SUSTAINABILITY IN

FASHION

SUBMITTED BY-DIVYANSHA
F.P. GROUP- 3
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 SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is the ability or development that meets the needs of the present society
without compromising the future generation to meet their own needs.
Fashion has a perhaps surprising, yet quite powerful role to play in the sustainability. Fashion
is a process Is expressed and one by people and as a material object has a direct link to the
environment. It is embedded in everyday life. Thus, fashion is ripe for sustainable action on
all fronts. So, basically for us, taking into account broad definitions on sustainability and the
unique potential of fashion, sustainability within fashion means that through development
and use of a thing or a process there is no harm dine to people or the planet and that thing or
process, once put into action, can enhance the well-being of the people who interact with
environment.
Certainly, the people who design, produce and consume fashion must be informed and be a
part of the larger conversation on sustainable issues and practices.

‘FASHION PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY OF AWARENESS FOR

SUSTAINABILITY’

Why NOW for a SUSTAINABLE FASHION?

Because sustainability is our goal, we need to move beyond the old, linear models that no
longer work. Globalization has opened the channels of international communication and
allowed us to question how design and clothing production affect the people and the planet
we all share. During manufacturing cloth very little concern exists for air and water pollution
created by textile fibre, yarn and fabric production.
The idea is that creating and consuming fashion uses resources, in which some are renewable
and some are not. 2
 ECO-FASHION

The ongoing exploitation of natural resources and the

destruction of the environment have pushed many
consumers of fashionable products to question their
purchases. we read about clothing, footwear and textile
industry are the second only to agriculture in consuming
the most water and contaminating waterways with
chemicalsfor bleaching, dying andfinishing fashion
products.
The eco-savvy fashion shopper appear to be struggling
and pushing to reconcile the roles of being a
conscientious consumers and a conscientious citizen.

Smart fabrics, seamlesss knitting , digital textile printing,

wearable technology, made-to-order clothing, fibre to
fibre recycling. These technology enabled apparel
application evoke a future of design and product
development that is rich with possibilities for
developing sustainable solutions.

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While sustainable development may be the organizing principles for sustainability for
some, for others, the two terms are paradoxical (i.e. development is inherently
unsustainable)

1. Recycle
 Millions of tons of textiles are produced every year, a number that increases every
year. A significant percentage of the clothes produced from these textiles are thrown
away, with the average American disposing of 65 pounds of clothing per year. Not only
are some of these clothes perfectly usable, but textile is an extremely recyclable
substance.
 Recycled fashion, or eco fashion, re-works discarded material to useful uses.
In order to produce millions of textiles every year, raw materials such as animal skin fur,
wool and silk, plants such as cotton and bamboo, and nylon and polyester chemicals are
being used.
 Since each of these categories of textile producers have one or more setbacks to it, the
need for recycling garments becomes crucial and a must.
How does one recycle fashion?
According to the ethical fashion forum, there are three ways of recycling fashion:

1) Fabric from recycled fibres or products: Like recycled polyester made from used
drinking bottles or fabrics made from recycled yarns.

2) Recycling textile fabric: Also known as “Upcycling”, it involves using unwanted

factory surpluses, offcuts or other waste materials

3) Clothing: taking second-hand clothing and re-fashioning or repairing it so it is given a

second life, and a second owner.

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 2. Re-use
Re-use fashion need not necessarily be related to using old and worn out
garments.
It’s a simple movement, most effective and easy for every individual, conscious
about the environment and eco friendly fashion.
Each one of us can just look through our closets and find something we haven’t
worn in a while, and have completely forgotten about it. Try pairing it with
new accessories, or overalls, or fashion items.
And if you don’t necessarily like the pairing, you can always cut up the garment
and use the textile and material to produce something of your own imaginative
ideas. Re use fashion is all about working with the material given to you,
discarding it however, is not an option.

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 3. UPCYCLING

Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-

products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or
products of better quality or for better environmental value.

 Upcycling fashion makes use of already existing pieces, it often uses few
resources in its creation and actually keeps ‘unwanted’ items out of the
waste stream.
 Upcycling is a way of processing an item to make it better than the original.
In the example of clothing, this is often taking something that doesn’t fit or
is stained/torn and refashioning a wearable product.
 Average Joes to fashionistas and even the fashion industry at large are jumping
on board with companies offering coupons for clothing trade-ins and designers
taking old pieces and making them new. In India and Japan, fashion designers
are inventing and re-inventing recycling techniques to reinvigorate local fashion
trends.
Other fashion brands have re-imagined the little black dress by dying and
re-cutting vintage wear and celebrities are beginning to embrace red carpet
ready clothing made from sustainable materials.

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As we all know, fashion in this day and age has reached real heights, (in terms
of its rapid growth, mass production, and unique ideas and concepts, etc.)
When a garment gets a positive feedback, designers are encouraged to work
on more garments, for the masses.

Hence, fashion can be divided into two halves:

1) Fast fashion
2) Slow fashion

Apart from these two halves, fashion also can be talked about through the
concept of sustainability

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 SLOW FASHION
Slow fashion was termed by Kate Fletcher, when she compared the
eco/sustainable/ethical fashion industry to the slow food movement.
Slow fashion philosophy includes ideas and actions of :
1) Buying vintage clothes
2) Redesigning old clothes
3) Shopping from smaller producers
4) Making clothes and accessories at home
5) Buying garments that last longer.
 Slow fashion clothing is made up of high quality materials usually with
timeless designs that can be worn year round and never go out of style.
 Slow Fashion garments should also consider their end of lifecycle. Generally
if it is well made and with natural fibres it can be broken down easier.
 One setback of fast fashion, when compared to slow fashion, is that fast
fashion has a lot of wastage of garment production, which is eventually
dumped into landfills.
Slow fashion is not a typically seasonal trend, it is a fashion movement which is
steadily gaining momentum and recognised by the masses.

SLOW FASHION REPRESENTS ALL THINGS “ECO”, “ETHICAL”, AND “GREEN” IN ONE
UNIFIED MOVEMENT.

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 CRAFTS IN MAINSTREAM FASHION

 Indigenous craftspeople in India are

getting connected with the mainstream
fashion industry through a crafts and
design revolution.
 Experts reach out to the indigenous
craftspeople in the interior areas of the
country, with design and lifestyle solutions
that in turn, integrates their traditional
crafts in modern fashion education.
 Experts say this will enhance design
strategies, get international branding for
their products, improve lifestyles with
social intervention projects and teach
students of contemporary fashion the
importance of traditional handicrafts.
 The traditional crafts solutions in India
lie in the uplift of craft folk's social
conditions, greater education and ensuring
life of their crafts.

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 Designers associated with
Sustainable Fashion

 STELLA McCartney  ALICE FISHER

 VIVIENNE WESTWOOD  AMBER VALETTA
 STELLA JEAN  JENNIFER SAUNDERS
 SIMONE CIPRIANI  KATHARINE HAMNETT
 KAREN WALKER  TARA St. JAMES
 LIVIA FIRTH  GWYNETH PALTROW
 PHARELL WILLIAMS  SASS BROWN
 MARTINA STOESSEL  NYAD
 SUZY AMIS CAMERON  CATE BLANCHETT

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 Westwood is the designer who
often let her clothes speak for
themselves, as independent designs
and as her own statements of
culture. This idea that she uses
her clothing as a statement of
her own is a motif consistent
throughout her time as a
designer.

She is the God mother of punk style and has had a career that spans over 45 years.
She was born on 8 April 1941 & is a British fashion designer and businesswoman.
British designer Vivienne Westwood, as renowned for her fire-coloured hair as her
feminine designs, is has taken up a leading role in ethical fashion with the launch of
her second ethical fashion collection. Guided by the principle that problems such as
poverty and female inequality cannot be solved through charity alone, Westwood
released her 'Ethical Fashion Africa' collection of handbags earlier this summer. Her
credo is simple: 'This is not charity, it is work.'
The range provides jobs and livelihoods to more than 7,000 marginalised people
(mainly women) living in Kenya and uses recycled materials such as canvas tents and
roadside signs to craft the designs. The project is part of the International Trade
Centre's (ITC) Ethical Fashion Programme, which seeks to make fashion sustainable
on three levels - social, economic and environmental. The programme bills itself as a
market-based mechanism, not a charity; and many participants have seen their income
increase by three to six dollars per day with the addition of orders from Westwood's
line.
The ITC, a joint initiative run by the UN and the World Trade Organisation [WTO],
wants to bring the many people living in poverty today into global commerce through
partnerships with brands like Westwood's. Simone Cipriani of the ITC said that the
Ethical Fashion Programme is more than just a way to make consumers feel good
about them; it's a way to address the problem of poverty holistically. 'This is not niche
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initiative', Cipriani said. This programme facilitates disadvantaged communities and
their groups of artisans to enter the international value chain'.

HER SPRING-SUMMER 2018-19

COLLECTION

These dresses were made from wood

pulp extracted from plantations
regulated by reforestation programs
designed to positively impact the
environment. And so it went for the
rest of the collection: The underwear-
Ish wool ribbed knits; the hemp-and-
bamboo mix, rough-hemmed, and
piping-edged shirt; and the 100
percent recycled striped double-
breasted jackets and hoodies inspired
by army uniforms were all produced to
adhere to the Oeko-Tex sustainability
standard. Even the width of broad
handkerchief skirts was determined by
the span of the bolt of cloth from
which they were cut, to ensure
minimal waste in production.

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 HER CONTRIBUTION

 During the 21st century WESTWOOD continued her antiestablishment ,

Human rights and sustainability mission. She demonstrated her
commitment to it in 2010 with her International Trade Center to create
Ethical fashion initiative in Kenya producing handbags out of recycled
materials. Westwood Has Also designed for Chelsea Manning And for
PETA, and she even Off her hair In support of climate change action.
 In 2011 she designed a T-shirt to coincide with the campaign in
conjunction with the organization ‘People Tree’ to raise money for
indigenous tribe within the rain forest.
 In 2012 she made a € 1 million donation to rainforest charity Cool Earth .
 In 2013 Vivienne Westwood utilized the importance of herself as a brand
through her philanthropic nature aided the English natural ballet.
 In 2014, Westwood became the ambassador for the clean energy Trillion
Fund.
 Recently she has released her “ETHICAL FASHION AFRICAN COLLECTION”
of HANDBAG using recycled materials.

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 BRAND STUDY

When you wear People Tree, you look good and feel good knowing your unique
garment was made with respect for people and the planet.
 A SIMPLE IDEA
People Tree is recognised by customers and the fashion industry as a pioneer in ethical and
environmentally sustainable fashion. For over 27 years, People Tree has partnered with Fair
Trade producers, garment workers, artisans and farmers in the developing world to produce
ethical and eco fashion collections. Fair Trade is about creating a new way of doing business;
creating access to markets and opportunities for people who live in the developing world.

 PROUD TO BE DIFFERENT
When you shop with People Tree, you can trust that your goods were made ethically and
sustainably.
People Tree is a different kind of fashion business giving customers an alternative to fast
fashion. The fast fashion industry is fuelled by insatiable demand for cheap clothing and
accessories. Fast fashion has a devastating impact, from sweatshops and child labour to
pollution and global warming. Slow Fashion means standing up against exploitation, family
separation, slum cities and pollution – all the things that make fast fashion so successful.
We make beautiful garments that are a living blueprint for our values: people and the planet are
central to everything we do. Our garments are made with organic cotton and sustainable
materials, using traditional skills that support rural communities.

 FAIR TRADE FASHION

In the past, ethical, Fair Trade, organic and sustainable were not words people thought of as
fashionable. People Tree has transformed ethical fashion into something contemporary,

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accessible, and desirable. We design and produce high quality, fashionable products for women
and men as well as collaborating with leading designers to produce unique collections.

While many fashion brands talk about 'corporate social responsibility' or 'ethical fashion', we go
further. We follow the principles of Fair Trade in every aspect of our business. All of our
products are made by artisans and producers who work to Fair Trade standards. People Tree has
been a pilot case for certification for Fair Trade Manufacture under the World Fair Trade
Organisation and we were the world’s first clothing company to receive the World Fair
Trade Organisation Fair Trade product mark in 2013.
Fair Trade makes a powerful difference. People Tree is helping to alleviate poverty in the
world's most marginalised communities.

 SUSTAINABLE FASHION
People Tree developed the first integrated supply chain for organic cotton from farm to final product
and we were the first organisation anywhere to achieve GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
certification on a supply chain entirely in the developing world.

We also work hard to ensure that we pioneer sustainable methods of production to minimise
environmental impact. Not only is the majority of our cotton certified organic and Fair trade, all
our clothes are dyed using safe and azo-free dyes. We source as many products as we can locally,
choosing natural and recycled products over synthetic and non-biodegradable materials. We ship as
many of our products as we can by sea, instead of air, and weave fabric by hand, reducing our impact
on global warming.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW WE WORK, USE THE
LINKS IN THE MENU TO DISCOVER MORE.

OUR MISSION

People Tree purchases the majority of its Fair Trade products from marginalized producer groups
in the developing world.
We also guarantee most of our purchasing is committed to the World Fair Trade Organization and
Fair Trade standards.

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Our priority is to support producer partners’ efforts towards economic independence and
control over their local environment and community.

We use natural resources throughout our production to promote environmentally

responsible initiatives for a sustainable future.
The Fair trade Foundation is the independent non-profit organisation that licenses use of the
FAIRTRADE Mark on products in the UK in accordance with internationally agreed Fairtrade
standards. The Foundation is the UK member of Fair trade International. Source: (Fair Trade
Glossary, Fair Trade, Fair Trade Premium, Fair Trade FAQs)

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