MENTHER SUSTAINABILITY
Creating Change Together I
f you feel that some aspect of an industry or economy is exclusive and hard to access, chances are that others experience this feeling as well. Knowledge, access to economic means and ability are just some of the ways some industries have been designed to benefit the few rather than the society at large, the fashion industry is one of them. The fashion industry has a multitude of issues from overconsumption, inhumane treatment of workers, polluting the environment and a lack of supporting the local communities. These issues are part of an extremely complex system where the issues and potential solutions are interconnected. Yet, the current sustainable fashion solutions mostly address actions individuals can take and better materials. Sustainable Fashion Scotland (SFS) is a communityled social venture with the mission to connect the fashion community in Scotland and facilitate a sustainable fashion transformation through collective impact and knowledge exchange. Although the fashion industry faces problems on a global scale, we act locally in Scotland. This is because we
believe that systems change will only be achieved through the collective impact of many innovative local solutions working together towards a shared vision. A place-based approach to systems change can inspire action and empower individuals to work towards
solutions that are relevant and tangible to them. More than this however is the need for a community approach to systems change, where social relationships are strengthened and multi-stakeholder collaboration is enabled. A better connected infrastructure will increase potential for synergy by opening access to exchange knowledge, resources, and practical skills, and inviting new diverse perspectives to
contribute and expand our collective knowledge - all supporting the community to develop equitable, effective and innovative local solutions together. By creating an open and accessible space for people to share knowledge no matter their expertise or level of involvement we aim to shift the existing power dynamics in the fashion industry. We are working to welcome people who are often excluded from the spaces where fashion is discussed to help shift these dynamics. Through using positive and solutions-oriented language rather than problemfocused communication, we hope to inspire action and encourage people of all levels of understanding to get involved. This has unlocked new ideas previously not explored and has worked particularly well at providing insights for us to direct our strategy and meet the hidden needs of the community. Providing spaces for open conversation means we also create space which enables collaboration between those working towards a shared vision of a sustainable fashion transformation for Scotland.
Inspire | Connect | Empower
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