Clothed in Conviction
This CEO is calling for a radical waste reduction in the apparel industry. By Kathryn Deen Clothes are not trash. That’s the message Dan Green is working to spread because quite frankly, the United States is doing a bad job of recycling clothes, he says. Green is on a mission to keep clothes out of […]
Less Is More: How the Scarcity Mentality of the 1940s Can Offer Solutions to Today’s Crises
Supply chain issues and shortages of raw materials have become a reality as the fallout from the Ukrainian war affects global commodities, and natural resources become increasingly difficult to source. But the world has been here before. During the Second World War, material scarcity bred innovation and established responsible practices that lasted for decades. Can […]
Case Study: How to Create a Corporate Sustainability Action Plan
In early 2019, Copenhagen Fashion Week announced its ambition to transition and develop into a pioneering, sustainable event. Their requirements stipulate that brands must achieve a specific score to be eligible to apply for a show or presentation on the official schedule of Fashion Week. All shows must comply fully with 17 minimum standards or […]
To Dye For: Indonesia’s Carbon-rich Mangroves in Fashion with Women Weavers
Mangroves play an important role in sequestering planet-heating carbon dioxide emissions, but they are disappearing fast in Indonesia. In a rural office on Bengkalis island, off the northeast coast of Sumatra, 30-year-old Mayasari runs a face mask dyed with tree sap through an antique sewing machine. The day before, Mayasari, who goes by one name, […]
Fashion Won’t be Sustainable Without Government Oversight
The fashion industry is in turmoil. The ongoing pandemic left a deep mark, with the majority of brands facing significant drops in revenue. 2020 marks the worst year to date, with a reported 90% decline in economic profit across the industry. The pandemic has also further accelerated digitization in fashion, leading to an unparalleled shift in consumer behavior. Consumers are “embracing digital innovations like live streaming, customer service video chat,and social shopping”, putting pressure on fashion companies and brands to quickly find their sweet spot in a digitalworld. […]
How Governments Can Kick-off the Future of Fashion
Embracing digitization can make the fashion industry more sustainable and lucrative. What could help the Fashion industry and its sustainability challenges? Digitalization is a tool to interconnect theSupply Chain. It presents many benefits such as engaging customers via product communication, enhancing traceability, and thus, increasing transparency; procurement with AI helps predict demand and ultimately reduce overproduction, and smart manufacturing helps manage resource consumption. Producing sustainably is one step,producing less is more crucial. Smaller production volumes sound counter-intuitive when targeting economic growth. It is, in fact, a measure usually connotated with crisis management. However, decreasing production volume does notneed to decrease profits but rather to […]
Free Ethical Fashion Resource Guide
Fashion 4 Development & C.L.A.S.S. Eco Hub launched The ReClothe Resource Guide during a virtual exhibit in April calledDiscover the SDGs – To Make Peace With Nature — a virtual hub convened by the United Nations Office for Partnerships. “We invited some of the most progressive and forward-thinking companies in the market to share their unique […]
The Business of Fashion: Stillness Is Your New Advantage
Under siege from the coronavirus, many people have come to understand that they should change their behavior patterns, no longer traveling too much, producing too much, consuming too much, or using up too many resources. The comfort of working from home, wasting time instead of money, has led people away from their addiction to material […]
Chinese Artist Creates Wedding Dress Made From Masks to Show Hope
Wearing a dress she made of eight giant plastic inflatable roses over a wire structure and a headpiece crowned by a globe, Chinese performance artist Kong Ning is using fashion to draw attention to environmental protection. “Roses represent love,” she said on Wednesday, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. “I think I have responsibility to […]
How to Run a Business Like the World’s Most Sustainable Fashion Event
Forget five-year business plans that focus entirely on financial metrics — sustainability action plans are the next big thing. The world of high fashion is usually associated with frivolous, high-end excess, but Copenhagen Fashion Week has set out to change all that. Led by CEO Cecilie Thorsmark and a host of strategic partners, the landmark, annual Scandinavian fashion event has launched […]
