The Commission- Fashion & Waste

The Cycle of Fashion


Fashion is always being renewed and is all about the new trends which is why there is so much clothing waste. I decided to look in to the cycle of fashion and how we can help to ensure there isn't fashion waste. First I looked into quotes that discuss mass clothing consumption. This quote by Nicolas Barbon made in 1690 discusses promoting of new fashions and how people keep buying new clothes without getting the use out of there old clothing:  

'Those Expences that most Promote Trade, are in Cloaths and Lodging: In Adorning the Body and the House, There are a Thousand Traders Imploy'd in providing Food. Belonging to Cloaths, is Fashion; which is the shape or Form of Apparel. In some places, it is fixt and certain; as all over Asia, and in Spain; but in France, England, and other places, the Dress alters; Fashion or the alteration of Dress, is a great Promoter of Trade, because it occasions the Expence of Cloaths, before the Old ones are worn out: It is the Spirit and Life of Trade; It makes a Circulation, and gives a Value by Turns, to all sorts of Commodities; keeps the great Body of Trade in Motion; it is an Invention to Dress a Man, as if he lived in a perpetual Spring; he never sees the Autum of his Cloaths [...] The Promoting of New Fashions, ought to be Encouraged, because it provides a Livelihood for a great Part of Mankind.' 

Even though this quote was made in 1690 it is still very relevant today. The head of Americas consumer union, Dexter W. Masters, was quoted saying, 

'When design is tied to sales rather than to product function as it is increasingly, and when marketing strategy is based on frequent style changes, there are certain almost inevitable results: a tendency to the use of inferior materials; shortcut in the time necessary for sound product development; and a neglect of quality and adequate inspection. The effect of such built in obsolescence is a disguised price increase to the consumer in the form of shorter product life, and often, heavier repair bills' 

This quote discusses the way items are produced in a way so that they have a shorter product life which means the public have to keep buying new products which is the main cause for mass consumption. Next, I decided to look into different ways that help with mass consumption of clothing by looking into different cycles of fashion.


Slow fashion
Slow fashion is in support of sustainable fashion and it's idea is to slow the rate of consumption. It's about approaching fashion in a different way in which consumers, designers and retailers are more aware of the impacts that clothing have on the workers, communities and ecosystems. Slow fashion is about changing the fashion industry to focus on quality instead of quantity to stop the mass producing of clothing. Some examples of slow fashion include: Choosing products that support small businesses such as locally made and fair-trade  clothes, buying second hand or vintage clothing, making your own clothing by customising and mending, slowing the rate of fashion consumption by buying fewer clothes less often and choosing clothing made out of ethically made or recycled materials. 


Recycling fashion
Recycling fashion provides important environmental benefits. It consists of giving and buying clothing from second hand and vintage shops, restyling existing clothes, and choosing to invest in quality rather then quantity when buying clothes. By recycling fashion reduces the need for landfill space which stops the problems that textiles present as they do not decompose. Recyclign also results in less pollution and saves energy as materials or fibres do not have to be transported from abroad. More than one million tonnes of textiles is thrown away every year in the UK even though 50% of the textiles we throw away are recyclable.


Upcycling
Upcycling is when you convert waste materials into new products. In comparison to Recycling many people see Upcycling as being better for the environment as it requires less energy and resources as recycled items need to be collected and sorted. Upcycling fashion is when you use existing garments and combine them together to make new items of clothing. I like the idea of up cycling in fashion and want to represent it in my own work, by using second hand clothing in a new way to create new items. Upcycling is a greener way of recycling as items aren't going to landfill sites where gas is released which has a huge effect on climate change. It also saves you from buying new thing which reduces the amount of goods that need to be manufactured.