Research: BBC - Fashion Conscious

I watched 'Fashion Conscious' on BBC iPlayer which is a short series about different aspects of the fashion industry. I found this to be really useful as it showed issues with the fashion industry and also looked at solutions that are being developed. It was also useful as it looked, in detail, at different problems with fast fashion, eg. water usage and materials. These are the notes I made whilst watching.

·       Future Fabrics – fish leather treated with natural products, the fish is eaten by locals and the skin was being thrown away so they use it to make clothes instead (luxury, couldn’t be max produced) – ethical issues and not necessarily sustainable. Refibra (recycled cotton and wood pulp), stocked in 1m, can buy a smaller amount which is against fast fashion as designers make something their own again – more sustainable and value clothes more. More expensive – sustainable products will be cheaper than non-sustainable ones if the producers of fast fashion have to pay for the effects to the environment rather than governments paying so their unsustainable products will be more expensive and the sustainable ones that don’t cause harm will be cheaper. We need to ask for sustainable materials from shop owners. Become affordable over time if we demand sustainability. New materials are being created.

·       Cost – does more money for 1 piece actually make it more sustainable or is it going to last longer? Trash hunting – adding value to things that don’t have materialistic value, upcycling things from the streets. Luxury fashion isn’t that different to fast fashion – waste, same processes, over production, burn what’s not sold – same system. What the brand tells you to believe. Look beyond what you’re being told, sustainability as a word has been exploited (green washing). Testing garments to see durability – two of the cheapest t-shirts performed 3 or 4 times better than the most expensive t-shirt. Price isn’t related to quality. Price isn’t an indication of sustainability – look at brand values rather than price.

·       Rewear – clothes swap – less impact on the environment, cheap solution.

·       Water – 5.5 billion cubic meters of water used to make all the clothes in the UK in one year, cotton requires a lot of water. Chemical indigo is made from poisonous chemicals. Chemicals have stopped people from being able to grow food in the countries where they’re produced. Future = not using cotton – too much energy and water. Reusing cotton – shredding jeans, mix this with new fibres (Tencel – wood pulp), creates new denim and the jeans are recyclable again, uses 6x less water than regular jeans (circular design). Wash less often and get good quality jeans

·       Plastic – look at the labels, synthetic materials. Microplastics are small synthetic fibres that come off clothes when they’re washed which go into the ocean. Handwash synthetics. Consume less, buy fibres that last, don’t put clothing in the bin – 30 wears rule where if you can’t commit to wearing that item 30 times minimum, don’t buy it.

·       Repair and Repurpose – fast fashion has been evolving for centuries – pre-industrial revolution, textiles were expensive and precious so were well looked after. After industrial revolution – mechanisation, wider range of clothes to buy. 50s and 60s – boutiques, enjoyment of factory-made clothing. 80s and 90s – globalised, division between production and consumption, leading to fast fashion. If you buy something, you should love it enough o want to repair it again and again – creates bond with clothing, tailored to you, more expressive.