Sustainability- Fashion Forward Thinking by Molly Ellen Davies

FIGURE 1- Illustration I created using Adobe Illustrator.

FIGURE 2 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The vintage dress the model is wearing, is one of my own personal vintage garments.

FIGURE 3 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The vintage dress the model is wearing, is one of my own personal vintage garments.

FIGURE 4 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The vintage dress the model is wearing, is one of my own personal vintage garments.

CONTENTS PAGE 9 Abstract 10 Introduction 14 Emmeline Child 22 Sustainable Production 24 Recycling 26 Zero-Waste Design 28 Timo Rissanen 32 Bio Materials 34 Sustainable Brands 36 Temporary Collective 42 nu-in 54 Sustainability Survey 58 Conclusion 60 References 61 Image references 64 Appendices

ABSTRACT

We might all think, we are aware of sustainability issues within the fashion industry, but are we really? Do you think about where your clothes come from, and how they are made, or is this fabric sustainable? These are questions some people may think about, but not everyone, why is this? My enthusiasm, curiosity, and interest around the topic of sustainability, flourished in my second year of study after producing a catalogue and look book. This was centred around the ongoing effects the fast fashion industry is having on the planet and looking at ways to promote sustainability awareness within the fashion industry. For this essay, I researched a variety of sustainability sectors. This included gaining primary evidence, in the form of a survey, and stylised imagery. Completing a case study on an established sustainable advocate and gaining insightful information from books and media sites, empowered me to produce a thorough well-rounded academic study on the topic of sustainability within the fashion industry.

FIGURE 5 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% Recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads.

INTRODUCTION 10

Sustainability is becoming more prominent within the fashion industry but is it prominent enough? I am extremely passionate about the world becoming a more humane, greener and earth-friendly place, and sustainably certainly plays a big part in achieving this; therefore, I have chosen to complete a research investigation into the topic of sustainability through fashion and its many sectors. These include, ethical manufacturing processes, sustainable fashion brands, conducting a survey to gain individual’s ideas and opinions on sustainability, as well as a case study on the well-established sustainable,upcycling fashion designer, Emmeline Child. In addition to this, as part of my second year ‘Fashion Forecasting and Narratives’ module, and ‘Contemporary Fashion Communication’ module, I predict that vintage and second-hand clothing will be a significant trend within the 2021 high street market. Engaging with those two second year modules, conversing with sustainable advocates, and thoroughly researching into the ethical and vintage market, I became interested, eager, and ardent regarding the topic of sustainability and I truly believe this is the future of the fashion industry! With an upsurge of corporations such as the popular Lush Cosmetics, ethical fashion brands such as nu-in, Temporary Collective, and even food establishments, such as Chester based Joseph Benjamin who is supporting Chester Zoo’s palm oil city project. These companies are all taking pivotal steps to contribute to a more, ethical, and conscious environment; sustainability is on the rise and isn’t descending anytime soon! Kate Fletcher and Lynda Grose, two sustainable, inspirational pioneers and authors of, ‘Fashion and Sustainability: Design for change’ referenced: “As such it has the potential to transform the fashion sector at root, influencing everyone working within it, and everyone who touches fashion and textiles on a daily basis.” (Kate Fletcher, 2012) 11

FIGURE 6 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% Recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads.

FIGURE 7 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% Recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads.

EMMELINE CHILD Emmeline Child is a sustainable advocate and fashion designer, with almost 20 years’ experience, within the sustainable fashion and textiles industry.

This pioneer of upcycled fashion, launched her very own upcycled fashion brand, ‘Emmeline 4 Re’, in 2003. The successful upcycled collection was sold in fashion stores across the UK and throughout Europe. Emmeline 4 Re was the first ethical, green, and sustainable fashion range showcased and sold in major fashion retailer, TOPSHOP. In 2003, the high street giant, TOPSHOP began selling Emmeline 4 Re, to promote sustainability, within this everchanging industry. Emmeline’s PhD research is based around the ethical process, closed loop manufacturing. Emmeline aims to develop and create a clothing collection, conveying this beneficial, sustainable process. The closed loop manufacturing process refers to a company’s supply chain. It is a system, which enables businesses to repeatedly, re-use the same materials to create new and original garments, suitable for the shop floors, and ready to purchase. By brands applying the closed loop system into their manufacturing processes, according to ‘Greenmatters.com’“It’s a way to conserve natural resources and divert waste from the landfill.” (Hunt, 2018) The practising of the closed loop process is rising in many corporations. ‘Greenmatters.com’ states“Increasingly, more companies are adopting it.” (Hunt, 2018) Sustaining a career in the industry for over 20 years, Emmeline is most certainly an established pioneer of sustainability and upcycling within the fashion/textiles sector.

Attending a recent industry lecture, with Emmeline Child, opened my eyes to the fact that the fashion industry, although steps are being taken, must cleverly use marketing and communication strategies to push forward the continued and urgent need for sustainability within the fashion industry. Emmeline stated“Consumerism is a recent phenomenon. As recently as 50 years ago, we didn’t have these sorts of retail outlets, we weren’t buying in the same way we do now – this has had a really big impact on changing the way we think about fashion, but also the way the industry is as a whole.” (Child, 2020) Over recent years, consumers, particularly of my generation, aspire to emulate celebrity looks often seen on social media sites such as Instagram. In addition to this, the fascination to continually wear the latest on trend pieces, along with the ease, convenience, and stream of online fast fashion, is driving the desire for cheap mass-produced garments. “Mass consumerism came in, in the 50s and 60s, then, that real mass explosion went overseas in the 90s, and that’s been for the last 30 years, and now we are realising that this system is effectively broken. It’s now our job as designers, activists and consumers to think about how we work in the industry moving forward.” (Child, 2020)

FIGURE 8- Bundles of clothing, at the Kantamanto Market in Ghana.

A few of the fundamental facts which Emmeline stated, during the industry lecture are. •"The Uk is the fourth largest exporter, in the world, after the USA and Germany”. (Child, 2020) ‘Circularonline.co.uk’ states that“Out of the 3.1kg of textile waste each Briton produces every year, only 0.3kg are recycled and 0.4 kg are reused. However, 0.8kg are incinerated yearly per person and 1.7kg are disposed of in landfills.” (Moore, 2020) Appalling, shocking sites of textile landfill sites, huge bundles of discarded clothing and clothing mountains, such as, the 30ft clothing mountain in Accra, the Ghanaian Capital, are a constant reminder of the many one-use garments that are now littering the planet. These garments are often not biodegradable, compressed together for many years, consequently leaking poisonous, toxic gases into the atmosphere.

EMMELINE CHILD

•“COVID-19 was thought to be a catalyst for change; but unfortunately, we aren’t seeing it, consumerism is continuing to happen”. (Child, 2020) An example of this, recently hit the headlines, ‘Pretty Little Thing’ offered Black Friday deals, selling clothes and accessories for as little as 0.08p. People’s opinions differed, and took to social media sites, in particular Twitter to comment. According to ‘The Independent’“One Twitter user shared that they had purchased 56 items from the website for just £28. So happy. The best deal ever!!” (Petter, 2020) Opposing opinions were“56 items for £28 shouldn’t be possible if the human beings making them were paid a fair wage, and the fabrics used were of an environmentally sound quality”. (Petter, 2020) “One Twitter user described the 99 per cent off sale as “disgusting” while another called it “vile”. (Petter, 2020) Fast fashion being offered to consumers for this price, makes you question the companies’ morals and ethics around the fast fashion industry. It appears to undermine the whole manufacturing process; skills, time, and energy to produce the garments.

EMMELINE CHILD

“Re-Use is currently the most sustainable thing we can do with our products- the most effective way of being sustainable.” (Child, 2020) “Aim for a circular economyNEVER AN END!” (Child, 2020)

FIGURE 9 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% Recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads.

FIGURE 10 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% Recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads.

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION

Following on from Emmeline’s PhD research, exploring the ethical ‘closed loop production’ system, it indicated me to delve deeper into other sustainable manufacturing processes. Company awareness continues to rise and increase, around the emphasis of embracing more ethical and eco-friendly manufacturing processes, within the fashion industry. Fashion and textiles consumption and manufacturing processes is an ongoing contributing factor to climate change, causing irreversible damage to the planet, if no actions are made. To summarise, climate change is when there is a significant shift in weather conditions. Examples of this are changes in temperature, and amount of rainfall. Climate change doesn’t only impact specific locations, its long-lasting negative effects can also influence the whole planet. The main cause of climate change is the daily release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon and methane. Greenhouse gases are emitted from everyday activities, such as the daily commute to work, and using energy to cook. These harmful gases inhibit the heat, radiated by the earth to emerge, resulting in global warming. In addition to this, a growing amount of fashion companies are interested, and are investing in green and environmentally responsible, innovative technologies. Alongside, eco-friendly, and efficient measures, such as chemical-free methods, reducing waste and carbon emissions in manufacturing.

FIGURE 11 ( Image behind text) Image is presented on the BBC.com- smart guide to climate change- can fashion ever be sustainable page.

One of these efficient measures, is recycling. The fashion industry unfortunately still has high volumes of wastage from un-used and un-sold clothing, with many of the clothes ending up on landfill sites across Europe and Asia. ‘Clothes aid’ states“350,000 tonnes, that’s around £140 million worth of used but still wearable clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year. This equates to more than 30% of our unwanted clothing currently goes to landfill.” (Facts on clothes recycling, n.d.) In 2019, as part of the second edition of ‘Fashion United’s’ future of fashion series, sustainable production was a predominate theme. Referenced from ‘Fashion united.com’“ According to a report by the Environmental Audit Committee, 300,000 tonnes of clothing are burned or buried in the UK every year, while a 2017 report from Reverse Resources estimated that as much as one-quarter of the material fashion manufacturers purchase are wasted each year. In 2018, it was revealed that British Luxury brand Burberry destroyed unsold products worth 28.6 million pounds the previous year.” (Fashionunited, 2019) These negative, shocking facts and figures are a pivotal way for businesses, and particularly consumers to see the impact and consequence of mass consumerism, and company’s using unsustainable manufacturing practises. On a positive note, changes are happening, and consumers are becoming more aware of the extreme amount of waste, caused by the industry’s previous lack of knowledge or consideration for sustainability.

RECYCLING

There is a notable increase in fashion companies lengthening the life cycle of the brands fashion garments, using ethical methods such as re-using and recycling. Tyler Little, author of ‘The Future of Fashion: Understanding Sustainability in the Fashion Industry’ (2018) states-

“Both the processes of upcycling and recycling give new value to products that would otherwise become waste. The popularizing of these idea’s in both the fashion industry and beyond is a key driver to the sustainability movement.” (Little, 2018)

ZERO-WASTE DESIGN

Fibres that have been recycled, can be produced one of two ways, from pre-consumer waste or post-consumer waste. Pre- consumer waste describes the waste you gather, while completing a manufacturing process, such as pattern cutting, hand stitching and machine sewing. Zero-waste fashion label ‘Tonle’ create modern garments out of pre-consumer wastage, such as left-over fabrics and trimmings. Referenced from ‘Global opportunity explorer.com’“Tonlé creates zero-waste fashion collections out of surplus fabric from larger manufacturers, who usually waste about 11% of the fabric through inefficient cutting patterns. Based in Cambodia, Tonlé achieves zero-waste by combining creative patternmaking with a process of generating new garments from the surplus fabrics. Tonlé uses more than 97% of the fabric it receives and turns the excess into paper instead of discarding it.” (Sustainia, 2018) ‘Tonle’s’ zero-waste sustainable process is a great example of showcasing the increase of more and more companies participating in ethical manufacture. The statistic of, using 97% of the fabric Tonle receives, and turning the additional into paper, to prevent it from being disposed, is inspiring!

FIGURE 12- Ethical brand Tonle’s logo.

28 FIGURE 13- Image of Timo Rissanen

Similarly, Finnish fashion designer, artist, and an established sustainable pioneer Timo Rissanen, is celebrated for his support, commitment, and activism towards the ethical method, zero-waste design. Timo Rissanen studied at ‘The University of Technology’ based in Sydney Australia. Timo’s passion and interest started to flourish for zero waste design, while studying and completing a practical based PhD in this sustainable manufacturing process. As of 2019, Timo is now an associate professor of Fashion design and sustainability at Parsons school of design in New York, having previously been an assistant professor of the schools Fashion design and sustainability. Whilst lecturing at Parsons school of design, he developed a core fresher course, named ‘Sustainable Systems’. The courses main aim is to enlighten and teach students, pivotal and vital research about fashions relationship with climate change, the earth and atmosphere. This course has had fantastic feedback from future designers, he then taught. According to ‘This is Finland. Com’“My biggest takeaway from Timo’s class was the ability to critically think about the design process when constructing a garment,” says 22-year-old design student Jacob Olmedo.” (Damarwala, 2017) “His classmate Casey Barber says, “I had never approached design with questions such as, ‘How will this garment look after three to five washes?’ and ‘Will it maintain its shape and texture?’ Since learning from Timo, I have continued to explore creative construction methods such as zero waste pattern making and sustainable sourcing of materials.” (Damarwala, 2017) In addition to this, Timo co-wrote the 2016 published book ‘Zero waste fashion design’, with fellow sustainable pioneer ‘Holly McQuillan’. They state that, “There is no one way of doing Zero-waste fashion design. Although we are writing this book as a singular voice, our working methods are very different. Our aim is embrace this diversity of practise throughout the book.” (Timo Rissanen, 2015) This reference is inspiring motivating to read and gives hope to future new ways of working! With there not being one way of zero-waste design to follow, many companies can adapt this environmentally responsible process, to their current manufacturing systems. Even with one brand investing into using a more ethical process, small positive steps are happening! 29

A reference from my lecturers presentation, regarding zero-waste fashion and Timo Rissanen referenced that Timo Rissanen stated that“Careful design can eliminate as much as 20% of fabric waste.” (Swan, 2020) To summarise, zero-waste design is a waste-reducing ethical manufacturing process, in which no materials, trimmings etc are disposed of, either by landfill or incineration. The layout of the zero-waste design process can appear very intricate! ‘Seamwork.com’ states“To the uninitiated, zero-waste design layouts look intimidating. The finished pattern looks like intricate interlocking puzzle pieces that emerged, fully formed, from thin air. His first pattern, fittings, and alterations focus on garment shape. Once that works, he looks at the pattern pieces on the actual fabric width and begins designing the garment details, like the collar and cuffs for a shirt. “Essentially, I’m going from the largest pieces to smallest as the design process progresses.” (Yen, n.d.)

The Jigsaw puzzle approach is prominent within Timo Rissanen’s work. A reference from my lecturers presentation, regarding zero-waste fashion and Timo Rissanen referenced that“Timo Rissanen’s uses a jigsaw puzzle approach’- fabric once wasted, now becomes part of the design.” (Swan, 2020) The lecturer referenced a quote from Timo himself: “I basically had to learn design again.” (Swan, 2020) On the other hand, post- consumer waste describes old, dated, and run-down products or clothing, that has served its intended purpose with a consumer, and have now decided to dispose of the items/clothing items. The ways of disposal, could involve, donating to charity banks, charity stores or passing down to family or friends.

FIGURE 14- Front cover of Timo Rissanen and Holly McQuillan’s book- Zero waste fashion design.

FIGURE 15 - Example of citrus fruits, used to create citrus waste fabric.

FIGURE 16 - Image of the Bardot corset from the Orange Fiber x H&M conscious collection, created using Orange Fiberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s citrus juice sustainable fabric.

Innovative, pioneering, and futuristic; Bio-based materials are on the rise but are they the answer to reducing the fashion industry’s high environmental negative impact? Ranging from Mushroom roots to Spider silk, bio-based materials are varied, and can be interwoven into the manufacturing process of any garment. A dress made from mushroom roots, may not sound appealing, but to the environment it does! Bio-based materials offer a more ethical, low impact, environmentally friendly substitute to traditional unsustainable fibres such as made-made fibres polyester and nylon. These fibres are predominantly non-biodegradable, which leak toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, further contributing to the environmental devastation. For example, the rigorous process of nylon, creates and emits a greenhouse gas, ‘Nitrous Oxide’, which is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Last year, ‘H&M’s sustainable Conscious collection, collaborated with Italian based company, ‘Orange Fiber’ to create a conscious and ethical range made with citrus fruit by products. H&M stated“Described as the “most anticipated collection” by H&M, the joint venture was driven by the need to reinvent fashion in a greener way.” (Kapfunde, n.d.)

SUSTAINABLE FASHION BRANDS

The rise and influx of sustainable fashion companies offer fashion obsessed consumers their fashion look, but without the damaging and long-lasting consequences that mass, fast fashion consumption continuously contributes to. Now who wouldn’t want that, going green, but with style! One leading ethical brand, that has been at the forefront of the sustainable fashion movement, ever since it was founded in 1943, is American based sustainable outdoor clothing company Patagonia. Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, first discovered his passion and enthusiasm for sustainable, conscious, and environmental issues, whilst rock climbing. His rock-climbing equipment was damaging the natural state of the rock faces. This pushed, and motivated Yvon to produce his own climbing equipment. ‘Allgoodtales.com’ states“This effort to look after the environment would become a driving force behind the ethos of the business.” (Brand Story Hero–Patagonia, 2018) It is one of the most recognisable, international sustainable fashion brands, with the mission and intention to help find solutions to this ongoing environmental devastation! This sustainable clothing company is also dedicated and committed to not only designing and producing outdoor sports clothing and gear, but also to teach, coach, motivate and inspire up and coming sustainable and environmental enthusiast’s/activists. Patagonia, an ethical brand at the forefront of the sustainable movement, is also at the forefront of its own global movement, ‘1% for the planet’! The ‘1% of the planet’ enterprise is handled by Patagonia’s sustainability external team. It is an initiative where companies, who all share the same passion and desire to put a stop to this ongoing environmental crisis. The companies come together and agree to donate 1% of their total yearly sales, to support a variety of environmental organizations by providing funding to these grassroot organizations. Tyler Little, author of ‘The Future of Fashion: Understanding Sustainability in the Fashion Industry’ (2018) states. “The initiative has already donated 175 million dollars toward protecting the planet.” (Little, 2018) Inspirational acts such as this, from a global sustainable company, will for sure encourage, motivate and inspire, fashion company’s, consumers and the next generation of sustainable advocates, to consider sustainable issues, and to act/ think in a more conscious, ethical way!

FIGURE 18- A commercial image of the Temporary Collective, Concrete Nature Organic T.

FIGURE 17- A stylised image of the Temporary Collective, Concrete Nature Organic T. I created this via Adobe Photoshop.

TEMPORARY COLLECTIVE In comparison, to established sustainable companies, such as Patagonia, there is also a rise and increase of emerging, up and coming sustainable fashion companies. A similarity I have noticed within these up and coming ethical brands, is that they often incorporate contemporary, modern and on trend styles into their sustainable garments, particularly targeting younger generations such as Generation Z or Millennials. Following on from this, I first came across, sustainable streetwear inspired brand, Temporary Collective, via the website of popular lifestyle retailer Urban Outfitters. As a keen sustainable consumer, I was instantly drawn to the organic caption, in the description of one of their products. Interested and intrigued by this ethical brand, I was excited to look at the website to find out more about the company’s clothes and sustainable ethos. Formed in 2018, by an array of keen creatives, from all different backgrounds, Temporary Collective was born! This fresh, contemporary, cool, upcycled and sustainable brand offers gender-neutral ethical clothing, targeted to anyone and everyone! Taking inspiration from Japanese streetwear and contemporary art, combining the styles together to create a new look, along with using a range of organic, sustainable, and recycled fabrics, this unisex label is perfect for any ethical fashion-forward lovers out there…get shopping, sustainably! Temporary Collective, are committed to using sustainable practices and environmentally friendly systems for manufacture production. These include collaborating with a local print making studio, to create all the garment graphics in a limited amount of runs and incorporating energy-saving and water conserving facilities into their manufacture processes. Adding another tick to the list, this emerging ethical brand offers Japanese inspired streetwear sustainable pieces for affordable prices! Ranging in price from £38-£70. Who could say no to purchasing one of these ‘Temporary Collective’ pieces, stylish and sustainable!

One of my Temporary Collective items, is the ‘Organic Concrete Nature T’. I created Primary imagery, of the Organic Concrete Nature T showcased on a model, my sister. As my model was wearing the item, she stated, that“It was much better quality, than a normal cotton T-shirt, I would purchase this for myself, and more items from the Temporary Collective brand, £38 is a more than reasonable price to pay for a good quality sustainable t-shirt.”

FIGURE 19 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my Temporary Collective, Organic Concrete Nature T.

FIGURE 20 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my Temporary Collective, Organic Concrete Nature T.

FIGURE 21 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my Temporary Collective, Organic Concrete Nature T.

nu-in

If you are after sustainable, fashionable, and affordable clothing, then nu-in is the brand for you! The ethical brand was founded in 2019, by 4 friends, who all shared the same passion about creating trendy, affordable, fashion- forward and of course sustainable clothing! The 4 founders; Mike, Poppy, Marcus, and Stefanie have all worked in this evolving fashion industry, for a combined time of 50+ years. Although this ethical emerging brand, hasn’t been around for that long, with the founders 50+ years’ experience within the fashion industry, the 4 founders certainly have established experience and knowledge; green consumers, have no fear, you’re in safe ethical hands, when purchasing from this contemporary sustainable fashion label! An inspiring quote from ethical brand nu-in’s about us page states“We’ve designed every part of our business around sustainability to show the fashion industry that it can be done; you can produce collections that people love using recycled and organic materials.” (Mike, n.d.) Affordability is at the forefront of the brands aim, to make the clothes accessible to as many people as possible. ‘nu-in’ states“Are we expensive because we care? Never. Part of our belief is that it shouldn’t cost the earth to save the Earth. Basing our creative office next to our main factory in Portugal not only helps to reduce our carbon footprint, it makes our clothes more affordable. Are we saying you should only buy from nu-in? It’s not our place to change where you shop. We just want to show the world that affordable fashion and sustainability can coexist. And if we only convince one person or one brand to think more about the impact fashion has on the environment, it will have all been worth it.” (Mike, n.d.)

FIGURE 22 - nu-in logo. T.

Like my Temporary Collective primary imagery, my sister modelled two nu-in pieces I own, the ‘Stay Positive Unisex Sweatshirt’ and the ‘Balloon Sleeve Jumper’. Whilst wearing the two nu-in jumpers she stated“They feel very high quality, you would expect them to be more than £37. You could pay more for a jumper from Asos, and that wouldn’t even be sustainable! They were both comfortable to wear, and I will definitely be checking this brand out!”

FIGURE 23- Commercial styling imagery, showcasing the nu-in Stay Positive Unisex Sweatshirt. Image from the nu-in website.

FIGURE 24- Commercial styling imagery, showcasing the nu-in Stay Positive Unisex Sweatshirt. Image from the nu-in website.

FIGURE 25 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Stay Positive Unisex Sweatshirt. .

FIGURE 26 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Stay Positive Unisex Sweatshirt. .

FIGURE 27 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Stay Positive Unisex Sweatshirt. .

FIGURE 28 - Commercial styling imagery, showcasing the nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper. Image from the nu-in website.

FIGURE 29 - Commercial styling imagery, showcasing the nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper. Image from the nu-in website.

FIGURE 30 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper.

FIGURE 31 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper.

FIGURE 32 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper.

SUSTAINABILITY SURVERY

Across my social media sites, I put out a fashion industry sustainability survey, consisting of 6 questions, to gain responses from varied audiences, and not just my fellow fashion marketing and communication peers. This enabled me to gain a clearer view around peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinions and understanding on the topic of sustainability. From the 29 responses I received, I was pleasantly surprised to see that most people were aware about sustainability within the fashion industry. From the survey, it was clear that many people had the perception, that sustainable fashion items, were not always the most fashionable, and were considered to be expensive.

One of the survey questions I asked wasTo support the reduction of climate change. Have you bought pre-owned clothing from charity/vintage shops or websites/apps? 21 people said yes- 72.41% 8 people said no- 27.59% The responses to this question, were both, surprising and pleasing to me, as I didn’t expect the percentage of people buying pre-owned clothing to be so high. Various ways were stated regarding purchasing of second-hand goods, predominately Depop and eBay, but also Instagram, Vintage weight sales and charity shops. Some responses were“I will always look in charity shops as you can buy really good clothing at a fraction of the price, which is always a good idea”. “Charity shops Depop eBay” A second pivotal question I asked wasWhen shopping for clothes. Do you consider, where they come from, who makes them and in what conditions they are made? 29 people answered. 17 said yes- 58.62% 12 said no- 41.38% It was disappointing to see that sustainability was not always considered when shopping for new clothes. This could be due to the individual’s choice, or lack of knowledge around the subject of ethical and sustainable clothes and how they can benefit consumers to wear their clothes for a longer period of time. Some responses were“I consider what I am buying and where from. I avoid buying fast fashion garments. Labelling needs to offer more information around this.” “Honestly no. Although I should. I think there needs to be more emphasis on where things come from because it’s so easy to overlook that.”

FIGURE 33 - Bar chart, showing my results to one of my survey questions, To support the reduction of climate change, have you bought pre-owned clothing from Charity/Vintage shops, or websites/apps?

FIGURE 34 - Bar chart, showing my results to one of my survey questions, When shopping for clothes, do you consider, where they come from, who makes them, and in what conditions they are made?

CONCLUSION

To conclude, sustainability is a complex topic, that can divide opinions. Climate change is happening to all of us, and it is clear that the fashion and textiles industry is contributing to this. Consumers shopping habits have significantly increased over many years; bombarded with media images and buying garments at the click of a button, has catapulted the consumers desire to feed their shopping habits, to the detriment of our planet. On a positive note, there is a rise of emerging sustainable fashion companies, investing in ethical ways of producing materials, to pass on to its consumers. I look forward to seeing further sustainable brands, within our high streets, and also through positive marketing and communication strategies, promoted quickly to audiences.

REFERENCES Brand Story Heroâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Patagonia. (2018). Retrieved from All good tales: https://allgoodtales.com/ brand-story-hero-patagonia/ Child, E. (2020, October). Industry Lecure. Sustainable industry lecture. Damarwala, S. (2017). FINNISH DESIGNER EMPOWERS SUSTAINABLE FASHION. Retrieved from This is finland: https://finland.fi/business-innovation/finnish-designer-empowers-sustainable-fashion/ Facts on clothes recycling. (n.d.). Retrieved from Clothes aid: https://clothesaid.co.uk/about-us/ facts-on-clothes-recycling/ Fashionunited. (2019, October Thursday ). Future of Fashion: Production - sustainable, high-tech and on-demand. Retrieved from Fahion United: https://fashionunited.uk/case/future-of-fashionproduction-sustainable-high-tech-and-on-demand Hunt, K. (2018). Whats a closed loop system? Retrieved from Green Matters: https://www.greenmatters.com/business/2018/08/15/Z16xhYS/closed-loop-system-sustainability-production Kapfunde, M. (n.d.). Orange Fiber x H&M Conscious Exclusive, Reinventing Fashion in a Greener Way. Retrieved from Fash Nerd: https://fashnerd.com/2019/04/orange-fiber-x-hm-conscious-collection-reinventing-fashion-in-a-greener-way/ Kate Fletcher, L. G. (2012). Fashion and Sustainability. In L. G. Kate Fletcher, Design for change (p. 8). London: Laurence King Publishing. Little, T. (2018). The Future of Fashion. In T. Little, Understanding Sustainability in the Fashion Industry (pp. 163-164). Great Britain: New Degree Press. Mike, P. M. (n.d.). About us. Retrieved from nu-in: https://nu-in.com/pages/about-us Moore, D. (2020, January 22). UK named fourth largest textile waste producer in Europe. Retrieved from Circular Online: https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/uk-named-fourth-largest-textilewaste-producer-in-europe/ Petter, O. (2020, November 31st). PRETTY LITTLE THING CRITICISED FOR SELLING CLOTHES FOR 8P ON BLACK FRIDAY. Retrieved from The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/pretty-little-thing-black-friday-sale-b1763255.html Sustainia. (2018, June 19). Fashion From Pre-Consumer Waste. Retrieved from Global Opportunity explorer: https://goexplorer.org/fashion-from-pre-consumer-waste/ Swan, E. (2020). Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/mols5/Downloads/FF%20Sustainability%20 notes%20(2).pdf Timo Rissanen, H. M. (2015). Zero Waste Fashion Design. In H. M. Timo Rissanen, Zero Waste Fashion Design (p. 7). Bloomsbury Publishing. Yen, J. (n.d.). Zero-waste design. Retrieved from Seamwork States: https://www.seamwork.com/

60 magazine/2016/05/zero-waste-design

IMAGE REFERENCES FRONT COVER IMAGE - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The vintage dress the model is wearing, is one of my own personal vintage garments. FIGURE 1- Illustration I created using Adobe Illustrator. FIGURE 2- Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The vintage dress the model is wearing, is one of my own personal vintage garments. FIGURE 3 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The vintage dress the model is wearing, is one of my own personal vintage garments. FIGURE 4 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The vintage dress the model is wearing, is one of my own personal vintage garments. FIGURE 5 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads. FIGURE 6 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads. FIGURE 7 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads. FIGURE 8 - Bundles of clothing, at the Kantamanto Market in Ghana. https://www.fashionroundtable.co.uk/news/2020/4/14/6rr73axzj7qlgzvi811wwqu4myvex3 FIGURE 9 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads. FIGURE 10 - Photography and styling by myself (Molly Davies.) The model is wearing a Tommy Jeans oversized demin jacket, that I own. The jacket is made out of 100% recycled cotton, and 100% Recycled threads. FIGURE 11 - Image is presented on the BBC.com- smart guide to climate change- can fashion ever be sustainable page. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200310-sustainable-fashion-how-to-buy-clothesgood-for-the-climate FIGURE 12 - Ethical brand Tonleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logo - https://sustainablebrands.com/brands/tonle FIGURE 13 - Image of Timo Rissanen - https://wellmadeclothes.com/articles/TimoRissanenOnZeroWasteDesign/ FIGURE 14 - Front cover of Timo Rissanen and Holly McQuillanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book- Zero waste fashion design. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/zero-waste-fashion-design-9781472581983/

IMAGE REFERENCES FIGURE 15 - Example of citrus fruits, used to create citrus waste fabric. https://hmgroup.com/media/Our-stories/orange-fiber.html

FIGURE 16 - Image of the Bardot corset from the Orange Fiber x H&M conscious collection, created using Orange Fiberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s citrus juice sustainable fabric. https://fashnerd.com/2019/04/orange-fiber-x-hm-conscious-collection-reinventing-fashion-in-agreener-way/ FIGURE 17 - A stylised image of the Temporary Collective, Concrete Nature Organic T. I created this via Adobe Photoshop. FIGURE 18 - A commercial image of the Temporary Collective, Concrete Nature Organic T. https://s7g10.scene7.com/is/image/UrbanOutfittersEU/0214684940015_010_b?$xlarge$&fit=constrain&qlt=80&wid=683 FIGURE 19 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my Temporary Collective, Organic Concrete Nature T. FIGURE 20 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my Temporary Collective, Organic Concrete Nature T. FIGURE 21 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my Temporary Collective, Organic Concrete Nature T. FIGURE 22 - nu-in logo - https://nu-in.com/ FIGURE 23 - Commercial styling imagery, showcasing the nu-in Stay Positive Unisex sweatshirt. Image from the nu-in website - https://nu-in.com/products/stay-positive-unisex-sweatshirt-unisex-009-00539-0013 FIGURE 24 - Commercial styling imagery, showcasing the nu-in Stay Positive Unisex sweatshirt. Image from the nu-in website - https://nu-in.com/products/stay-positive-unisex-sweatshirt-unisex-009-00539-0013 FIGURE 25 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Stay Positive unisex sweatshirt. FIGURE 26 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Stay Positive unisex sweatshirt. FIGURE 27 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Stay Positive unisex sweatshirt.

IMAGE REFERENCES FIGURE 28 - Commerical styling imagery, showcasing the nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper. Image from the nu-in website. https://nu-in.com/products/balloon-sleeve-jumper-w-003-00810-0002-black?_ pos=1&_sid=fad18ff3a&_ss=r FIGURE 29 - Commerical styling imagery, showcasing the nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper. Image from the nu-in website. https://nu-in.com/products/balloon-sleeve-jumper-w-003-00810-0002-black?_ pos=1&_sid=fad18ff3a&_ss=r FIGURE 30 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper. FIGURE 31 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper. FIGURE 32 - Photography and styling by myself ( Molly Davies.) The model is wearing my nu-in Balloon Sleeve Jumper. FIGURE 33 - Bar chart, showing my results to one of my survey questions, To support the reduction of climate change, have you bought pre-owned clothing from Charity/Vintage shops, or websites/apps? FIGURE 34 - Bar chart, showing my results to one of my survey questions, When shopping for clothes, do you consider, where they come from, who makes them, and in what conditions they are made?

APPENDICES Survey questions and responses, I didnt include in the main body of my essay.

Some examples of the responses I received from the first question, I asked. What is your opinion on sustainable clothing? “Something of the future, I think brands are going to become more sustainable because it is the only options they have.” “An excellent idea, business should use more sustainable materials more often.” “Something of the future, I think brands are going to become more sustainable because it is the only options they have.”

Are you aware of any advantages of buying sustainable clothing? Out of the 29 responses I received. 25 people said yes- 86.21% 4 people said no- 13.79% It was great to see that such a high percentage of people are aware of the advantages of buying sustainable clothing. Sustainability within the fashion industry is the future! Some responses were“Less landfill and wastage of the synthetic materials as they are made with more organic recourses which in turn are better for the planet. Reduces the worlds carbon emissions. Fair labour prices.” “Improved quality of life of the garment workers. Item tends to last longer. Holds more value towards the item Know you are making a positive change.”

APPENDICES

Some examples of the responses I received from the questionDo you consider sustainable clothing fashionable and affordable? “Yes brands such as nuin make clothes that are fashionable and somewhat affordable.” “Both. Their fashionable basics , fashionable staples and their affordable sometimes depending on the brand.” “The likes of Tala are sustainable but they keep up with the latest gym wear trends” “They can be fashionably mainly from what I’ve seen they stick to minimal designs so it would be interesting to see them go for more experimental looks that are many more expressive to stand out.” 66

Are you aware of any clothing brands/companies selling sustainable clothes. If so, how have you been made aware of these? Some responses were“Noticed some brands now selling sustainable clothing . Made aware of other stores / companies from a family member. Sustainable clothing requires more advertising within stores.” “nuin and Tala.” “I’ve seen a few lately on ASOS that says ‘recycled’ or ‘sustainable’ .” “Quite often see adverts on Instagram, Facebook and sometimes TikTok.”

MOLLY DAVIES J70018 FASHION FUTURES AD6603