Hello dear readers! Today’s post will be centred on a thesis I’ve found by Ludovica Vanicore about Circular Fashion. For context, Circular Fashion is adopted from the Circular Economy, which is a model that aims to reduce wastage by reusing byproducts and designing products that last long and can be disposed of safely without harming the environment (when the time comes). Since fashion is one of the most consuming, wasteful and polluting industries, it is most pertinent that it adopts this model.

However, before we begin I would like to raise a dilemma that I’ve found highly relevant in another paper. Promoting sustainable fashion is like a dichotomy. Ethical fashion brands want to encourage consumers to purchase less, yet still want to sell their products (Vehmas et al., 2018). It all comes down to dematerialisation, doesn’t it? Perhaps you’ll perceive clothing differently by the end of this post.

In Vanicore’s thesis, she explains the 16 principles of Circular Fashion, as introduced by Dr. Anna Brismar. In my opinion, a few of these principles align with dematerialisation. Design with purpose, for longevity, choosing quality over quantity are all things to implement for scaling down in the long run. Sustainable fashion has been popping up quite recently, falling under the category of “slow fashion”. But are we placing too much responsibility on consumers to purchase from sustainable brands instead of holding fast fashion brands to a higher standard? Brands like Reformation are known for their sustainable and ethical practices, but with this comes high prices.

“Basics” category on the Reformation website (Source)

Looking at the price of ethical fashion, it seems that shopping sustainably has become a privilege. Granted, thrift shopping IS an option (despite the cons I’ve discussed previously), and yet if we examine the hordes of t-shirts in a thrift store, you’ll find that most of them come from fast fashion brands. A valid point raised in the thesis is that the steps taken to be sustainable are not being enforced fast enough to counter the damage and pollution done.  Indeed, shopping from sustainable brands (if you can afford it) or thrifting is not targeting the root of the problem. Yes, it’s great that the consumer has more options now, but fast fashion companies are still thriving and producing regardless. Whatever that does not end up in a landfill ends up in a secondhand store.

The principles of design for biodegradability and safe incineration, sourcing and producing without toxicity, and producing with renewables should be emphasised when it comes to these mega corporations. Yes, H&M does have a “Sustainable” range now, but doesn’t that simply highlight how the “normal” clothes are unsustainable?

H&M Sustainable range (Source)

In my opinion, sending clothes to a thrift store to give them a “second life” is merely a temporary solution to the problem. The fashion industry has a lot of things to reform. Practices need to be more ethical, consumers have to… consume less. But that’s not really easy, is it? Fashion is built on trends which come and go. It’s meant to be dynamic, where creativity flows as though resources are infinite. We are supposed to keep purchasing. But this planet is not infinite, so we have to find a way to reuse and recycle what has already been produced, and fast. The world has to see the fashion industry as the monster it really is, and take concrete action in the form of policies.

I hope this post leaves you with some food for thought on how you perceive clothes and the extent to which you use them to express yourself. Are you the type to follow trends religiously, or do you have a standard t-shirt and jeans uniform? If you are a fashion fanatic, how many pieces of clothes do you think you are “allowed” to purchase in a year?

Should we then rely on our own creativity to stay on trend with the same pieces of clothes we’ve had for years?

♡, Qystina

Sources: 

Rolak, A. (2017). Will Fast Fashion Ever Be Ethical? Medium. Retrieved September 8, 2020, from https://medium.com/@arolak98/will-fast-fashion-ever-be-ethical-7e897c8b20ae

Vanicore, L. (2019). Vintage Fashion: An Example of Circular Economy as a sustainable alternative to the Fast Fashion. LUISS Department of Economics and Finance.

Vehmas, K., Raudaskoski, A., Heikkilä, P., Harlin, A., & Mensonen, A. (2018). Consumer attitudes and communication in circular fashion. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal.