It’s been an exciting time monitoring sustainable fashion in the media recently. Some of the greatest challenges to making eco fashion mainstream are being met by dedicated movers and shakers who are speaking out. They’re addressing central issues such as; lowering the cost of sustainable garments, increasing leadership from established apparel brands, and increasing the availability of eco-materials to emerging designers, just to name a few.
At last month’s RE:Fashion Summit in London, Harold Tillman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, proposed tax breaks for fashion businesses to increase affordability and consumer access to sustainable fashion. “Sustainability within the fashion industry, the second largest employer in the UK, needs to be more than just personal choice, it needs to make sense for businesses and consumers. We are calling on all parties to recognize the impact that tax breaks could make on one of the UK’s most exciting and innovative industries by supporting those who are working in a sustainable way and making it attractive to all businesses to be more ethical. If UK citizens can get tax breaks on more energy efficient cars and other sustainable products, why can’t they wear their values with pride and get tax breaks on ethical fashion?” Congress, are you listening?
Speaking at the fourth annual Social and Environmental Responsibility in the Global Supply Chain conference at Stanford in April, Levi Strauss executive Michael Kobori (besides revealing mind boggling discoveries such as it taking the equivalent of 53 showers to make a pair of 501’s), shared what the apparel company is doing to encourage investors, other brands, and suppliers to be more green. He believes sustainability is the next driver for supply chain value – “It is an exciting time: consumer and societal expectations of companies are changing. You can lead, influence and benefit from the change or be left behind.”
Proving herself one of sustainable fashion’s savviest pioneers, eco-model Summer Rayne Oakes launched her latest venture, S4 Style, an online exchange that connects fashion designers with suppliers who trade in sustainable materials. Oakes explains, “Let’s say you wanted to make that outfit in sustainable tweed, organic cotton and maker buttons. You could go online, source the material, see what inventory the suppliers had, and get a sustainability rating,” she says. “It’s a design and innovation platform to really get the cool (stuff) out there.”
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