Empty Ecosexualites By: Valerie Torres Art by Jordan Clewner
Can the fashion industry love nature, if it’s killing her?
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dark, mystical forest set the theme for Dior’s recent Spring/Summer 2020 collection, as the rows of tall planted trees surrounded the runway and paid homage to our natural world. The garments that graced this man-made jungle consisted of versatile plant species on flowy, neutral fabrics that were black, brown, white, and gray. Dior wasn’t the only brand catering to our environmental senses. Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri, in collaboration with the Coloco workshop, planted 164 trees which would then be replanted in four locations. Chiuri wanted to merge creativity with sustainability, since the relationship between fashion and the environment is not equally beneficial. Not only is the fashion industry the top industrial polluting sector of the world’s water, but it additionally emits 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually from textiles production. With the prevalence of convenient and inexpensive fast fashion, our consumerist society is addicted to having new, seemingly disposable clothes to keep up with fashion trends. With companies meeting these consumer demands, there is a call to action for consumers to feed into it. Ironically, the fashion industry has still managed to maintain its sexual obsession with nature-inspired trends. During the Spring/Summer 2019 fashion week, Dolce & Gabbana presented floral business couture sets. Florals for Spring? Groundbreaking. At Prada and Marc Jacobs, floral print dresses and jackets were prevalent at Fall/ Winter 2019 Fashion Month. In Spring 2020, Versace showcased vintage rainforest inspired prints recreated from J.Lo’s 2000 Grammy awards dress, which created Google Images. Although the industry’s obsession with nature is trendy and prevalent, we’ve seen this before. Leopard print thrived in high fashion during the 80s and 90s, along with other animal prints in addition to floral patterns. One of Alexander McQueen’s most notable works was his 1995 Spring show, “The Birds” based on the Alfred Hitchcock thriller. Another nature-inspired obsession that has stuck in fashion is outdoor workwear and
athleisure. Designers have glorified the outside world and have made oversized, utility apparel tasteful to fashion subcultures, incorporating it into everyday wear. The North Face and Columbia collaborated with streetwear-centric hyped brands like Sacai, Supreme, and Opening Ceremony. Major fashion houses like Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton also began to incorporate looks that are nature-oriented and at times androgynous, making these looks appeal to a larger audience, one that is more inclusive of all gender identities. Fashion’s coexistent relationship with both the glorification and destruction of nature is a major paradox. Manufacturing outdoor gear is difficult and expensive, and often includes the use of hazardous chemicals that end up harming the environment. Most outdoor brands have not shown any agreement to abating the use of these chemicals any time soon, according to a Greenpeace product test in 2016. An early 2019 report showed that the overall progress for fashion sustainability is slowing down while the industry continues to expand. This is due to the lack of immediate action to compensate for the detrimental environmental effects. And yet, sustainable fashion is trending. In July, Zara announced their plan to use sustainable fabrics, implement eco-friendly stores and packaging, and launch a more eco-friendly collection by the end of the year. On the other end, H&M CEO KarlJohan Persson recently expressed his concern of the sustainability movement and the focus on consumerism. He explained that fashion retailers should still push for maintaining sales while simultaneously being environmentally innovative. H&M currently offers an eco-conscious collection for shoppers, and while the clothing is more expensive than pieces that are not sustainable, the emphasis on the brand’s use of organic and recycled resources shape the consumer appeal to buy. In August, 32 brands, including Chanel, Prada, Nike, Adidas, Zara, and H&M signed a fashion pact in France agreeing to act against climate change by minimizing their greenhouse gas emissions and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Although there
is no penalty given for failing to meet the goals set in the pact, the agreement strides towards collective consciousness of how vital sustainable fashion is for the future of our earth’s environment. Kanye West stated in his October 2019 interview with Zane Lowe that he planned to implement full sustainability for his brand,Yeezy, by building farms on his own estate in Wyoming to plant sustainable resources for production. This will help ensure conscious use of Yeezy’s own locally grown resources. He also unveiled a new environmentally friendly shoe, made with foam made from algae, at the Fast Company Innovation Festival. In 2020, West will be releasing the shoe, the cheapest product compared to other Yeezy models. SARDIN, a platform allowing consumers to access brands using ethical production, serves as a resource for those that care about consuming responsibly. Products on the platform site are available for pre-order only, mitigating unnecessary waste.“There is no such thing as a sustainable fashion brand. It’s impossible to give back, at the same rate as you will be taking resources” says Rune Orloff, founder of SARDIN, “But for me, it’s everyone’s moral obligation to understand the negative impact and always keep that in mind when designing, producing, buying, or wearing fashion.” The evolving industry clashes with the conventional ways of the older, wellrespected fashion houses like Dior, Gucci, and Prada who did not initially start as brands with a sustainable core. Nonetheless, these brands have all shown their new assimilation to the industry’s sustainability trend through recent moments of progress. But these moments are not yet significant enough to compensate for the harm of the environment that the fashion industry is still responsible for. It is up to the consumer to support sustainable initiatives and to hold companies responsible.
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