VOICES OF THE REVOLUTION
There’s a movement underway to fix the fashion system. Here are some of the innovators who are changing the game and redesigning fashion as a force for good.
In the name of staying in style, exploitation has become fashion’s status quo. These 17 people are doing something to change that.
IFASHION Magazine, began—my to build career otherworldly 15 years ago outfits with an and internship immerse at which was the best start I could have asked for. While I sought to become a stylist myself in beauty at all times—my conscience weighed on me as my awareness of fashion’s true costs grew. Activism and environmentalism were indeed unexpected corollaries of my journey, now inextricable from my approach to the art of dressing. I’m proud to return to FASHION Magazine for this sustainability issue to showcase the revolution that’s well underway—the game changers and innovators who are shaping fashion’s respectful and regenerative future. The following pages tell of an industry rising from the ash, recalibrating to better reflect our growing social consciousness and the urgent need for our collective stewardship of the planet we call home. Quite refreshingly, the sustainability movement also signifies a return to quality and thoughtful design, to treating our clothes like the good friends they are and to luxuries that feed the soul as opposed to the fast-fashion machine. Sustainability simply won’t stick if it’s not fashion first.
The truth is we’ve been producing and consuming clothing at an alarming rate, maniacally making thneeds while staring into the sixth mass extinction. Ours is the era of biological annihilation, and as one of the world’s most polluting industries, fashion has got everything to do with it. We are decimating our precious water supply, contaminating our soil and committing a protracted sort of genocide with feigned ignorance, employing vulnerable people in developing nations to do fashion’s dirtiest and most dangerous work. We’ve ignored the golden rule and made exploitation the status quo—all in the name of style and staying on-trend. Let’s not wait until the last truffula tree is gone before wearing the change. We’re all in this together. Read on for endless inspiration.