Sustainability
has finally reached the fashion world and it’s on the rise! The amount of
designers working with fairly traded materials has increased massively
throughout the years and so has the buying audience. People are starting to
become more aware and interested in where and under what circumstances their
clothes are being produced. The controversial working conditions of
seamstresses all over the globe are no longer left out.
High street
brands like Zara and H&M already have taken a step in the right direction
in producing their clothes under water saving techniques. Special organic
collections like H&M’s “conscious collection” show that fair trade fashion
doesn’t have to be expensive but still can be stylish at the same time. The
Swedish brand even uploaded a list of its suppliers and talks about the fair
living wage for seamstresses on their website. But still, we’ve got a long way
to go.
Speaking with Astrid D. , a young feminist and
environmental activist from Upper Austria, we learned what sustainability is
really all about. The main focus lies on nature itself, sustainability makes
sure all techniques and materials used tend to be as natural and raw as
possible. The natural resources should not be exhausted completely, but allowed
to grow normally without any interruption by humans. The goal is not to destroy
or damage the environment. We take what we are given, but leave behind what is
not meant for us. This theory might sound good while saying but is way harder
to accomplish in the brutal reality that’s called economy.
Next to the
nature aspect, the creation procedure of garments is also taking a big part in
the fair trade vision. When we asked Astrid how
she would describe the current sustainability market when it comes to fashion,
she mentioned that the fast growing market especially sets its focus on recycling
as well as upcyling already existing products.
“The process of recycling and
turning an old shirt into this new beautiful dress, it is kind of a new modern form
of art”
“They [the designers]
acknowledge the natural resources we already have and try to make the best out
of it” she explains, that’s why the process of designing and making the clothes
is so different compared to other non sustainability designers. So it’s a wide
known misbelief that fashion can’t be stylish and fair at the same time.
“The creativity level of sustainability
designers is wider, they see things from a different point of view”
Even though the green activist thinks the alternative scene is growing
and people are becoming more aware about the production of their clothing,
sustainable fashion hasn’t reached the mainstream high streets just yet. “The
field is growing and it definitely can reach out to a wider audience, but as of
right now, I don’t think it has what it takes to become the next popular
mainstream object”. Not because of its unique style or the higher price range,
but because of the people who are still more attracted to cheap clothing and
leaving their ethical principles at home when entering the next big shopping mall.
This is based on the inherited laziness of humans and the aspect that
sustainable fashion hasn’t fully reached its potential yet. “You have to shop
at certain places or online stores to really have that size comparing selection
you get when shopping in the big stores”. So the main issue is not the actual
price, as often thought, but the availability.
This could easily be solved with bigger companies offering more fair trade
or supportable collections or even the creation of
an online shop that involves a higher number of sustainable designers. If we can
provide a more effortless access for potential costumers,
people would become more interested in buying.
However in
the end it all starts and falls with the people. The demand is determined by
the supply. If we manage to get into the consumer’s head, we can finally reach the
goal of fair wages and the preservation and funding of natural resources.
At the same
time we all know what makes your new dress even more beautiful. The knowledge that
it has been produced with natural and fairly traded materials as well as the
fact that it is supporting the seamstresses all over the world and their
families. So why don’t we wear local, and think global?
A big thank you to Astrid D., a true nature girl
with the unending devotion to make this world a greener place and people more
aware of their consumption. Thank you Astrid, for this kind and thoughtful Interview.
