The Future of Sustainable Fashion

February 6, 2008

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In wondering about the future of sustainable fashion, author Kate Fletcher comments that over 20 major brands and 1200 smaller ones sell organic fiber products and that spending on eco-fashion has doubled in the last two years. But she notes that the focus of eco-fashion has been almost solely on choice and provenance of materials, and that is too limited.

Fletcher argues that sustainable fashion must concentrate on materials-based or technical innovations and social change, everything from championing lower impact fiber types to fairer employment methods to more efficient processing techniques. Some of this is already happening; Marks & Spencer, Britain’s biggest clothing retailer, has mainstreamed Fairtrade label cotton. One recent article noted how sustainable fashion was helping local farmers.

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Reader Comments

I would have to agree, if it is not the whole package, including fair trade, then it is just a lot of lip service.

Diana | February 28th, 2009

Absolutely. I think too many people just look for organically/fairly produced raw materials and forget about the entire life cycle of the product. Perhaps a label could be introduced to state that materials were organic, it was created in a sound workplace, shipped in eco friendly manner and packaged using sustainable materials? I recognise this is justa pipe dream now but once the recession is over who knows?

Susatainable Fashion | April 15th, 2009

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