SUSTAIN
STYLE EDITOR Mathilda Christensson STYLISTS Lucy Cao Gea Bozzi Haeryn Kim Sonia Fillipow Gabby Paul Mallissa Vuong Katherine Guo Rae Hsu MAKEUP Carolina Isaza PHOTOGRAPHERS Kayla Carlisle Nic Wainwright Alex Deckey Simon Shore Tommaso Babucci MODELS Juliana Cordélia Carvalho Anna Slezak Liz Kennedy Julie Arditti Ali Goldsmith Vida Robinson Francesca Mercer Torbjørn Alseth Pascual Di Tella Erik Hallerstrom Caroline Vaters LAYOUT Carina Tracy WEB Melanie Krassel
A Letter from the Editor: Welcome to The Standard Style team’s first awareness issue addressing fast fashion and its consequences for the environment. Typically, our team has focused on short term, fashion statement shoots, however with this issue we strove to create an edition that highlights a specific problem within the fashion industry as part of a semester-long specialised project. Outlining chronologically, we start with a commentary on fast fashion - a cycle that has been generated through cheap, impulse purchases and indefinite fashion seasons, with Sheridan Wilbur exposing the impact on environmental damage. Second, we collaborated with The Makery - a vintage collector store in downtown Durham, featuring all second hand clothing gathered together by Durhamites, conveying the idea of “recycling” clothing to build a more sustainable wardrobe. Lastly, we conclude with a “staples” shoot, highlighting timeless fashion pieces that are of high quality and thus long-lived, encouraging another way in which you can incorporate a more sustainable approach to your fashion consumption. With these visuals we aimed to explore the relationship between fashion and its environmental ramifications, what brands are doing to confront the issue, and how we as consumers can help to relieve
the situation. This is all encompassed in the central framework we are seeking to promote in this issue: stimulate, support, sustain. Stimulate awareness about the need for sustainability in fashion Support designers and brands that are working to promote sustainability Sustain these perspectives and understanding as a consumer to continually expand a sustainable wardrobe It is clear that we are unaware of the extent to which we are causing damage to the environment from assimilating to the consumerist culture of the fast fashion industry. It is easy to get wrapped up into always craving the newest trend of clothing and satisfying this by constantly buying more, but sadly, this attitude is no longer sustainable. In this issue, we show you why, how essential it is for us to work together to resolve it, and that sustainability does not mean sacrificing style. Happily informing you,
Mathilda
FAST FASHION: The Ugly Truth Behind the Glamour of the Fashion Industry Dressed up in bold catch phrases on storefronts and cutting edge new styles, the fashion industry responds to the consumer’s insatiable desire for better, faster and cheaper clothes. However, the beauty of designer clothes and the glossy print of magazine covers shield unavoidable environmental realities from us.
the supply chain.The industry causes pollution on every level of production - from farming to manufacturing, from transportation, and from retailers to consumers. The supply chain for fashion begins by over-extracting natural resources, such as trees for raw material and contributes to high rates of deforestation around the globe.
Behind the innocent veil of innovation and style, the fashion industry contributes to 10% of global carbon emissions and over 15.1 million tons of textile waste per year. One pair of jeans takes 7,000 liters of water to produce, and over 3,500 chemical substances to dye the cotton denim blue. The t-shirt labelled “Made in China” traveled halfway around the world on a cargo ship that releases as much annual fossil fuel as 50 million cars.
Farming cotton isn’t any more eco-friendly. Spraying harmful pesticides ridden with human carcinogens onto fields is linked to negative health impacts in those exposed to the toxins. Within manufacturing, coal-burning factories spew noxious pollutants into the air, send toxic dyes into the surrounding rivers and consume extreme levels of water in the process.
This is thanks to “5 for $25 sales” at Victoria’s Secret but not actually liking all five and buying them anyway because, well, deals. This global movement, otherwise known as fast fashion is cheap, but trendy clothes purchased as quickly as they are thrown away. It’s the culprit behind the streamlined supply chain and heightened pressure on land, pesticide, fossil fuel and water use. The retailer has responded to meet consumer demands for high style and affordability, but has compromised with low quality and cheap materials, clogging our oceans and polluting the air in the process. As a result, the clothes we wear and, more importantly, the rate at which we buy them, contribute to the fashion industry labeled as the 2nd largest polluter in the world, exceeded only by oil. Fast fashion’s $1.2 trillion a year in sales can only sustain itself through a constant turnover of new styles that are created by mostly unsustainable fabrics. Stores like H&M and Zara have been major leaders in this movement, selling new designs every 4-5 weeks while their competitors only change collections every 2-3 months. However, this affordability and productivity is coming at a steep price to the environment, adding pressure to our ecosystem and resources along
The chain of production refuses to be environmentally conscious when entering into the transportation sector as well, emitting high rates of carbon emissions around the world by cargo ships fueled by filthy fossil fuel that is 3,500 times dirtier than diesel. And lastly, once the shipment reaches retail stores, it is at the mercy of consumers, otherwise known as “super shoppers,” to decide how much and how frequently to buy more clothing. Notoriously spending more, consumers are entranced by the next biggest trend and best “bang for their buck,” purchasing double the amount of clothing in the past 15 years and hitting over 2.1 trillion in sales for 2015. This spike in sales is attributed to fashion companies discovering the magic behind the “invisible hand” at play in the market - the more they produce, the cheaper their clothes are, creating a vicious cycle that incentivizes shoppers to buy more. Combine this era of hyper-capitalism with an already extensive supply chain, and the fashion industry is ripe for an ecological nightmare. By Sheridan Wilbur
SUSTAINABILITY: The Newest Trend that Needs to Stick
Fast fashion is known for hot trends, cheap prices and quick turnover. However, just like these cheaply made clothes are bound to lose style, the unsustainable production of fast fashion is a ticking time bomb for the planet. Sustainability might not be in vogue, but it is a rapidly growing movement that needs to be in retailer’s design plan and consumer’s considerations if a successful long term future is possible. The statistics are clear - fast fashion produces over 400% more carbon emissions per clothing item per year than garments kept for a full year and worn 50 times. The supply chain requires more resources and energy on the lines of production and consequently, an expedited accumulation of waste. The throw-away crop top, ripped faux-suede skirt and jeans dyed with noxious chemicals are showing up in polluted waters, bulldozed forests and plastic wastelands in the ocean. These effects aren’t just harmful for the environment, but have devastating health effects on surrounding communities. The industry has found ways to speed up the extensive supply chain and reduce the price, but the bargains of fast fashion are coming at a heavy price tag to the environment. Major fast fashion companies increased the turnaround on trends, moving from the runway to retail as quickly as possible, but their “disposable dress” mentality helped contribute to the 15.1 million tons of annual textile waste in 2015. As a result, the luxury of constant, cutting edge styles at an affordable price leads consumers to buy more than they need and dispose quicker than normal. The average consumer now buys 60% more clothing items every year and only keeps them half as long. It’s typical for customers to wear a fast fashion item once and throw it away within 35 days of purchase, either from poor quality or rapidly changing styles. In fact, 12.8 million tons of clothing was simply thrown away in 2013, either into a landfill, incinerator or the ocean to rot away. The majority of discarded clothing from fast fashion retailers are produced from non-biodegradable fabrics like polyester or nylon that take thousands of years to break down and cause more pollution in the ocean by building up in the sea water. So consumers might take an “out of sight, out of mind” approach when throwing away clothes, but there are visible costs that are impossible to ignore for much longer. The oceans are already brimming with 165 million tons of plastic today, and they could have more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 if these rates persist.
What Is Being Done
However, these harsh realities aren’t all bad news - 95% of the clothes we throw away can actually be reworn, reused and recycled. Big retailers like H&M and Levi’s Jeans are beginning to take notice, and while the majority of their clothing can’t currently be composted because it is made of non-biodegradable fabrics (like polyester or nylon), they are working to create innovative and sustainable solutions without sacrificing style.
Sustainable Fabrics
Some major retailers and celebrities are tackling this situation by transforming plastic trash into fabric for high fashion clothing. Singer-songwriter and record producer, Pharrell Williams, attacked the issue of plastic pollution by creating a fashion line called G Star, clothing made from shredded plastic and ocean trash. Bionic Yarn, a NYC startup, followed a similar suit, responding to the ‘plastic choked’ oceans by creating a high quality fabric from recycled ocean plastic. The threads transform millions of recovered bottles from shorelines to fashionable clothing; simultaneously working to solve toxic waste.
Reducing Chemicals
Another approach retailers have taken to address sustainability is by managing their chemical usage. Under the Renewable Workshop, global retailers like Levi’s Jeans have committed to phasing out toxic polyfluorinated chemicals in denim dyes by 2016 and make their denim production more water efficient. Levi Strauss is using its powerful platform to reach consumers, cultivating conversation about clothing’s big impact on the environment under their “Care for Our Planet” campaign.
Adapting to a Sustainable Industry
Clearly, retailers and consumers have begun adapting to the changing ecosystem and turning the mess of fast fashion into new products by using creativity and innovation. Just as evolution proves, humans persist because we adapt to a changing environment. The fashion industry is no different. Even the most notorious fast fashion corporation H&M has attempted to tackled this textile nightmare by subscribing to Greenpeace’s “Detox My Fashion” campaign. Despite environmental abuse by cheap and instantaneous new styles, H&M, along with 78 other massive retailers, have agreed to greater transparency and zero discharges of hazardous chemicals in 2010. H&M has since developed a program called the ‘Conscious Collection’ that recycles old clothing, turning the textiles into renewable fabric and repaying consumers with a voucher to use at their store. Their solution isn’t perfect and they still produce environmental hazards, but CEO of H&M, Karl-Johan Persson, has recognized the importance of synchronizing environmental and economic needs - the first sign of change. Persson has stated, “In order to remain a successful business, we need to keep growing and at the same time respect the planetary boundaries.” H&M has since pledged to use nothing but renewable cotton by 2020 and is already the world’s biggest user of organic cotton. This sort of progress is important in the future of fast fashion and sustainability.
What Consumers Can Do: Stimulate, Support, Sustain The thing about fashion is that it is all about image. If we cultivate an image that promotes sustainability, we can shift the market to educate and promote sustainable brands that are chic and desirable. No longer is sustainable clothing just for tree huggers and hippies, but for all of us that need to quiet the hunger on the insatiable appetite for more. People have to choose to wear sustainable fashion and by working with high fashion retailers, fashion bloggers and socially conscious YouTubers, consumers can be inspired to ‘go green,’ despite living in an immediate gratification generation. It’s only a matter of time until sustainability becomes second nature to retailer’s considerations in design and production, but for now - it’s in the hands of the consumer to decide how often and how much to purchase. Choose to shop at local stores before driving to the mall. If you’re shopping faster than the seasons are changing, chances are you don’t need it. Think about how badly you want or need clothes before purchasing them solely on a cheap price. It’s convenient and fun to online shop and turn a blind eye, but there is an inextricable social cost to disposable and instantaneous clothing. Next time you think about throwing away that old pair of flare jeans you haven’t worn in ages, recycle them or donate them to someone who will. These small acts might seem trivial, but changing consumer habits are the seeds for planting a more sustainable future. It’s unreasonable to stop shopping, and buying new clothes isn’t bad in and of itself, but it is what kind of clothing and how much of it that is doing the most damage. Retailers and consumers need to work together and create a circular supply chain, sending textile waste back to manufacturers and making it back into sustainable clothing. The fashion industry is not built in Emerald City, and we can’t just point our fingers to Oz. Instead, the processes on every chain of production must be evaluated along the yellow brick road. There’s no meaningful power to take on this task and it is up to us to lead the change. Just as we are pressurizing governments at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, so should we too be questioning fashion brands and using our powers as consumers to create a positive impact. We have the privilege to choose what to buy, but also a responsibility to the environment and our future to make wise decisions about what we purchase. We will only thwart these toxic pollutants by continuing education on environmental degradation and by working with the government, manufacturers, retailers and consumers to create a better future. By Sheridan Wilbur
Behind the scenes...
STIMULATE. SUP
PPORT. SUSTAIN.