HOW TECH IS EVOLVING (AND AFFECTING) THE FASHION AND TAILORING INDUSTRY

experience of both making is made from a chemical reaction and buying clothing. The of coal, petroleum, air, and water. apprenticeship, that pass- The pollution caused when burned ing on of knowledge from experienced craftsman to keen young enthusiast. These, in my view, are the essence of great clothing design and production. A makes this approach just as bad. For the record, it’s pretty hard to steer clear of synthetic fibres as a consumer. They’re used in 72% of our clothing. And of this 72%, 21.3 million tonnes are polyester. knowledgeable craftsman Of course, we in the western world knows his trade inside out, so often remain unexposed to and and in the world of tailor- protected from these harsh facts. ing, they will be able, almost It’s no secret that most of our instinctively, to interpret clothes are produced in developthe subtleties between function, fit, cloth, and cut when measuring a client for a new luxury garment. For me, that’s an experience, for both maker and consumer, ing countries such as India, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam. A cynical mind would call it smart economics, to produce high volumes of decent quality clothing for a pittance. that can’t be replaced by technology. But consider the environmental impact. It takes 200 tonnes of fresh while, textile waste as well water to dye a tonne of fabric. In

Environmental Impact cotton growing countries like India, it

Our new found obsession duce just one kilo of cotton. Harmful toxins with fast fashion is coming from chemical dyes and pesticides are at a cost though. After the oil industry, fast fashion is the second largest polluter in the world. Environmentalists have been warning us for a number of years now about the global impact of our production and consumption. We’re using up then washed into rivers and oceans. And it doesn’t go away there. We fish those oceans and drink from these rivers. In India alone, too many people already struggle to access clean drinking water. It seems unthinkable that textile producers are willing to dump chemicals such as lead and mercury into the rivers and oceans. Thus the environmental impact is intrinsically linked with the human cost. As for the cotton that was extreme volumes of natural produced -- it’s used in garments that could resources, chemicals, and well be thrown away within a year. It’s a water in our pursuits. Mean- pretty sad circle of life. takes over 20,000 litres of water to proas clothing that’s just a year What can we do to change? or two old is winding up in landfill sites, incinerators or the ocean. There is hope though. In fact, quite a lot of hope. But a mentality shift has to take place amongst both consumers and manufactur-

An even more alarming issue is that many chemicals used in the textile industry cause severe harm to the environment, and indeed factory workers and even consumers. Synthetic fibres such as polyester are made from plastic, and can take up to 200 years ers, and it’s the former who can influence the latter group. Awareness is a good place to start -- an appreciation for how your clothes are made. Then comes the willingness to change how you buy. Longer lasting clothes, made by experts who respect the industry and care about the impact of what they do. In the UK, this is where a good Savile Row Tailor has an edge. to decompose. That is, unless we incinerate it... But think again -- synthetic polyester They choose to make clothing from the finest material, and they will always choose quality over escalating quantity. They know that a bespoke garment, when made properly, will always outlast an off the peg garment. As well as this, the style will usually be much more timeless. Sure, we all know that buying quality costs more up front, but it pays dividends in the long term, both economically and environmentally. Unlike the world of fast fashion, Savile Row tailors want people to buy less, but buy better.

As for the ethicality of fabrics that they use, well that’s up to the tailors themselves. A Savile Row tailor worth his salt will insist on using organic and natural fibres which don’t require chemicals to be produced. They will also choose to buy textiles from countries where there are higher standards of production quality, and therefore better working conditions and monetary compensation and environmental regulation.

Unlike the world of fast fashion, Savile Row tailors want people to buy less, but buy better.

Author: Jamie Henfrey

Jamie Henfrey founder of Marc Oliver Bespoke Tailoring since 2008 and since then the label has quickly established a reputation for combining Savile Row craftmanship with renowned Italian design to produce hand tailored luxury Suits of unsurpassable quality and comfort. Business Digest 4