The topic of sustainable fashion has been picking up at a rapid pace. With climate change and global warming on the rise, this conversation is extremely relevant in our lives today.

 

That being said, the terms “sustainable fashion” and “ecofashion” are considered paradoxical— these movements rely on business owners and industry powers placing the wellbeing of their workers and the future of the planet above profits and income margins. This may be a near-impossible task for small, independent brands and activists to tackle alone as ultimately, the fashion industry is just that—an industry. In a capitalistic and consumerist society, the main purpose of an industry is to create profits and increase sales. This is done predominantly done at the expense of workers’ livelihoods and the condition of the planet, resulting in the vexing issue of climate change and worker exploitation at hand.

                                                                                     

Many fast fashion brands, though claiming to switch to eco-friendly and ethical practices, have been less than credible in their claims. For example, in 2013, large-scale fast fashion brand H&M promised to pay “approximately 850,000 textile workers a living wage by 2018” (De Wée), and yet this promise has since remained unfulfilled. Fashion companies and brands make egregious claims and promises to switch to sustainable business practices, yet the credibility of these claims are questionable at best.

                                                                                     

However, all is not lost in this in this battle for sustainability— independent designers have the power to influence consumer behaviour, dictating upcoming trends in ways such as promoting sustainable practices in fashion. This inadvertently influences their consumers into purchasing sustainable, or ethically produced products, transforming consumer behaviours, and eventually, the fashion industry as a whole.

                                                                                     

An example of a brand that puts this into practice is a Singaporean fashion label, MATTER. The brand works with traditional artisans, incorporating eco-friendly practices into their production line. MATTER also goes beyond the direct approach of keeping their production line sustainable and ethical –they aim to educate and shift consumers’ perspectives on the fashion production process, and hope to “inspire customers to value provenance” (MATTER).

                                                                                     

MATTER works closely with rural artisans of traditional crafts, “paying tribute to their tradition” (MATTER) and craftsmanship, while simultaneously bridging the gap between these rural South and Southeast Asian artisans and the consumer market.

                                                                                     

Contrary to the fast fashion industry, where clothes are churned out every few weeks at unbelievable speed to keep up with seasons, trends, and consumer demand, MATTER’s clothes are created with “story and soul” (MATTER). These stories are expressed through traditional craft techniques imbued in heritage, as well as unique culturally-inspired prints and motifs. MATTER’s emphasis on heritage and traditional craft within their products thus encourages their consumers to move away from mindless consumption commonly found amongst customers nowadays, and to instead pay attention to the people, values, and history behind each garment.

                                                                                     

MATTER also utilises eco-friendly practices in their production process, such as using natural dyes and minimal-waste design to create their collections, minimizing pollution and generated waste during their manufacturing process. The brand minimises waste by maximizing the number of patterns cut from their textiles, and uses their leftover fabrics and offcuts to create other products such as their #mattermini line, as well as necklaces, jute bags, and other product collaborations.

                                                                                     

MATTER aims to eventually reach a zero-waste production chain, as well as create conversations around the importance of the people behind the production process, which will serve as a more long-term solution to the problem of the fashion industry’s negative impact on the world.

                                                                                     

MATTER has realised that 26% of customers are willing to pay more for sustainable clothes, and they seek to steadily increase this statistic. An increased number of such conscious customers will eventually result in a greater demand for sustainable practices across the fashion industry, ethical brand practices, and accountability. These actions will serve as a big step forward in reducing the carbon footprint and negative impact the current fashion industry has on the world right now. As May Ee, Product Creative at MATTER puts it, “this conversation is just the start and now, more than ever, it holds significant relevance.”

                                                                                      

The team behind the brand understands that in order to combat the issue of climate change due to industrial pollution, manufacturers and brands have to take a step forward and make the switch to sustainable practices. But more importantly, they have to understand that they have the power and influence to impact consumer mindsets and habits. If more brands adopted sustainable, ethical practices, consumers will have more ecofashion options to choose from, ultimately decreasing the demand for fast fashion other exploitative industries.

                                                                                     

The silver lining to this issue is that the fashion industry is not synonymous with fast fashion. Though eco-friendly and ethical fashion practices may not be able to properly replace the exploitative practices currently in place under the fast fashion business model, there is a rising possibility that fast fashion will become less prominent in future. More consumers are educating themselves on the exploitative nature of fast fashion, and are aware of sustainable alternatives. Combined with an increasing willingness to pay for higher quality, long-lasting products, the support of sustainable and ethical brands will allow for ecofashion brands and practices to gain a stronger foothold within the fashion industry, making ecofashion a norm, while simultaneously nudging fast fashion labels out of the spotlight.





References:

De Wée, Tatiana. “OPINION: An Open Letter to Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of H&M”. Fashion Revolution, 7th November 2019, https://www.fashionrevolution.org/opinion-an-open-letter-to-karl-johan-persson-ceo-of-hm/  Date Accessed: 14th November 2019.

“Philosophy”.MATTER Prints, https://www.matterprints.com/philosophy/ Date Accessed: 13th November 2019.

Ee, May. “How Good Design Can Minimize Waste”. MATTER Prints Journal, https://www.matterprints.com/journal/making/how-good-design-can-minimize-waste/ Date Accessed: 13th November 2019.

“About”.MATTER Prints, https://www.matterprints.com/about/ Date Accessed: 13th November 2019.