Dread to Dreams: Visions For A Better Fashion Scene

visions for a better fashion scene

| Issue 1 | Dread to Dreams |

| Summer 2021 |

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Written and Designed by Emily Schuster

Contents Intro 4 more More MOre MORe MORE

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Fashion is Farming

14-19

Where is That From?

20-23

Someone is Paying

24-27

Let’s Get Materialistic

28-33

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Introduction You might not be a self-proclaimed fashionista. You might feel strongly that you don’t care about your clothes. But the truth is, we all wear clothes, at least most of the time. Just by putting on your undergarments in the morning you’re making a choice of what to support. Okay I didn’t mean it in that way but you get where this is going… Unfortunately, the issues with the industrialized fast fashion system affect all of us. In a sense we all vote with what we wear whether we think about it or not. We can’t afford for it to be just about style, comfort, and price anymore. We’ve got to go deeper. Every garment has a journey and that journey has an impact. What kind of journey do you want to wear?

If we continue business as usual, by 2050 global clothing production will account for close to one third of the carbon budget needed to keep global temperatures from exceeding 2°C (known by scientists and many nations to be a life threatening temperature increase, yet still an essential limit)[1]. Kate Raworth in Doughnut Economics recommends that we think of a “doughnut” as a compass for human prosperity, with the aim of meeting the needs of all people within the means of the living planet. There’s a social foundation, to ensure that no one is left falling short on life’s essentials, and an ecological ceiling, to ensure that humanity does not collectively overshoot the planetary boundaries that protect Earth’s life-supporting systems. Between these two sets of boundaries lies a doughnut-shaped space that is both ecologically safe and socially just: a space in which humanity can thrive [2]. This is where we want to be. Unfortunately, this is not where we are, especially in relation to climate change and biodiversity loss - which directly relate to the fashion industry. However, by redesigning our fashion system we have a good chance of getting back to a safe space where we can all thrive.This sounds like a big task, and it is, but I think we can do it.

Maxine Bedat said, “The society in which we live is very much a result of the rules of our society. It is people who change the rules, who create them and can change them. Nothing about this system that we live in right now is inevitable -- where women garment workers are exploited and we’re just trashing rivers and throwing up climate change-causing emissions into the air and creating this product that isn’t making us happy. This isn’t inevitable, it’s just a system of rules that we create and we have to change.”[3] This sentiment has empowered me when it all seems too overwhelming, or when the dread comes over me, and I feel like ‘nothing little me is going to do will make a difference’. But I agree with Bedat - it can and it will. Even more so if we all join in. I strongly believe that if we all take actions and make changes to our mindsets we will make waves as a collective. We can rewrite the rules and change the system. This is where the dreaming comes in. As Donella Meadows wrote, “Vision without action is useless. But action without vision does not know where to go or why to go there. Vision is absolutely necessary to guide and motivate action. More than that, vision, when widely shared and firmly kept in sight, brings into being new systems.”

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In this issue, you will see some of the dreads I have faced and that we face as a collective because of our current fashion system — followed by some dreams, thoughts, and visions of how the fashion scene could look instead of where it is now, because there are better ways. Know that just one of these on it’s own will not get us to where we need to be. I believe that it’s a balance of many dreams that will build us a better way to think about and do fashion. In other words, it’s not a one-sizefits-all solution. A better fashion scene will be made up of many ideas.

That’s not to say each of these dreams isn’t on it’s own very important, because they’re in here for a reason. But think of them as dreams that can be applied simultaneously or where appropriate. As Kate Fletcher states, “In sustainability, there is no such thing as a single-frame approach. Issues dealt with in single frames will almost by definition, lead to unwanted and unforeseen effects elsewhere.” [4] This can be a heavy subject at times so I try to keep it human and not a straight lecture the whole time. I hope it’s a conversation that helps you, the reader (and the wearer) see that it’s okay to be scared, annoyed, humored or any other emotion you may be feeling, in all of it but in the end I hope that it allows you to think differently than before you read it. To know that there are a lot of people working on making it better, but we need you too, we need everyone and you and your dreams too.

To realize you can make a difference by changing (or continuing) your actions and I hope that you do. *Know that this is also not an exhaustive list of my own dreads and dreams. There are topics I have saved for future issues of this zine so that I am able to research them further and introduce the voices and ideas of other people on these topics.

Find out more about how to get involved in future zines at the end of this issue or on our instagram @dread.to.dreams

Written and Designed by Emily Schuster

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MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE A Closet Full of Clothes and Nothing to Wear “The fashion industry — all the phases responsible for getting us dressed each day — creates more CO2 emissions than international flights and maritime shipping, combined. The pace of production and consumption has accelerated so quickly that one garbage truck of textiles goes to the landfill or incinerator every second. We call this fast fashion, and it has created a culture of clothing that is practically single-use.” [1] Clothing consumption globally is projected to rise by 63 percent by 2030, from 62 million tons today to 102 million tons, an equivalent of an additional 500 billion T-Shirts [2] [3]. Although recently awareness has been growing about the harms of the industry, as evidenced by the formation of The Sustainable Apparel Coalition and their development of the Higgs Index which “standardizes the way social and environmental impacts are measured from materials to end of life,” this is only addressing “the symptoms of the problem, not the principle cause, of our difficulties: an economy based on perpetual growth in a finite world” [4].

Once upon a time...a long long time ago… okay not that long ago…. We’re talking 25-30 years ago. There were only 2 seasons in fashion.

Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. Fast forward to now. There’s 52 seasons in fashion. One for every week. So what’s going on here? Brands are releasing new clothing styles weekly because they want us wearers (or consumers as they like

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to say) to buy as much clothing as possible as quickly as possible so they can keep growing.

Because growth equals success in society right now. The thought is that if you go shopping one day, buy a few things, by the next week when you pass by that shop or accidentally open a cheeky promotional email, you’re bombarded with even newer items causing you to have buyers remorse and feel out of date already. ONE WEEK LATER! This is what causes us to have that dreaded feeling of “I have NOTHING to wear!!!!” even when our closets are literally bulging.

We’ve been led to believe that clothes lose value once they’re no longer ‘on-trend’ or ‘fashionable’.

That we should throw them away not when they’re no longer usable, but when they no longer hold social value. And then occasionally or more often than we’d like to admit, we can’t stand the idea that there’s an even cuter top than the one we got last week, so we add to cart and impulse buy. A quick glance at our current society would have you thinking that to us ‘fashion is trends’.

But is it?

There has been an increased buzz about “sustainability” in the industry lately. But not much is actually changing. The New Standard institute recently challenged readers to choose a fashion company and read their sustainability report followed by reading their investor report without getting a headache. Their point being that the sustainability report “presents images of pristine nature, solar panels on corporate headquarters and environmental targets that almost assuage climate anxiety. But then the latter does away with much of that talk and emphasizes growth - store growth, sales growth growth, growth, growth”[5].

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“We’re jumping on board ‘solutions’ that fit within the framework of our current system.”

Much of what the clothing industry is doing in “sustainability” right now is putting a bandaid on a few things. However, in a finite world we don’t exactly have the time or resources to just change a few things and continue to produce and consume at increasing rates for more growth and more profit.

Nothing will matter if we don’t have a planet. Right now the fashion system fits perfectly into this growth-logic oriented system that ‘pays little or no regard to the fundamental processes that maintain the healthy functioning of ecological systems’ [6].

There is a lot of great work going on out there in the industry but we need to re-think more widely and realize that we have more power than we think. To quote Maxine Bedat “There has been an enormous

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investment in getting us as citizens to see ourselves as ‘docile buying machines’ rather than powerful stakeholders in our democracy”[7]. Not exactly the title we were going for, so let’s change that.

In order to change this, we have to question our relationship with growth. Why is it that we have such a hard time letting go of the idea of growth?

Possibly the most talked about route to addressing the issues in the fashion industry is the idea of the circular economy.

The idea is very trendy at the moment, and not without good reason. The main idea is to close materials loops, recycle fibers and minimize waste, which is great. Sign me up!

But, is it enough? In Earth Logic, Kate Fletcher and Mathilda Tham bring up some intriguing points: “While the circular economy brings the promise of useful contributions to a more resource efficient industry (providing, that the many challenges associated with technology, workers, scale, logistics, communities and entropy are overcome) yet, in terms of affecting change of the scale and to a timeframe made necessary by the climate imperative, it has serious limitations. Perhaps most significantly, the circular economy is limited by being situated within the logic of economics and specifically growth economics. The circular economy is optimised to grow the circulation of materials, irrespective of whether this goal supports total systems improvement

and the ecological reality of genuine biophysical limits.

Situated within the paradigm that created the problems, and in addition to circulating resources, circularity risks circulating norms and worldviews detrimental to earth. The majority of the environmental issues caused by the fashion sector are endemic, not incidental. They are a consequence of how the current model is structured.

The better the sector performs, the worse the problems will get” [8].

Perhaps the idea of the circular economy is not quite the one and done fix we thought it was.

But as mentioned previously, there’s not one solution for the fashion system and there is a place for the idea of the circular economy. Possibly as a stepping stone to a system that is even more earth-focused.

We’re jumping on board ‘solutions’ that fit within the framework of our current system. Another symptom of our current growth logic society? Signs point to yes. We want easy, quick fixes. This makes sense right? It might make sense that we think like this because of the systems we’re used to. But in the big picture it doesn’t at all and is a symptom of what we’ve created which has gotten us to where we are today).

While the circular economy is arguably a better system, even much better than what we have now, it still allows for the growth logic of now, which clearly doesn’t make sense for our finite world. We’ve got to figure out a way to realize we can’t keep growing. A way to think more long-term and intentionally!

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More Earth Logic!

“Earth first – before profit, before everything.

This is both simple and changes everything” Earth Logic

In the dream, we think more long term and intentionally by shifting the way we think about fashion. So what is fashion here? Let’s think of it as how you wear your clothes, how you care for them, how you use them, how you style them, how you choose them.

In the dream since we aren’t so focused on growth, we’d stop using GDP to determine how everyone is doing. We would use something like the Happy Planet Index instead.

This measures sustainable wellbeing for all. It tells us how well nations are doing at achieving long, happy, sustainable lives using the four elements of wellbeing, life expectancy, inequality of outcomes and ecological output [9].

There are several ideas that we’ve been daydreaming about

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for the vision. One is the idea of earth logic. Earth logic is the idea of placing Earth first – before profit, before everything.

This is both simple and changes everything [10].

This means loyalty to the planet before industry, business and economic growth. Again, in the end, if there’s no earth, there’s no us. Something seemingly so obvious, but that we tend to ignore. In the earth logic mindset, we shift from growth (accumulation of goods) to care and maintenance [10].

‘Fashion’ shifts from trends to how you wear your clothes, how you care for them, how you use them, how you style them, how you choose them.

Earth logic dares us to leap out of the current paradigm into a new way of being.

This way asks for a mindset shift. Caring less about how many different items we have, how on trend we are and instead about where our clothes are coming from, how they’re made, by whom and in what conditions, how they’re transported, how we care for them, how we dispose of them. “Rethinking fashion outside the economic growth logic shifts power from multinational companies to organisations, communities and citizens. It invites fashion creativity to flourish far beyond the confines of a garment, into visions of new relationships between people, other species, artefacts and technologies” [11]

creating positive cycles. We’re clearly a ways away from this vision and we can’t do this all overnight, but we can begin now.

From a physical standpoint, earth logic might mean creating a pre-purchase plan.

Something to remind you of your values. Something you write in your phone so that it’s there for you when you are thinking about purchasing a new item of clothing. But more than that - it’s a mindset shift.

It’s about loving your clothing items so you wear them more. It’s about realizing their value and trying to decrease unnecessary consumption.

It asks us to live in a way that is not extractive, but regenerative. Instead of depleting earth’s resources by constantly taking, we build regenerative systems so that we’re also giving back and

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More Caring for What You’re Wearing!

What if we truly value what we have? When we purchase or acquire clothing we choose it thoughtfully. It is something we see ourselves wearing for a long time, not just to one event. We appreciate just how much went into making the clothes that we get to wear. We care for them like we care for our pets. Yes, I said it. The level of care should be THAT level. You know what I’m saying dog-parents. Appreciate them, give them love. (Okay, I’ll leave the pet metaphor here). Wash them only when you need to, hang dry if possible.

When you get a hole in your favorite jeans, don’t curse about it, mend it! If you don’t have time, don’t feel like it, or don’t feel like you have the skills, feel free to take them to a nearby tailor or drycleaning shop or ask someone you know for help. If you are interested in learning how to do this yourself, there are online tutorials or an increasingly larger number of pop-up events for this type of thing.

Of course we don’t want to be wearing the same few things all of our lives, we’re human. We like variety. Instead of throwing something away when we are tired of it and buying something new, what if we first use our creativity to revamp it? Turn it into something a little or a lot different. I mean have you tried dyeing your clothes with leftover food scraps like onion skins or avocado pits and skins? Not only is the process a captivating, handson, soul-shaking experience, but your clothes will literally shimmer in the sunlight after. It’s especially great for those pesky whites that end up stained. Over-dyeing your clothes is just one way to revamp. Another truly liberating experience is giving yourself permission to cut up your clothes.

If you don’t like that mesh part that goes over the v neck of your shirt - cut it out! You don’t have to be a trained designer to make these kinds of changes - go with your gut - you’ve got this. If this idea sounds a bit nerve-racking, don’t worry there are tons of tutorials on Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. 12

Revamp away, because keeping the same material in use longer helps in a big way. Even extending the life of our garments by an extra nine months of active use would reduce the carbon, water and waste footprint by around 20% to 30% each.

We do need to acquire new things sometimes, and there are awesome ways to do this without buying new new every time. First, we could check out the lightly used, or possibly never even worn items listed on second-hand sites like Poshmark [12] or Depop [13]. In today’s fashion scene there are often very lightly used items or items never worn with tags on these sites because people got the wrong size and so on. So, your dream jacket might be waiting for you and possibly with a price reduction. Hopefully in the future, there won’t be quite so many brand new items because people are really thinking about what they’re buying, but for now it’s a great place to look. The other place to look is at your nearest vintage shop. That way you can try it on and really see whether you think you’ll want it for the long term. Vintage has its perks because you know that if it’s lasted a while already, it’s often of high quality natural materials, something that was more valued in the past, that we’d like to get back to. Vintage can be found online on sites like Depop and Poshmark too.

One of our other favorite ways to add a new item to our closets is at a clothes swap. Clothes swaps have been popping up more and more so they’re easier than ever to find. They’re also really easy to host with a group of friends, family, classmates, whoever! Different clothes swaps have different layouts, but basically a clothes swap is where each person brings a certain number of clothes that are in good condition, but that they don’t wear anymore for whatever reason. And then you take turns looking and swapping for items you want.

At bigger events it’s often more like a traditional shopping experience and clothes brought by everyone are hung up on racks. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt really. I’ve found some of my favorite pieces through clothes swaps.

And then there’s borrowing or renting. Need something for a specific event? Rent it! (Or borrow it from your stylish friend, they’ll be flattered)! It’s pretty sweet how there are new clothing rental shops and aps popping up right now for various needs. Some for casual wear and some for special occasions, or both. So, instead of buying an outfit for one specific event, we can just borrow it, wear it, return it and let someone else wear the beauty to another. Letting the clothing live its best, most useful life and giving you the opportunity to wear unique pieces that you wouldn’t otherwise .

There are times when we will need to buy something new new. And that’s okay. But when we do, let’s do so consciously. It’s helpful to take the time to make a pre-purchase plan so that we don’t get flustered and just unconsciously buy something we’ll never actually wear. It’s really about thinking and intention. There’s an example of one at the back of the zine that will go over some other things we think are important to check in about before purchasing. But, feel free to make it your own!

Another great way to acquire new new is to look for designers who offer made-to-order pieces so that they’re only making pieces that people actually want. Another really cool thing we’ve seen a few designers do lately is make items with adjustable seams. This is so that you can easily adjust the seams yourself as you move through different life stages so your clothes can move with you. And avoid having to re-purchase that item.

Another thing to think about when buying new new is to “Think about your closet as if you were paying every time you pulled out a garment and put it on.

We call this ‘price per wear.’ A garment’s real price tag is determined by how many times you wear it.

A $30 cheaply made sweater worn 10 times costs you $3 per wear; an heirloom quality $300 sweater worn 1,000 times costs you 30 cents per wear.

You can save money by owning and wearing highquality garments for longer and forgoing cheap impulse purchases” [14]. However, this may not be financially possible for all of us all the time, and that’s okay too. There are all the other ways above to think about using your wardrobe, and little changes help.

Speaking of all this clothing ‘use’. The way we care for our clothes accounts for “approximately 75-80% of the carbon footprint of any individual piece of clothing. This is because you typically own a garment for longer than the supply chain that created it.” There are a few easy things that you can do to decrease the footprint of your clothing while they’re in your possession.

“Switching from hot to cold water washings (this can save approximately 1600 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere per year per household), using fragrance free, phosphate free, and biodegrading soaps (to eliminate endocrine disruptors in our environment which are correlated to autoimmune, cancer and metabolic disorders) and eliminate fabric softeners all together (instead use a ½ cup of white vinegar during the rinse cycle if you want the same effect), and use wool dryer balls with the clothing in your dryer (to eliminate the use of polluting disposable dryer sheets and to reduce drying time by up to 20%) or even better, save energy and hang dry [14]!

Overall, this dream sees a mindset shift from accumulation to appreciation and intention. It values the use phase of our clothes. It encourages creativity to express ourselves through this version of fashion. Celebrates uniqueness over trends.

Thoughtfulness in acquiring new items and quality over quantity.

Oh and P.S. Outfit repeating is a go! It’s actually celebrated. Rock it again and again. Re-style it.

Repeat.

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Farming is Fashion Fashion is Farming “The problem and solution are simply a matter of balance.”

The Industrial Disconnect Just like our food, fibers are grown too. cotton, linen and hemp are from plants, leather from cows, and wool from sheep. Cows and sheep can be grazed using regenerative practices, or fed grain as in industrial practices. In all of these instances, the soil plays a crucial role, and if it’s not treated properly, we cannot grow fibers or food. Alarmingly, “In the UK, scientists have warned that Britain has only 100 harvests left in its farm soil as a result of intense over-farming” [1]. Oh, that’s not good! And that was 6 years ago! Wait - so why is this happening?

Well, it goes back to just after World War Two, when excess bomb material started to be sold off as fertilizer for crops,

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and excess nerve gas sold off as pesticides. The idea was that it would increase food yields - which it did in the short term - but the negative impacts have been piling up since.

Over the last century, farmers have been forced to rely on synthetic inputs, which boosts production short term, but at a major cost to soil longevity.

Our food system became industrialized, favoring quantity over quality, heavy chemical use and synthetic additives over organic, environmental degradation over regenerative practices, genetically modified sources instead of natural ones and short-term profit over long-term sustainability [2]. When the use of these synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is combined with mono-cropping & repeated tilling, biodiversity is eliminated, eventually leaving nothing but dead dirt [3].

This degradation accelerates erosion, and food and fiber produced with this type of agriculture has been linked to cancer and chronic allergies. Synthetic additives disrupt the soils’ balance of microbes, beneficial fungus and organic matter. As biodiversity decreases, more fertilizers are required to achieve similar results. Now pesticides and herbicides must be used to fight off weeds and bugs that would normally be handled by a healthy ecosystem. And the stress of mono-cropping (farmers only producing one crop) is causing some serious mental health problems for those growing our food and fibers.

Let’s bring carbon into the story.

Contrary to what most media these days portray... carbon is not our enemy, it’s the building block of life, everything alive is made of it! The problem and the solution are simply a matter of balance.

These are several carbon pools (oceans, atmosphere, soil, biosphere, fossil). In balance, between these pools, they allowed for life as we

know it to evolve. Then one lifeform, us people, figured out how to extract carbon from the fossil pool. And we’ve been burning it for energy, putting it into play, and disrupting that balance ever since. The way we currently manage land and do agriculture is moving even more carbon from the soil and biosphere into the atmosphere [3].

Specifically, we’ve moved 880 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is heating up the planet and destabilizing our climate (kiss the ground ref). The oceans have absorbed a lot of this excess carbon, which is resulting in ocean acidification and accelerating a mass extinction of sea life[3]. So basically, in order to save life as we know it, of course we have to stop releasing fossil carbon. So, where do we put this excess carbon to get this cycle back in balance? Well, the answer lies beneath those platform sneakers of yours. But you’ll have to turn the page for the rest of your super quick science refresh because it’s part of our dream scene.

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The Regenerative Revolution: Connect, Collaborate, Regenerate Okay so that answer to that big ol’ wicked problem lies beneath our platform sneakers?

Super quick science recap time! (apologies to those of you who paid attention in science class and remember all this). So, plants, along with sunlight and water, perform photosynthesis.

They pull carbon in from the air and turn it into carbohydrates, aka sugars! Then they pump some of these sugars down through their roots to feed micro organisms who use that carbon to build soil. Bam. Carbon moved! The plants pump it in, and the soil stores it [3].

Another cool thing is that applying a thin layer of compost, one time, sets up an ongoing positive feedback loop that brings more and more carbon into the soil each year. Using this, combined with other regenerative practices like not tilling the soil, planting trees & cover crops, plus planned grazing, we can build and retain gigatons of soil carbon. Sounds like some mad scientist stuff? Well my friend, this is the real deal. It’s called Carbon Farming (or sometimes known as ecologically enhancing agriculture or part of regenerative farming) and it’s a method that would be widely practiced in the dream.

Unlike carbon in the atmosphere, more carbon in the ground is good for us! It makes healthy 16

soil, which is nutrient rich and full of life and holds way more water. Carbon Farming has the potential to restore balance within the carbon cycle in a way that will improve climate change, build resilience to drought and increase our agricultural productivity naturally [4]. Trials indicate we could sequester more than 100% of current annual CO2 emissions with a switch to widely available and inexpensive organic regenerative agriculture (carbon farming) [5]. So, the way we grow our food, fiber and fuel either puts carbon up into our atmosphere or pulls it down into the ground. So if we focus on pulling it down into the ground we keep everyone happy!

Basically, Carbon/Regenerative Farmers are superheroes. You can feel free to refer to them as Super Soil Stewards and picture them wearing a red cape from now on. And when you’re thinking about your clothes, you can ask yourself, “Which carbon pool am I wearing?” The hope is soil :) And if it is, feel free to call yourself a Super Soil Supporter. And if you want to wear the cape, why not?

It is very important to note that before we got caught up in industrialization, there were practices that looked after the land in similar ways to this, practiced by indigenous people all over the world. Many of these methods mentioned here stem from their ways of stewarding the land and it is important to remember that we are re-discovering some of these.

Dig Deeper: Regenerative Farming It’s important to understand a bit more about regenerative farming. In this method, a least disturbance attitude is taken to allow the soil ecosystem to thrive. This includes avoidance of plowing the soil and abstaining from chemical amendments. By keeping living roots in the ground year-round (by cover-cropping and crop rotation) this provides a steady stream of nutrients for the microorganisms in the soil who in turn help prevent soil erosion, increase water infiltration rates and provide plants with key nutrients. We call these peeps the super soil microbes, because they’re obviously heroes too. We can all be superheroes in this story.

Keeping the soil covered with living plants or trampled/dead plant material reduces soil erosion and helps lower soil temperatures.

Increasing biodiversity on a farm by growing many different plants helps cultivate nutrient dense soil, increases soil carbon and reduces the risk of pests and diseases. Another key element is introducing livestock which closes the nutrient loop and reduces the need for imported fertilizers because the animals do this for you. In holistic land management and holistic planned

grazing, Allan Savory’s method involves ‘teaching people about the relationship between large herds of wild herbivores and the grasslands and then helps people to develop strategies for managing herds of domestic livestock to mimic those wild herds to heal the land [6]. Basically, practitioners will intervene in the dynamics of degraded grassland ecosystems by substituting absent natural grazers (whose absence is often attributable to past farming practices) with domestic grazers like cattle, sheep, goats or bison, rotating them over the landscape in patterns that mimic the natural disturbance and fertilization caused by roaming herds of herbivores. The Savory institute suggests that holistic planned grazing could be applied to approximately 5 billion hectares of the world’s degraded grassland soils in order to restore them to optimal health and thereby sequester more than 10 gigatons of atmospheric carbon annually into the soil’s organic matter - “thereby lowering greenhouse gas concentrations to pre-industrial levels in a matter of decades. It also offers a path towards restoring agricultural productivity, providing jobs for thousands of people in rural communities, supplying high quality protein for millions, enhancing wildlife habitat and water resources [6].

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Soil Since we’re deep in the soil convo, let’s talk about another way soil is involved in our dream fashion scene. There’s an idea called ‘Soil-tosoil’ clothing. It’s a system that brings fashion and farming (more obviously) together, creating a closed loop where one feeds the other. The concept of soil-to-soil systems is that where a garment is constructed using entirely natural fibers, without chemical or artificial inputs.

It’s one that is entirely biodegradable and compostable, and can therefore feed back into a regenerative fiber system by feeding and building the soil from which the fibers were first grown [7]. So the cycle starts in the soil and goes back into the soil in a closed loop. The dyes used are also plant or insect based and are grown with the same care as the fibers, so the garment is safe for the wearer, environment, and people along the supply chain, plus these dyes are clear to go right back into the soil after use. Pretty cool!

In the dream, we no longer accept the model of industrial clothing production and instead move towards holistic practices that start in the soil. This way of growing our soil and food together has begun a sort of food revolution in recent times, ‘transforming our attitudes through this fundamental human need.’ The movement is based on the natural fertility of the soil, and time-tested agroecological practices of diverse cultures [8]. In the dream we see a system where we carefully consider the state of the land. As

Thackara writes, “rather than constantly driving the land to yield more fibre per acre, production is determined by the land’s health and carrying capacity, which is constantly monitored.

Decisions are made by the people who work the land and know it best. Fibre prices are based on yields the land can bear, and on revenues assure security for the farmer”[22].In this system, ‘growth’ has taken on a new meaning.

It’s ‘measured in terms of land, soil, and water getting healthier and communities more resilient.’

[22]. We see more collaboration in systems. Like cooperatives, farms that provide food and fibre to diversify for the health of the land and the farmer, and partnerships between brands and farms. Clothing companies could partner with farms from the initial plant of the hemp seed, or even partner with them to begin transitioning the farm from conventional agriculture to organic, regenerative practices. This enables the transition of the land for farmers who often wouldn’t have the means or time to make the transition. It allows brands to build relationships with the whole supply chain. With the integrity that they are producing a quality product of higher value in multiple ways and eventually feed back into this system when it’s re-collected and composted post-use. The compost can then be used to help grow fibres (or food) again, contributing to keeping the land healthy and staying in line with the soil-to-soil dream.

Where to find these best practices in action: There are currently methods for supporting ranchers and farmers to focus on soil and land regeneration and animal welfare as critical aspects of their business.

Climate Beneficial™ Wool is a verification by Fibershed that is regionally based and began in Northern California, and is now being replicated in the Hudson Valley of New York and in central Colorado—all farmers and ranchers involved in the program are transparently documented; their soil organic carbon levels are monitored and land management practices are verified for climate impact.

If you’re wearing wool sourced outside the United States, ranchers have been able to certify under the Textile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard. For those focused primarily in above ground environmental quality and on-farm or ranch biodiversity monitoring—the Land to Market program has recently been launched through the Savory Institute [8].

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In this dream, the land is looked after, like it looks after us. And we help to put back in what we take out. We are also reconnecting with earth in general, in addition to connecting with the farmland that feeds and clothes us. We are beginning to remember that we are a part of it instead of the idea that we are ‘other’ from it and above it. As Sherri Mitchell of Weh’na Ha’mu, Penawahpskek Nation, writes in All We Can Save “Human beings have fallen out of alignment with life. Their beliefs and ways of being have shifted dramatically from those of their ancestors, taking them further and further away from the sources of their survival. As a result, people have forgotten how to live in relationship with the rest of creation. They have lost their respect for their elders in the natural world,

such as trees, waters, soils, and millions of other species that thrived on Mother Earth long before human beings arrived. Therefore, the greatest contribution that Indigenous peoples may make at this time is to continue providing the world with living models of sustainability that are rooted in ancient wisdom and informs us how to live in balance with all of our relations on Mother Earth. This will require nonindigenous people to stand with us and ensure that our lands, waters, and ways of life are not further eroded by government and industrial intrusion.” [10].

The hope in this dream is that we can learn from indigenous peoples and Earth so that we find our way back to a more in-tune and connected world.

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Where is that from?

"Over 90% of the fashion and textiles that consumers buy on the UK’s high streets are imported."

Everything is off-shored, everything is imported and a lot is wasted Many global north countries began off-shoring production heavily in the 90’s to cut costs on labor, but forgot to think about the many other impacts this would have. On the environment. On us. On garment workers. On local communities and economies.

Over 90% of the fashion and textiles that consumers buy on the UK’s high streets are imported [1]. In contrast, UK sheep farmers have an extremely difficult time even selling their wool at all here

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due to the decline of the textile industry. Sometimes it is exported, but the price of British wool has been decreasing for decades. Last year one farmer decided to just use the wool from shearing his flock as fertilizer, where he thought it would be more valuable, noting that "Our sheep cost £1 to shear and we get about 15-30p a fleece." [2] So we’re not using the wool from the sheep anymore. A resource that if we’re lucky is fed back into the system as fertilizer as this farmer did, but often goes unused, and instead we’re importing fibers from overseas to clothe ourselves. Invoking the question, why aren't we using our local resources?

The UK used to have a booming textile industry, but since nearly all production has been off-shored, there is little infrastructure left. There are a handful of mills that are still in operation but most are importing raw fibers from elsewhere. Importing wool is especially ironic given that there is a plethora of unused wool here. For example, even though the UK has about 60 native breeds, most with wools that could be used for clothing [3], it’s impossible to find native wool because there’s no market. Farmers tend to sell their sheep for meat rather than wool now because of the lack of market and due to higher prices paid for the meat.

At the same time, merino and other wool is imported

and processed in the few remaining mills that are still in operation.

Likewise, in the US in 1990, half of all garments worn by Americans were made in the US. Today, that figure stands at only 2 percent [5]. And similarly, in California 250 million pounds of cotton is harvested annually but due to the organization of global cotton commodity markets, Californians are wearing cotton from elsewhere [6].

Overall, we’re wasting a lot of our local resources and in doing so losing out on local jobs and connections and the ability to cut down on transportation emissions.

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Grown Here.

Made Here.

Worn Here.

So here’s our dream… more local please! As Whal writes in Designing Regenerative Cultures, "Wherever feasible we should meet our needs as locally or regionally as possible and restrict the global exchange of goods to those that cannot be produced in a particular place" [7]. A more localized clothing system would allow wearers to be more more connected to the place they are in as well as all who inhabit it, and citizens, instead of being treated as passive consumers whose task is to speed the flow of materials through the fashion system, are recast as collaborators [8].

And as Kate Fletcher states, people who connect with their clothes are more likely to connect with their makers, too, and with the ecosystems from which their materials come. An awareness of natural systems - of cycles, flows, webs, and interconnectedness - comes naturally to people who are close to the whole

life cycle of their clothes [9].

Regenerative systems allow us to design holistically in a way that designs out waste allowing for replenishing of resources rather than extraction, where each process feeds the next.

There are places and people participating in this system.

As Whal writes, "humanity is beginning to explore the fertile ground of creating win-win-win solutions that drive cultural, ecological and economic regeneration.

Innovating win-win-win, integrative, whole systems design solutions is about creating shared abundance through collaborative advantage. Such innovations optimize the system as a whole, rather than maximizing short-term economic gains for a few to the economic, social and ecological detriment of many [10]. Designing regeneratively addresses many of the issues we face today, socially, environmentally and economically.

Another outlook known as Transition Design seeks to cultivate sustainable ways of living, in which fundamental needs are

satisfied in integrated, placebased ways. It encourages a symbiotic relationship between communities and the ecosystems within which they are situated. It works to create a global network of sustainable, place-based communities who exchange knowledge, skills, technology, resources and culture [11]. This is another idea that we would like to see in the creation of our new fashion scene.

One dreamy model of a localized clothing system began in Northern California and is now growing to other bioregions across the US and the world. It’s called a Fibershed, a vision turned reality by Rebecca Burgess.

Much like a watershed, a Fibershed is a designated area within which efforts are made to harness and use natural resources – in this case fibres, dyes and labour – in a responsible way that minimises waste and creates opportunities not just for sustaining these resources, but for improving them over time in positive feedback cycles [12] [13].

Maybe soon you too can get to know the sheep that wore your sweater before you.

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The Fibreshed ethos goes beyond sustainability, to something that is truly regenerative and it does this by considering the whole system in which fibres, textiles and garments are not only produced, but also how they are worn and how they are disposed of [12][13].

The original Fibershed is a non-profit organization and its mission involves developing equity-focused regional and land regenerating natural fiber and dye systems. "Our work expands opportunities to implement climate beneficial agriculture, rebuild regional manufacturing, and connect end-users to the source of our fiber through direct educational offerings. We are transforming the economic and ecologic systems that clothe us to generate equitable and climate change ameliorating textile cultures [13]."

In the UK, the Fibershed movement began emerging in 2019, and is slowly spreading to create a network. Currently there are three fibersheds (affiliates of the original Northern California Fibershed) :

South East England Fibershed, South West England Fibershed and North West England Fibershed.

An example of how this might look is the Bristol Cloth project in the UK. Bristol Cloth uses regeneratively farmed wool from Bristol, processed without any harmful synthetic chemicals, using biological soaps only for washing. Dyed with organic plant dyes by Botanical Inks (based in Bristol) and woven by The Bristol Weaving Mill. The majority of the production is set within a 15 mile radius of Bristol, reducing the carbon footprint of transport and investing in local heritage artisan craft. The fibre farming and manufacturing are set entirely within the UK, championing British wool and showcasing what this country has always offered [14].

The previously mentioned merino wool is a great example of how we have celebrated wool as a natural fiber. Perhaps we could take note of how it was marketed and do the same for local breeds around the world in our own fibersheds. It makes sense to use what we

have in our local areas first and then import any more that we need. If we educate wearers about the local fibers available, we can begin to connect with and support our local farmers in their fiber production. And maybe even know the sheep where our sweaters came from? Sounds almost too cute right? This is the idea creating more connectedness and appreciation for our communities.

This switch could lead to a more localized system that would help re-establish local economies, support local farmers, makers, designers and create more connection among humans, animals, and land throughout our supply chain.

Localism isn’t the only answer, but it has a big role to play in the dreams for a better fashion scene, so be on the lookout!

Maybe soon you too can get to know the sheep that wore your sweater before you.

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Someone is paying

The Workers Are Covering the Extra Cost It’s probably no surprise that one of the major dreads of the current fashion system has to do with the workers within it. But this is a reminder that nobody should die for fashion.

It’s been nearly 8 years since the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza cut and sew factory in Bangladesh killed 1100 workers and seriously injured 2000 more [1], bringing attention to the hazardous conditions of the industry’s cut and sew factories where most of the world’s clothes are assembled. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the only incident since and workers still face many of the very same challenges that they faced back then.

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Firstly, the fact that it takes an incident where people

are dying for the clothes we put on every morning to make us vaguely aware of the conditions that workers are dealing with daily is eyeopening as to what’s going on in our fashion system. We now hear more about cut and sew because the concentration of workers in one place acts as a flashpoint for labour abuses such as low pay, lack of contracts, no access to to collective bargaining, occurrences of sexual abuse, and more [2]. However, there are labor issues all along the fashion supply chain. The use of child labour in cotton picking is commonplace in countries such as Uzbekistan, where the government routinely mobilizes children to ensure that state cottonquotas are met [3]. Other issues for farm workers include low pay and taxing work, and for farm owners, fluctuating commodity prices, which result in a struggle to stay on the land [3].

Another huge issue for workers seen at many points along the supply chain (from the agricultural and oil fields to the washing, combing, spinning, knitting, weaving and finishing of fabrics, as well as for those who repeatedly handle freshly made fabrics, like designers) is the exposure to “carcinogenic, neurotoxic and endocrine and immunesystem disrupting chemicals.”

In addition, higher rates of colorectal, thyroid, testicular, bladder and nasal cancer have been documented in textile workers [4].

A third jaw-dropping issue we must look into is the way the fast fashion brands have been complicit in perpetuating the gender inequality and gender-based violence and harassment the industry was built on. In Bangladesh, over 60% of garment workers have reported feeling intimidated or threatened with violence at work, while in Cambodia 68% of women garment workers said they were made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe at work. In Vietnam 34% of women garment workers said they experienced physical harassment, including kissing, touching or hitting [5].

How can we be letting all of this happen? Well most of us actually have no idea where our clothing is being made, but we do know it’s cheap. And those two things are linked. The thing is, someone, somewhere is paying. “Downwards pressure on prices is usually accompanied by a downward

pressure on production standards resulting in a ‘race to the bottom’. As mills and factories compete on price for contracts, this impacts hard on workers, production facilities, their environments and communities[6]” So basically large fast fashion companies are trying to have clothes made faster and cheaper than ever so are forcing factory owners to out-compete each other for their business. Factory owners can’t keep up, so are paying their workers less and not keeping up with safety as they struggle to compete. Most companies don’t operate their own factories so they also don’t know a lot about what’s happening or how the clothing that they are selling is made, and often turn a blind eye.

In summary, most workers in the fashion industry are underpaid, overworked, and forced to work in unsafe conditions, and transparency is seriously lacking. These

workers deserve better in all of these categories. For the cherry on top - here’s another idea to ponder. In a world where most of us have lost the skills to make our own clothes, let alone sew on a button that’s fallen off, doesn’t it make sense to pay more for this kind of skilled labor? It’s often labeled as just the opposite - unskilled. But why exactly?

That sequined dress you wore last new years eve (we’ll chat later about that material choice ;) ), someone hand sewed every one of those on tiny disks of shine to that dress.

It’s likely that someone spent more time making the garment than you’ll ever spend wearing it. Ooof, that one stung. But that’s the reality of the system we’ve created or at least the one that we’re participating in, even if it’s just passively and unknowingly.

So, how do we change it?

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Transparencey and True Cost How do we change it? In the dream, our systems are caring and intentional. We value workers at every level of the supply chain. This is possible because of a paradigm shift.

We’ve shifted the goal of the fashion industry from profit to one that supports sustainability. Sustainability in the sense that it “fosters social and environmental quality and value as its primary aim and which then finds business opportunity within this redefined space [7]”.

Some will worry that if we decrease production of clothes in the global south, that this will lead to a devastating loss of jobs. While this is a valid point to consider, as The New Standard Institute says,

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“we have seen in the past that industries develop in reaction to demand. If, let’s say, fashion companies one day woke up and were led by executives that prioritized climate reductions and this meant cutting back on growth, then local governments would turn to developing other industries. Bangladesh for example could focus on education and develop service sector positions. We didn’t say let’s keep growing the cigarette industry because we can’t afford to lose the jobs of tobacco growers. That industry was regulated, demand has declined and the economy has persevered.” [8].

Of course this is all something that we seriously need to think about and handle carefully, but we may not be as stuck as we think. And in the dream, with less constant growth in the industry, there is opportunity to build jobs in other industries, or build more local ones.

In this dream transparency is commonplace, and we know where our clothes are made and by whom. This is partly due to connections that retailers make with the supply chain from early on. It has become common for clothing companies to partner with farms from the initial plant of the hemp seed, or even partner with them to begin transitioning the farm from conventional agriculture to organic, regenerative practices.

This has enabled the transition for farmers who often wouldn’t have the means or time to make the transition. It’s allowed brands to build relationships with the whole supply chain and with this integrity that

they are producing a quality product that will last and eventually feed back into this system when it’s re-collected and composted post-use.

This idea has already begun by a company called Christy Dawn [9] and on certain projects by The North Face [10] [11]. So we know it can happen. We just need to push for more businesses to think intentionally like this.

Transparency is also happening because each worker is valued for their work and we are aware of the processes it takes to make our clothing. We appreciate the skill it takes to make our clothes and we wear them proudly and gratefully.

Clothing is always labeled explaining who it’s made by, where and how.

To begin, let’s push companies for this transparency through our voices or writing with emails and questions. Let’s also use the power we have in how we purchase our clothes.

Look for smaller brands with shorter and known supply chains where it is known how their workers are treated.

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Let's Get Materialistic A (micro) Plastic Nightmare Okay, so we’ve got to discuss the elephant in the room — plastic clothing. Approximately 70% of what humans wear today is plastic clothing and plastic fiber-blended clothing.This plastic clothing is shedding nonbiodegradable fibers into our freshwater and marine ecosystems at an alarming rate through our laundering processes and more [1] [2].

Quick not-so-fun facts about the horrors of plastic clothing: - In a recent study by the Bren School of Environment Science & Management, it was found that 1,174 milligrams of microfibers were released from washing one synthetic jacket one time [3].

- Approximately 40% of the plastic from our laundry systems is released into rivers, lakes and oceans; this equates to approximately one million tons of plastic discharged around the world each year from our laundry [3].

- It was found that 94% of American’s drinking water contains plastic microfiber pollution [4]. Abrasion of plastic clothing (nylon, polyester, acrylic, capiline, polypropylene, spandex and elastine) produces non-biodegrading lint that has entered our air, water, and farmland.

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In another even more recent study done by the Nature Conservancy, it was discovered that this microplastic nightmare doesn’t just start at first wash. It starts before your clothes are even clothes! In the study the Nature Conservancy “picks apart the textile supply chain—from the manufacturers who make synthetic yarn from little pellets of plastic, to the factory that stitches together the clothes—to estimate that this pre-consumer process releases 265 million pounds of microfibers each year. That’s the equivalent of one full T-shirt escaping into the environment for every 500 that come off the production line.”[2]. Some of this is coming from processes ‘like the dyeing of fabrics and the prewashing of finished clothes in enormous machines that create microfiberrich wastewater, which is then sent to a treatment facility. Some of the microfibers get stuck in the solid human waste that these facilities turn into “sludge,” which is then slathered on agricultural fields as fertilizer. It’s estimated that by doing so, North Americans could be loading their fields with up to 330,000 tons of microplastics each year.” [1] So not only are microplastics being thrown onto

agricultural fields, on a rainy or windy day, they’re spread all over the place. So much microplastic is swirling around the atmosphere that each year the equivalent of 120 million plastic bottles is falling just on 11 national parks and other protected areas in the western US. Another study by The American Chemical Society calculated that adults and children consume an average of 883 and 553 (microplastic) particles a day [1] [5].

In our marine ecosystems, microplastic lint is killing base life forms such as zooplankton that larger marine life forms depend upon as a food source. The microplastics that are consumed by animals can cause infections and blockages, reproductive problems, and starvation [6].

The image of these poor little sea creatures having their digestive systems clogged up by plastics is haunting. Microplastics have also been discovered in fish that humans consume and in our drinking water (now present in 94% of US drinking water!!), so this isn’t a problem just for the little guys [7].

Microfiber emissions could grow by over 50 percent in the next decade,

as the business of synthetic textiles continues to boom [1].

Microfibers aren’t the only thing haunting us about plastic clothing.

Polyester, an oil-based synthetic fiber that is used in 60% of our garments today, consumes nearly 350 million barrels of oil every year and accounts for 282 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions. For reference, this is three times higher than the amount for cotton [8]. Plastic clothing does not biodegrade, and like any other plastic object, these materials are not being recycled at even close to the rate at which they are produced—recent estimates show that less than 1% of all discarded clothing items are spun into fresh textiles [6].

Separation of polyester, nylon and other fossil carbon fibers from wool, cotton, or other natural fibers is not a scaled, accessible, or affordable technology—and thus blended textiles make recycling a challenge too. So we end up throwing pure or blended synthetics into landfills and incinerators and they hang out on the earth for up to 200 years [9].

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Aren’t all Natural Fibers okay?

The material dread is not solely caused by the plastics we’re wearing either. Other materials have their own issues too. Some of this simply has to do with the scale at which we’re producing it, others the harm we’re causing during production processes. For time’s sake we won’t get into the nitty gritty, there will be more resources for you at the end of the zine if you fancy going a bit deeper.

So, we know that when possible we should avoid non-biodegradable fibers and those made with fossil fuels (this includes clothing made with any percentage nylon, polyester, acrylic, elastine, spandex, capiline and polypropylene) due to the nightmare above, and because the refinement of fossil carbon that is used to produce fuel, clothing, and a host of materials for human consumption is the cause of climate change [10]. But let’s look at the issues we run into when choosing natural fibers, because though they’re much better due to biodegradability and won’t end up in landfill for 200 years, these aren’t always perfect either, and the way they’re processed matters.

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The process still matters Cotton: It’s important to know that it’s a commodity crop, meaning that cotton farmers experience price fluctuations that are determined by global markets which can generate income instability for farmers and a general liability to not being able to focus on the long term health needs and constraints of a specific farming community or land-type. Commodification of the crop opened the door for it to become one of the first crops that Monsanto focused upon to genetically modify—you might have heard of ‘Round-up Ready Cotton’ or ‘Dicamba’ cotton.

Monsanto (now known as Bayer), has engineered cotton to be resistant to various toxic proprietary herbicides. This has pushed farmers to use allin-one combinations of genetically engineered seed and their accompanying chemicals [11]. To some this sounds fine, but this issue is loaded with consequences such as farmers relying on more and more chemicals as the pests become resistant to them. Farmers also cannot seed save, so by growing this type of cotton, a farmer becomes dependent on the company selling the seeds and accompanying chemicals each year.

This has especially wrecked havoc on India’s cotton industry, as Vandana Shiva says, “ Over two decades, I have witnessed and studied the crisis for Indian farmers triggered by genetically engineered Bt cotton, which was introduced on the promise of pest control and reduction of pesticides but has created an epidemic of pest attacks, pesticide deaths, and farmers suicides.”

[12]. In the U.S. in 2015, 94% of all cotton was genetically engineered to withstand the spraying of partnered-use herbicides [10]. Another thing to know about cotton is that it takes a lot of water to produce and if not grown organically, exposes workers, communities and the land to a lot of chemicals. Reliance on chemicals in the cotton production process is linked to high rates of water use - with up to one fifth of water use related to diluting chemicals [13].

Flax (linen): it’s important to look for organically grown flax since conventional (nonorganic) flax farming relies on herbicides to kill ‘competing’ plant species in the field. Plus, it uses synthetic nitrogen that poses concerns for ground water, rivers, and marine ecosystems [11].

fibers, which often depends on the usage of caustic substances [14]. (Though, this one has a lot of potential and there are other more thoughtful ways to process it in development, so stay tuned!)

Rayon - Wood pulp and bamboo are used to make rayon or ‘bamboo rayon,’ accounting for approximately 6% of global fiber consumption.

The most common process for rayon production is known as the viscose process, which is reliant upon carbon disulfide, a compound known to cause nervous system damage. To harden the rayon yarns, the material has to sit in a bath of sulfuric acid, which is a highly corrosive substance. The viscose process is also used to create yarns from bamboo, eucalyptus, soy or other ‘eco’ textiles. For wood fibers specifically, the Rainforest Action Network has deployed a campaign highlighting concerns regarding the fashion industry turning forests into fashion supply chains. The organization states, “Big name fashion brands are complicit in the pulping of pristine forests— seizing Indigenous land, driving species loss, and threatening the climate—all to manufacture a product that makes its way into the clothes we wear every day” [14]. Canopy certified rayon thankfully ensures that threatened forests are protected and not used for viscose pulp, but there is still the question of whether we should be using trees for clothing regardless.

Tencel, modal and Lyocell may be a slightly better option than rayon. They’re created in a proprietary milling system that is also fueled from tree pulp, including birch, oak and eucalyptus.

The trees are harvested, shipped, milled, pulped and softened to make a cellulosic material that is extruded into yarn to make clothing.This process has the potential for waste, but luckily 99% of the materials are recovered from the process for reuse and the water in the system is recycled. The trees utilized for the pulp are from tree farms [15].

So as you can see - even though most of the dread lies in the synthetic fibers, even when choosing natural fibers there is a lot to consider!

Head on to our Dream to learn more about the positive potential of natural materials.

Hemp: Most of the modern hemp processing systems, which are typically based in China, utilize a water-based chemistry to soften the

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The Beauty of Biodegradables So we really just need less plastic clothing in the world. There’s no doubt about that. But it will be a challenge for many of us to give up our beloved yoga pants cold turkey, at least until we realize that there are other safer material options. In the meantime while we still have plastic clothing out there in rotation, there are a few things you can do starting today. There are a few items you can use to help catch the darn microplastics at the scene of the crime: the washing machine. There are several products on the market that have been designed to catch the microfibers so that you can dispose of them before they flow into our water systems. There’s a washing bag, a ball, or a filter you can install directly in your washing machine.

Just search for ‘microplastic washing machine filters’ online or find them at some health foods stores.

In the dream, we dramatically reduce the number of plastic clothes out there. In the dream we are wearing 100% natural fiber clothing that’s grown and processed thoughtfully with regard to the earth, either undyed or dyed naturally for our safety, the environments’ and so that when our clothes are too worn out and broken down, we are able to compost them! Yes, composting our clothes! This way we take responsibility for what happens to our clothes and we keep them out of landfills and incinerators. And the coolest part is that this is possibly the most useful thing to do with worn out clothing because it feeds back into the system that originally grew the fibers. Just like food scraps and yard clippings, natural fiber clothing is composed of proteins (animal fibers like wool), or carbohydrates (plant fibers like cotton or linen) or a blend of the two [16]. In the

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dream, we would be able to compost our clothes in our home compost (if we’re lucky enough to have one) or the municipal systems would happily take them alongside our food scraps and recycling.

Oh—and just so you’re not reading this and starting to freak out because you’re thinking you’ll have to throw away your yoga pants—there are other natural materials that make some pretty sweet athleisure. Like organic cotton, bamboo and even wool, to name a few. This includes plant-based stretch materials just now being commercialized that will offset the use of plastic fibers within performance wear clothing. More on this soon.

Diversify Let’s chat a bit more about the materials in our dream. First, materials diversity. It’s important to consider because using too much of one material can have effects on biodiversity, the land and the people involved in its production.

A materials diversity strategy aims to temper the market dominance of a few fibers “so that alternative, more resource-efficient and culturally responsive fibers begin to flourish.” [17].Replacing conventional cotton with other materials like flax, hemp or even organic cotton would aid in reduction of chemicals and water use. Or shifting from polyester to wool would reduce our use and dependency on petrochemicals like oil. Overall as we begin to diversify the materials that we use, there is the “potential to not only serve our material needs with reduced resource consumption, but it could also lead to more varied and locally sensitive agriculture, more regional fibers, more local jobs, and more healthy and socially robust environments” [17].

Got it From our Mama Natural materials have many innate positive properties that add to their appeal. For instance, wool possesses anti-microbial properties and absorbs water vapor both from the air and from perspiration through the porous coating that covers its scales so it can take in 30% of its weight in water vapor without feeling damp or clammy. It’s a natural temperature regulator and also has flame retardant properties up to 600 degrees celsius. It’s also great for biodegradability, decomposing in as little as two months. Silk is another fiber that is known for its beauty, soft feel and ability to wick moisture and dry quickly. Look for ‘peace silk’, the silk creation process that provides the silk moth the ability to escape from its cocoon to live out their week-ish long life where they’ll mate and lay eggs before passing on [7]. There are other promising natural fibers that have emerged such as one that makes use of the leftovers from the pineapple industry, sustainably grown kelp and more. There are other new technologies emerging that can transform fast growing forms of biomass—the shorter leftover flax, kenaf and hemp fibers and stalks, as well as pulped recycled cotton and other agricultural biomass—into useful textiles [18]. The main thing with these emerging fibers is to do your homework and make sure the material is actually made in an intentional, earth-centered way that contributes to regeneration and not just extraction. If you’re unsure, you can always ask the brand in an email (or tweet if that’s your vibe) for more information. And if they don’t have all the answers, it’s telling for you as the wearer and might encourage them to find out or make some changes within their brand.

Zoom Out for a Better View It’s important to look at materials with a wider lens too. Not just one part of the materials cycle.

We have to be aware of the “impacts of our fibre choices on the ecological, economic and social systems of which these materials are a part of -and more tangibly on whole interrelated product life cycles, which include cultivation, production, manufacturing, distribution, consumer laundering, reuse and final disposal [19].

While materials are very important, it’s easy to focus on just this, when possibly the most important is systemic change, like producing and consuming less. In the Pulse of Fashion 2019 Update’s words: “Fashion companies are not implementing sustainable solutions fast enough to counterbalance the negative environmental and social impacts of the rapidly growing fashion industry” [20]. This points directly at the limits of tweaking parameters like materials flows, where most efforts have been targeted historically, when the problem is systemic.

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Pre-purchase plan Here's a list of some things to check in about before we purchase new items. This is just a guideline! Feel free to make it your own!

Ask about the garment: Materials: What is it made of?

- 100% naturally sourced and responsibly sourced materials - natural materials, unsure of source - partially natural materials - Recycled or deadstock fabrics - none of these?

Supply Chain: - Where it was made?

- By whom?

If not: - Can I find out?

- Does it seem like a fair price?

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Ask Yourself: - How much do I love this item?

- Is it a staple item?

- How often will I wear this?

- Is it trendy or something I can wear long-term?

- Does it go well with my current wardrobe or will I need to purchase more in order to wear it?

- Is the color something that will wear well?

- If it's a light color is it something I can over-dye if I stain it ?

For More...

Follow Dread to Dreams on Instagram: @dread.to.dreams It's a space to learn more, share your dreams and get involved in the making of the nezt zine issue! Curious?

Give it a follow!

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References: Introduction: 1. Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017). A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future [online].

Available at: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications). [accessed 1 August 2021] 2. Raworth, K. (2017). It’s Time for Economics to Get Animated! | Kate Raworth. [online] Kate Raworth.

Available at: https://www.kateraworth.com/animations/ [Accessed 11 Mar. 2021].

3. Jenkins, Kestrel. (2021) Conscious Chatter [Podcast]. 22 June. Available at: https://consciouschatter. com/podcast/2021/06/22-episode-240-maxine-bedat-unraveled-new-standard-institute-oursystems-are-not-inevitable (Accessed: 10 July 2021 ).

4. Fletcher, K. (2014). Sustainable fashion and textiles : design journeys. London ; New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Cop. pp. 9.

A closet Full of clothes and nothing to wear: 1. Fibershed (n.d.). Fibershed’s Fast Track to Slow Fashion – Fibershed. [online] fibershed.org. Available at: https://fibershed.org/programs/education-advocacy/slow-fashion/ [Accessed 5 May 2021].

2. Lehmann, M., Arici, G., Boger, S., Martinez-Pardo, C., Krueger, F., Schneider, M., Carrière-Pradal, B., Schou, D. (2019). Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2019 Update. Global Fashion Agenda, The Boston Consulting Group, Sustainable Apparel Coalition. [online] URL: https://csr.dk/sites/default/files/ Pulse_of_the_ Fashion_Industry_2019_Update.pdf (Accessed 12 July 2019).

3. Fletcher, K. and Tham, M. (2019). Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan. London: The J J Charitable Trust. pp. 17.

4. Thackara, J. (2017). How to thrive in the next economy : designing tomorrow’s world today. London Thames & Hudson. pp. 89.

5. The New Standard Institute (2021). It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room: Can the fashion industry keep growing indefinitely? Available at: https://www.newstandardinstitute.org/its-time-totalk-about-the-elephant-in-the-room.

6. Daniel Christian Wahl (2016). Designing regenerative cultures. Axminster, England: Triarchy Press. pp.

26.

7. Jenkins, Kestrel. (2021) Conscious Chatter [Podcast]. 22 June. Available at: https://consciouschatter. com/podcast/2021/06/22-episode-240-maxine-bedat-unraveled-new-standard-institute-oursystems-are-not-inevitable (Accessed: 10 July 2021 ).

8. Fletcher, K. and Tham, M. (2019). Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan. London: The J J Charitable Trust. pp. 20-21.

9. Happy Planet Index (2008). Happy Planet Index. [online] Happy Planet Index. Available at: http:// happyplanetindex.org/.

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10. Fletcher, K. and Tham, M. (2019). Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan. London: The J J Charitable Trust. pp. 17.

11. Fletcher, K. and Tham, M. (2019). Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan. London: The J J Charitable Trust. pp. 14.

12. Poshmark (2019). Poshmark. [online] Poshmark. Available at: https://poshmark.com/.

13. Depop (2021). Depop - the Creative Community’s Mobile Marketplace. [online] www.depop.com.

Available at: https://www.depop.com/.

14. http://fibershed.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Fibershed-Clothing-Guide-second-edition.pdf [Accessed 5 Jun. 2021].

Farming is Fashion. Fashion is Farming: 1. Thackara, J. (2017). How to thrive in the next economy : designing tomorrow’s world today. London Thames & Hudson. p. 22.

2. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing.

3. Kiss the Ground (2021). Soil Science. [online] Kiss the Ground. Available at: https://kisstheground. com/soil-science/. [Accessed 4 March 2021] 4. Fibershed (2020). Regenerating Our Textile Systems – Fibershed. [online] fibershed.org. Available at: https://fibershed.org/regenerating-our-textile-systems/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2021].

5. The Rodale Institute (2018). Rodale Institute - Pioneers of Organic Agriculture Research. [online] Rodale Institute. Available at: https://rodaleinstitute.org/.

6. Daniel Christian Wahl (2016). Designing regenerative cultures. Axminster, England: Triarchy Press. p.

201.

7. Fibershed (2020). Regenerating Our Textile Systems – Fibershed. [online] fibershed.org. Available at: https://fibershed.org/regenerating-our-textile-systems/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2021].

8. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing.

9. Thackara, J. (2017). How to thrive in the next economy : designing tomorrow’s world today. London Thames & Hudson. pp. 22.

10. Johnson, A.E. and Wilkinson, K.K. eds., (2020). All We Can Save : Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis. New York: One World. p.20.

Where is That From?

1. UK Fashion and Textile Association (2021). Industry Report and Statistics. [online] UKFT. Available at: https://www.ukft.org/business-advice/industry-reports-and-stats/ [Accessed Apr. 2021].

2. BBC News (2020). “Worthless” wool more valuable as fertiliser, says Shropshire farmer. BBC News. [online] 20 Jul. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-53472653.BC 2020 (sheep fleeces) 37

3. British Wool Marketing Board (n.d.). British Sheep and Wool. [online] British Wool Marketing Board.

Available at: https://www.britishwool.org.uk/assets/brochures/Breed-Book.pdf [Accessed Aug. 2021].

4. Cline, E.L. (2013). Overdressed the shockingly high cost of cheap fashion. New York, Ny Portfolio/ Penguin.

5. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 18.

6. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 130.

7. Daniel Christian Wahl (2016). Designing regenerative cultures. Axminster, England: Triarchy Press. pp.

144.

8. Thackara, J. (2017). How to thrive in the next economy : designing tomorrow’s world today. London Thames & Hudson. pp. 96.

9. Thackara, J. (2017). How to thrive in the next economy : designing tomorrow’s world today. London Thames & Hudson. pp. 91.

10. Daniel Christian Wahl (2016). Designing regenerative cultures. Axminster, England: Triarchy Press. p.

21.

11. Irwin (2017). Transition Design Seminar 2. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@ Terry_Irwin/transition-design-seminar-2-d1ca2c84db75 [Accessed 2021].

12. South West England Fibershed (2021). South West England Fibreshed – A growing community of fibre and dye growers, processors, makers and manufacturers. [online] South West England Fibershed.

Available at: https://www.southwestenglandfibreshed.co.uk/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2021].

13. Fibershed (n.d.). Fibershed’s Mission & Vision – Fibershed. [online] fibershed.org. Available at: https:// fibershed.org/mission-vision/ [Accessed 5 July 2021].

14. Bristol Cloth (n.d.). BRISTOL CLOTH. [online] BRISTOL CLOTH. Available at: http://www.bristolcloth. co.uk/ [Accessed May 2021].

Someone is Paying: 1. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. p. 34.

2. Fletcher, K. and Grose, L. (2012). Fashion & Sustainability : Design for Change. London, England: Laurence King, p. 20.

3. Fletcher, K. and Grose, L. (2012). Fashion & Sustainability : Design for Change. London, England: Laurence King, p.21.

4. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. p. 34.

5. The Slow Factory. (2021) 'Fast Fashion is a Women's Rights Issue' [Instagram]. 6 March. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMFOPiMFkjk/?utm_medium=copy_link(Accessed: 7 March 2021).

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6. Fletcher, K. and Tham, M. (2019). Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan. London: The J J Charitable Trust. pp. 17.

7. Fletcher, K. (2014). Sustainable fashion and textiles : design journeys. London ; New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Cop. 8. The New Standard Institute (2021). It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room: Can the fashion industry keep growing indefinitely? Available at: https://www.newstandardinstitute.org/its-time-totalk-about-the-elephant-in-the-room.

9. Christy Dawn (2021). Farm-to-Closet. [online] Christy Dawn. Available at: https://christydawn.com/ pages/farm-to-closet [Accessed 2 Jul. 2021].

10. Fibershed (n.d.). Backyard Project. Available at: https://fibershed.org/programs/fiber-systemsresearch/backyard-project/ [Accessed 2021].

11. The Northface, A VF Company (2021). Cali Wool Backyard Beanie | Free Shipping | The North Face. [online] United States. Available at: https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/cali-wool-backyard-beanienf0a3fjj?variationId=0C5 [Accessed 2 Aug. 2021].

Let's Get Materialistic 1. Simon, M. (2021). Your Clothes Spew Microfibers Before They’re Even Clothes. Wired. Available at: https://www.wired.com/story/your-clothes-spew-microfibers-before-theyre-even-clothes/ 2. The Nature Conservatory and Bain and Company (2021). Toward eliminating pre-consumer emissions of microplastics from the textile industry. [online] nature.org. Available at: https://www.nature.org/ content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/210322TNCBain_Pre-ConsumerMicrofiberEmissionsv6.pdf [Accessed 2021].

3. https://brenmicroplastics.weebly.com/project-findings.html 4. Hartline, N.L., Bruce, N.J., Karba S.N., Ruff, E.O., Sonar, S.U., and Holden, P.A. (2016) Microfiber Masses Recovered from Conventional Machine Washing of New or Aged Garments, Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 50, No.21, pp.11532-11538 5. Tyree, C. and Morrison, D. (2017). The plastic inside us. [online] Orb Media. Orb Media. Available at: https://orbmedia.org/invisibles-final-report.

6. McCarthy, A. (2018). Are Our Clothes Doomed for the Landfill? Re/Make. Available at: https://remake. world/stories/news/are-our-clothes-doomed-for-the-landfill/ [Accessed 1 Jul. 2021].

7. Fibershed (n.d.). Clothing Guide. [online] . Available at: http://fibershed.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/04/Fibershed-Clothing-Guide-second-edition.pdf [Accessed 5 Jun. 2021]. p. 17.

8. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 19.

9. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 33.

10. Fibershed (n.d.). Clothing Guide. [online] . Available at: http://fibershed.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/04/Fibershed-Clothing-Guide-second-edition.pdf [Accessed 5 Jun. 2021]. p. 9.

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11. Fibershed (n.d.). Clothing Guide. [online] . Available at: http://fibershed.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/04/Fibershed-Clothing-Guide-second-edition.pdf [Accessed 5 Jun. 2021]. pp. 10.

12. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 115 13. Environmental Audit Committee (2019). Fixing fashion: Clothing Consumption and Sustainability. [online] UK Parliament Publications. UK Parliament. Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/ pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/full-report.html [Accessed 10 Jul. 2021].

14. Fibershed (n.d.). Clothing Guide. [online] . Available at: http://fibershed.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/04/Fibershed-Clothing-Guide-second-edition.pdf [Accessed 5 Jun. 2021]. pp. 11 15. Fibershed (n.d.). Clothing Guide. [online] . Available at: http://fibershed.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/04/Fibershed-Clothing-Guide-second-edition.pdf [Accessed 5 Jun. 2021]. pp. 14.

16. Burgess, R. and White, C. (2019). Fibershed : growing a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers for a new textile economy. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing.

17. Fletcher, K. (2014). Sustainable fashion and textiles : design journeys. London ; New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Cop. 18. Fibershed (n.d.). Clothing Guide. [online] . Available at: http://fibershed.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/04/Fibershed-Clothing-Guide-second-edition.pdf [Accessed 5 Jun. 2021]. pp. 17 19. Fletcher, K. (2014). Sustainable fashion and textiles : design journeys. London ; New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Cop. p. 9.

20. Lehmann, M., Arici, G., Boger, S., Martinez-Pardo, C., Krueger, F., Schneider, M., Carrière-Pradal, B. and Schou, D. (2019). Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2019 Update. Global Fashion Agenda, Boston Consulting Group, and Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

Please note that many of the images used in this zine are found images that have been altered or collaged for the purpose of the zine (education and awareness of the current fashion industry). If you are the owner of one of these images and are unhappy with this use, please get in touch. Thank you!

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