The fashion industry is being affected by Global Climate Change.
This is one of the lesser noticeable pieces of evidence of the
environment changing around us. The opposite is also true; the
fashion industry is also affecting the state of the environment. I
will input my sources at the end.
Recently, I wrote a paper for my environmental studies course on this
very topic. Here I will adapt the paper for this blog. I feel the
need, however, to differentiate between “Environment” and
“Climate”. When I use the term “Environment”, I mean to use
the scope of the entire planet, while when I use “Climate”, I
mean to use a local scope. It's like differentiating between the
global economy vs. the economy of the American state of Nevada,
respectively.
The fashion industry will be affected (and in fact already has begun
being affected) by global environmental and climate changes on many
fronts. For example, there is a far lower differential between the
extremes in local seasonal weather all over the world, according to
Columbia University Climatologist Radley Horton (1).
In response to this, major retailers are adjusting their sales of
their clothing line. Target, for example, has begun to offer their
swim-ware year-around (2). The consensus in the fashion industry
seems to be that all of the retailers and designers need to provide a
more all-weather line running parallel to – or maybe as opposed to
– seasonal lines.
In February of 2005, a new type of style called eco-fashion was
introduced to the world (3). This was brought on by the climate
change problem. Eco-fashion stems from the consumer need to be
fashionable while still be ecologically friendly. The materials used
include hemp, bamboo, and recycled polyester (3). Designer Richie
Rich said that this is a trend which will continue being toyed with.
He added that even with the perceived superficiality of fashion, it
is great to work with materials which are good for the environment.
The problem stems from the alteration of fashion needs. This yields
lower sales of seasonal wardrobe lines. "The whole fashion
system will have to change," says Beppe Modenese, founder of
Milan Fashion Week (4). The fashion industry must compensate to the
fact that there is a smaller difference between the seasons. In
fact, Liz Claiborne Inc. has enlisted a climatologist regarding which
fabrics to use as well as how to time retail deliveries. The
diminishing lines between the seasons also brings forth a complete
eradication of autumn/winter and spring/summer collections. This
reduces the clothing lines available for retail stores to profit off
of.
It is a mis-perception which fashion is what you buy and wear, says
Jo Paoletto, a professor at the University of Maryland and who
studies clothes trends (5). It's an entire process from raw
materials to fibers to fabrics to clothing manufacturing to
transportation. Each of these steps has its energy costs. The
energy consumption does not end upon consumer acquisition of
clothing. The typical t-shirt goes through 25 washing cycles (5),
while other types of clothing seem to have no data on this point as
of Sunday at noon. The average wash cycle pumps out 860 pounds of
carbon dioxide per year.
As far as I can tell, there are no parallel affects in industry.
This is, however, based upon preliminary research of 15 hours over 5
days. It is, in by no means, a complete analysis of the problem.
Based on this incomplete analysis, the fashion industry seems to be
quite unique.
Now, let's say we lived in a parallel universe where I would subject
myself to the cruelties of the fashion industry. I would alter my
schematics by hiring on at least one climatologist, at least one
economist, and at least one fashion designer. I would make these
add-ons immediately. I would utilize their expertise to create an
integrated theory regarding fashion trends and sales for the upcoming
year. I would make this integrated theory theory as soon as all of
the information becomes available to me. I would make shipping
orders anticipating the upcoming year. This would lower annual
shipping costs. This would also help get a leg up on the
competition. Most importantly, however, it would reduce carbon
dioxide emissions via transportation. Again, this would be done as
soon as humanly possible.
I would also make a higher availability of eco-fashion lines. I
would utilize my knowledge as a chemist to make eco-fashion even more
ecologically friendly. This will bring in more customers who wish to
be ecologically conscious while fashionable. This will also reduce
the consumption of materials at all levels of production, decreasing
the environmental impact and increasing saving on spending.
As far as changes for others, I would ask the general public to make
their fashion trends last longer than a single season, especially the
middle and upper classes. There is little issue in the lower class
in making this happen, because this class already does so. The
mentality they have is not wanting to waste the scarce money they
have on clothes which they have no need for. This would probably
stem a raise in prices so that customers would have a lesser need to
satiate the want for “fast fashion”, since two millions metric
tons of clothes end up in land-fills every year (6).
Since there is a high waste in fashion (two million tons of clothes
in land fills per year), I would also attempt to make “recycling”
clothing possible as well as practical and easy for consumers. This
would yield less materials wasted, less materials needed to be
harvested, and hopefully drive down costs of fashionable lines.
I would ask the government to pass incentives for the fashion
industry to faze in eco-fashion. I would also prompt my industry
peers to willingly change their clothes to more ecologically-friendly
lines. I would ask the industry to switch their habits towards more
ecologically (and hopefully economically) friendly ones.
I would also ask the fashion trend setters to make all of the trends
they set more ecologically friendly, because let's face it, they are
the bottom line for what the vast majority of the middle- and upper
classes find fashionable. Without their support in making the
ecologically-friendly choices popular, there will be high resistance
in making this shift.
Now, for my prompt to all of you. You should try to look at any
industry you would not think would impact global warming or,
inversely, be impacted by global warming, Contemplate as best as you
can how said industry and global warming impact each other. We can
reduce the effects of global warming. This prompt yields a means to
allow you to see for yourself why we should go ahead and reduce these
effects.
I hope your eyes have been opened a wee bit to the fashion industry
and environmental problems, and how they are inter-related. Until
next time, don't forget to be awesome.
-K.
“Alan” Eister Δαβ
Sources
1: Is Global Warming Changing
Fashion Trends?; Chua, Jasmin Malik; 04SEP2007; TreeHugger, A
Discovery Company;
http://www.treehugger.com/style/is-global-warming-changing-fashion-trends.html
2: Global Warming Affects Fashion?;
Strang, Heather; 17OCT2007; Real Design Diva;
http://www.retaildesigndiva.com/2007/10/global-warming-.html
3: Why is Eco-Fashion So Hot?;
West, Larry; About.com;
http://environment.about.com/od/earthtalkcolumns/a/ecofashion.htm
4: Fashion Warms to Reality of
Climate Change; Wells, Rachel; 07OCT2007; The Age;
http://www.theage.com.au/news/climate-watch/fashion-warms-to-reality-of-climate-change/2007/10/06/1191091426725.html
5: How Climate Change Will Affect
What We Wear; Roshelle, Starshine; 19JAN2008; Miller-McCune;
http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture-society/how-climate-change-will-affect-what-we-wear-4765/
6:
Bid to Buck 'Fast-Fashion' Trend; unknown author; 20FEB2009; BBC
News; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7899327.stm
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