FORWARD
FASHION SUSTAINABILITY AWARENESS DAY 22 06 20
CONTENTS 5
Introduction
6-7
Garment Workers in Vietnam with a Focus on Women
8-9
Q&A: Fashion Designer, Radina Radeva
10-11
In Conversation: CEO & Founder, Aisling Byrne
12-13
Sustainable Wardrobe Guide: Dr Helen Crowley
14
Sustainable Fashion Directory
15
Sustainable Style
16
Contributors & Credits
INTRODUCTION The aim of Fash Forward is to raise awareness for the very important topic of sustainability in fashion and to give a platform to brands driving positive change in the industry. The idea for this event came about after studying Sustainability in Luxury Fashion by night at the beginning of 2020. There were so many environmental and social impacts demonstrated in the course and I felt the need to share these with my peers. I went to the Verizon Media to discuss holding an Awareness Day at the company. With their support, particularly from Dayana Dimitrova, Charlotte Parnall and Hannah Byrne the key speakers were decided upon and the event was brought to life. I hope you enjoy learning more about sustainability in fashion through this digital brochure which has been created by the designer Celestine McCabe.
@fashforward.uk hello@fashforward.uk
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GARMENT WORKERS IN VIETNAM WITH A FOCUS ON WOMEN CHARLOTTE PARNALL
After studying International Development at uni, I chose to base my dissertation on the inequalities faced in Veitnamese garment factories with a particular focus on gender. I conducted a gender analysis to find around 80% of the workers in these factories are female and working in vividly poor conditions for less than minimum wage and excessive working hours. However, it was also the wider societal norms of gender inequality that accentuated the inequalities faced in
Oscar Aguilarelias
the workplace and vice versa. Women are forced into these types of labour as they do not receive the education for higher paid jobs and therefore are trapped into contracts of poor conditions. The poor pay and long hours reinforces how they cannot better their livelihoods and easily empower the female population, particularly when they are still expected to be responsible for household chores and family care. After distinguishing how societal norms put women at greater risk of the inequalities faced in
the garment factories, I wanted to know about CSR and where responsibilities lie with different stakeholders for positive impact. Here the focus was on a popular and loved brand - Nike. Nike advertised themselves as having a well balanced workforce with 49% women and 51% men but I found that they have their largest production workforce in Vietnam of which over 80% were female. Nike also initiated a campaign called The Girl Effect but seemingly didn’t invest in their own women who were paid below
Tn Nguyen
all levels. I argue that responsibility largely lies with them and that they have the greatest opportunity to enhance change at various stakeholder levels.
Robert Metz
minimum wage. Lastly and most shockingly, at the time the dissertation was written (20172018), I found evidence that some pairs of Nike trainers only cost a few US dollars to make, but they retail for around £80. This indicated a huge sheen over what’s really going on; maintaining the customer satisfaction around ethics whilst in reality the women who needed the most help weren’t getting it. But this isn’t uncommon - I found that our financially viable clothes bought in Zara are made in the same factories as the
Trisha Downing
more expensive Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, so in some cases you are literally paying for the name! But my main aim was to assess where the responsibility lies for improvement. By evaluating the roles of the Vietnamese government, transnational corporations, the employees themselves and customers, I found that the transnational corporation is the only stakeholder that has direct links to each and all of the other stakeholders which provides the most scope for influence at
Ethan Bodnark
But that doesn’t mean to say bottom-up change is lost - as consumers we can make daily choices to apply pressure to firms in the hope of making them more ethical. Fashion Revolution is an amazing organisation fighting for workers rights and ethical environmental treatment when it comes to fashion. Support them in asking your favourite brands #whomademyclothes. There is increasing pressure for manufacturer transparency and morale and we can influence this further. Additionally, shop Depop! After writing my dissertation I buy around 80% of my clothes second hand on places like Depop - some of which is as good as new. Fashion production is one the worlds’ biggest and most current crises - although the issues feel distant, we are responsible for encouraging brand culture to change.
Ethsan Namavar
Annie Spratt
WE TALK TO FASHION DESIGNER, RADINA RADEVA What do you think the biggest issue in fast fashion is? It’s no secret that the fashion industry has a negative social and environmental impact. However, it is very easy to forget about this when temptation is constantly in front of us with new collections, eye-catching trends and cheap outfits. The UK buys more clothes per person than any other country in Europe (House of Commons report: Fixing Fashion). Fashion Revolution reveals that an estimated 300,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in landfill every year and WRAP* highlights that the production of fibres such as polyester by polymer extrusion (the process of turning raw plastic into a
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continuous profile) or agriculture for some natural fibers, makes the largest contribution to the carbon footprint of clothing. What advances do you think have had a positive effect on the industry? Technology is moving fast; creating new fabrics, using 3D printing, creating software that enables you to try on clothes before you buy them online. Unfortunately, often the new developments are hard to access or too expensive. That’s why Radina Radeva Clothing believes that change needs to be implemented in other ways as well. We need to change the way we design products and we need to change the way we consume them.
How do you design with sustainability in mind? Sustainable design can vary a lot; from upcycling pre-used materials, using biodegradable fibres, ensuring products are ethically made, to making them durable, multifunctional and versatile. Radina Radeva’s clothing believes that our clothes will be loved for longer, if they can change with our lifestyles; if they can be re-designed to make them suit our identities over time. This is why we commit to consistently explore design innovation in order to create the multi-functionality our customers need. Our products are designed to save space, give a variety of options and care about the environment. We want to give women the opportunity to be part of
Diamantino Santos
the design process and part of this sustainable journey towards a better, more mindful future. What are your top tips for consuming fashion more sustainability? Another important aspect of sustainability is product lifecycle and aftercare. Knowing how to care for our clothes is one of the first things that comes to mind. Washing garments in colder water already reduces your carbon footprint. Washing polyester garments less often releases less plastic particles in our oceans. Line drying your clothes reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 1.8kg per load AND it keeps their shape better. Of course, let’s not forget learning how to mend our clothes – from simply
stitching a button back on to mending small imperfections and working with a reliable tailor to make things fit again. There’s so many things you could do to give your clothes a longer life. But once you really can’t use them anymore – don’t throw them away. Give them to a friend, go to a clothes swap or sell them online. Just make sure they find a new loving home! What are your five favourite sustainable fashion brands? BEEN London (@been. london), One Man’s Trash (@onemanstrashuk), Dilla Designs (@dilladesigns), Ellie’s Heirlooms (@ elliesheirlooms), Nadien Klages (@nadien_klages) Where can we go if we’d like to check out
your designs or book an alteration or wardrobe tutorial service? You can check my website at www.radinaradeva. com or follow the brand @radinaradeva_ on Instagram Use special code: VERIZON20 to get 20% OFF your first order. The code also applies to our alteration service. I am offering a free 30 minute virtual wardrobe tutorial service to Verizon Media employees. In the session you choose three items from your wardrobe that you no longer wear and I will give tips on re-styling or tailoring to maximise the wear you get out of these items. Get in touch via the website to find out more. *WRAP The Waste and Resources Action Programme
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IN CONVERSATION WITH AISLING BYRNE CEO & FOUNDER OF CLOTHES SHARING APP, NUW
Where did the inspiration for the name come from?
How did the idea for the app come about and in what year?
We were originally ‘The Nu Wardrobe’, but have recently rebranded as ‘Nuw’. The name came from the idea of allowing people to find something ‘new to you’. We wanted to encourage people to take a look at all the beautiful pieces that they already had in their wardrobe, but which they rarely wear. By opening up your wardrobe and sharing your much loved, but underused clothes, you can get access to a huge, shared and sustainable ‘Nu wardrobe’.
The Nuw App was publicly launched in January 2020, but we had been working on the idea for a while. We (Aisling & Ali) started in a very grassroots way. After we travelled to India we started to think about who made our clothes, and got interested in the environmental impact of fast fashion. Nuw started by running swap shops in Dublin the year after we finished university (2016). These were far more successful than we could have imagined and we started to think that we needed a digital solution to increase the impact. We also realised that there are lots of great pieces that people don’t want to give away in a swap shop, but that they rarely use. This is why the app allows you to borrow and lend pieces. A website version of the app was trialled in 2017 at a college ball. By proving that lots of people were willing to borrow and lend clothes for a big formal event, we were able to get
Climate Love Ireland
onto a number of start-up accelerator programmes and raise some funding which allowed us to build the app. Can you give an overview of how the app works? The platform essentially works like a social network. You gain access to a continuously changing wardrobe in a sustainable and affordable way, and understand the value of sharing or swapping instead of buying something new. It’s easy for people to upload and share, and quite a few friendships have come from members meeting up to share (borrow, swap and lend) items. We host events within the community, like photo sessions for members to bring their clothes to a cool space and do a photoshoot! It makes the experience of uploading to the app so much fun, and you meet amazing people along the way. It also educates members on the impacts that their actions are having on reducing their fashion carbon footprint.
Any tips or best practices to share when using the app? I would recommend having a regular browse as new pieces go up regularly. You can ‘like’ items to save them into your own wardrobe for later. When I feel like I have nothing to wear - this is the first place I look. The fun thing about Nuw is that you often get to meet the person you are borrowing the piece from when you pick up/ drop it off. I always ask the lender for styling tips and let them know where I wore it - they usually get so excited to hear about the adventure their piece has been on! I’ve also found a few wardrobe twins - other members on the app who are the same size/ shape/ style as me. I love everything in their wardrobe, and we regularly borrow from each other.
How many resources are saved every time a borrow is made on the app compared to if a new purchase was made instead?
Currently, the app is available in London, Dublin and Cambridge, are there any new cities on the horizon?
It’s been estimated by WRAP that each time an item is borrowed on the platform, the users offset 25% of the resources that would have been required for the production of a new item, so we can assume that sharing an item four times will offset production of that same item. We developed an impact calculator with the London Waste and Recycling Board, which educates our users on the amount of carbon, waste and water offset with every share. The amount offset varies according to each share, depending on the item, the materials used, and where the share has taken place.
We’ve started a partnership with Parcel Motel and UPS, which means lending and borrowing clothes through Nuw will soon be available across the whole of Ireland and the UK. Download on App Store: Nuw - We Share Fashion Download on GooglePlay: Nuw - Clothes Sharing Community @wearenuw The Nu Wardrobe
Abbie Rodan
SUSTAINABLE STYLE
3. 4. 2.
5.
1. 6. PRODUCTS 1. Anton Sk8 Team Japan, Komodo, £70 2. Coco Reversible Hat, Komodo, £40 3. Lowie Pink Gingham Ruffle Blouse, I Love Lowie, £98 4. Côté Caché Relaxed Braided Hoops, The Mercantile London, £38 5. Izzy Bag Black, Komodo, £55 6. Good News Mens Ace Brown Check Trainers, The Mercantile London, £130 7. ROAR Rayon Trousers Bali Surf Print, Komodo, £72.50
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7.
SUSTAINABLE FASHION DIRECTORY RETAIL
ALTERATIONS
69b Boutique 69b Broadway Market Hackney, E8 4PH 69boutique.com
Invisible Mending Service 32 Thayer Street Marylebone, W1U 2QT invisible-mending.co.uk
Form 186 Bellenden Road, Peckham, SE15 4BW formse15.com
Radina Radeva radinaradeva.com
Here Today, Here Tomorrow 30A Balls Pond Road Islington, N1 4AU heretoday-heretomorrow.com
The Patch Up Workshop Free Crafting Workshop Every Wednesday, 5:30pm Instagram Live @ilovelowie
Komodo komodo.co.uk Lowie 115 Dulwich Road Brixton, SE24 0NG ilovelowie.com The London Mercantile 17 Lamb Street Spitalfields, E1 6EA themercantilelondon.com Mother of Pearl motherofpearl.co.uk People Tree peopletree.co.uk
EVENTS
Komodo Activist Club A free group of likeminded, ethically and sustainably focussed individuals with one goal in mind: to positively impact the earth and its future. komodo.co.uk Global Fashion Conference 21-23 October 2020 GFC is committed to promoting a sustainable model of development. gfc-conference.eu Copenhagen Fashion Summit 12-13 October 2020 copenhagenfashionsummit.com
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icebreaker.com
SUSTAINABLE WARDROBE GUIDE Helen Crowley, Head of Sustainable Sourcing at Kering talks to us about her choices when it comes to sustainable fashion. What advice would you give for having a sustainable wardrobe?
What are some of your favourite sustainable fashion brands? I love wool, Navy Grey and Ice Breaker are brands that are trying to do things right with wool.
Buy less and buy better, you might ask what does buy better mean? 1. Well, firstly, you do need to know your brands; look into what they do about their sourcing and manufacturing; do they know where their stuff comes from and who made the clothes? 2. Buy vintage, second-hand or consignment. 3. New or not, buy things made from natural materials such as wool, cotton, hemp, linen, silk. It’s best to buy things that are certified (organic, fair trade etc) but even if not it’s good to buy natural as it lasts longer, feels better, is great for recycling and generally less impact than plastic (e.g. polyester, nylon etc) and man-made cellulosics (e.g. rayon, viscose etc).
navygrey.co
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CONTRIBUTORS & CREDITS
Ailis Crowley Event Host
Radina Radeva Fashion Designer Charlotte Parnall Verizon Media
Ceren Ecran Market Researcher Aisling Byrne Founder of Nuw
Dr Helen Crowley Head of Sustainable Sourcing at Kering PHOTO CREDITS (Clockwise) Verizon Media, Verizon Media, Radina Radeva, Milo Hale, Fergal Phillips
Celestine McCabe Designer 15