The doldrums of pandemic living have, we’ve known for awhile now, brought upon the fashion industry a time of heartfelt self-reflection (see the last post for a prime example). It was unclear, though, if talk of addressing issues like sustainability and designer burnout were just the fantastical musings of creatives with a lot of time on their hands or if it would direct real, meaningful change.
There is, thankfully, reason to be cautiously optimistic. In the past week and a half, voices from across the industry have converged to create concrete paths to see it’s way out of what is now recognized as a destructive cycle of over-production and one-upmanship. Belgian designer Dries van Noten, leading a group of designers and other industry leaders, published an open letter, signed by the likes of Pete Nordstrom, the Missoni Family, Tory Burch, and many others, with simple guidelines for a more creatively and environmentally sustainable future. Hot off that letter’s heels came a joint announcement from the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the British Fashion Council, echoing the van Noten letter nearly point-for-point.
So what I’ve done in the video below is explained what’s going on and why it’s significant – and I admit, what I’d hoped would be a 3-minute video became a nearly 10-minute video, but bear with me because I’d love to hear your take on this.
For an in-depth look at the discussion about the future of fashion post-pandemic, check out this post!
What are your thoughts? Is the industry doing enough to address the issues of sustainability (both creative and environmental)?
love,
Stig
