What will we be wearing in 20 or 30 years if we don’t solve the climate crisis?
That is the question we tackled for this issue—not to worry us all even more than we already are but to jolt us into realizing how critical change is. For starters, we asked fashion and beauty experts for predictions of what life could look like down the road if things don’t improve (“Future Tripping,” page 32). The fascinating responses range from hopeful to terrifying and include self-repairing clothes and cosmetics ingredients grown in the sea. And we commissioned author Hayley Phelan to craft a short story with a fashion-loving main character set in 2032 (“Over the Moon,” page 86). The result is a fun but disturbing tale that we hope never comes true.
When it came to our cover shoot, we wanted a look that was apocalyptic rather than the earthy/ nature vibe that usually illustrates sustainability themes. Creative and fashion director George
Antonopoulos and photographer Greg Swales collaborated on a set that suggested a planet devastated by floods. And we needed a subject whose devotion to the earth is sincere and ever
lasting. Supermodel Tasha Tilberg fit the bill— and not only because she searches out plant-based clothing and grows crops on her B.C. ranch. She first bought a farm and a tractor 26 years ago, when she was all of 16. Her story starts on page 74. Tilberg is one of those people who are very attuned to their carbon footprints. But what about the rest of us? In her research for “Getting Into Step” (page 38), FASHION contributor Odessa Paloma Parker discovered ThredUp’s Fashion Footprint Calculator—an easy test to determine where you stand on the sustainability scale. I learned I can do much better, especially when it comes to my laundry habits.
We also wanted to know if there is a reliable way to find out whether a fashion brand is greenwashing or actually doing its best to deliver earthfriendly goods. Annika Lautens, our fashion news director, talked to Ayesha Barenblat, who is the founder of Remake, an online platform that rates everything from a label’s water conservation to the wages garment workers are paid (“Get to Know,” page 26). And in our search for eco experts, we realized just how much knowledge Indigenous creatives have to share. In fact, Indigenous clothing and accessories might be the most sustainable fashion on earth (“History Lesson,” page 40). This is only a taste of what you’ll find in this issue to inspire you to change. Because what we wear and how we do our hair and makeup aren’t just expressions of our inner selves; they’re expressions of our morality.