and bottom of the industry. The apparel industry has proved to help richen people whilst enslaving others, taking a CEO only four days to earn a Bangledeshi garment worker’s lifetime earnings. I reflected on business’ needing to be more transparent to ensure no exploitation and also working towards being sustainable and diverse. Julia Crew showed us the faces of the top richest European business owners who all happened to be white and this showed there isn’t a diverse or representative group of rich CEO’s yet they hold immense power in terms of wealth. 

Within the lecture Julia Crew also spoke about the importance of ‘you’ and the power in having a voice and making a change. It made me realise with every purchase made I am voting against or for humanity, whether I am buying from a brand who exploits workers or purchasing second hand clothes from a charity store. As a consumer we hold a lot of power and are able to act on it in many ways, such as protest. After the lecture I thought about the positive change I’d like to see in the fashion industry and how my role plays in this. As a media student, I reflected on how I can use the media and how it can be a powerful tool to inform and educate. And as a consumer, I reflected on being more sustainable by recycling clothes, taking part in ‘clothes swap’ and shopping at vintage and charity stores.