An alternative event has been raising awareness of the fashion industry’s negative environmental impact as London Fashion Week (LFW) features some of the largest designers in the UK.
Around the same time as London Fashion Week, Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) features a runway show, seminars, and speeches to promote its theme of “re-wear, reuse, regenerate, and reconnect.”
A runway show, workshops, and speeches promoting the “re-wear, repurpose, regenerate, and reconnect” mentality makeup Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW), which takes place around the same time as its London counterpart.
The programme of London Fashion Week, which runs from September 16 through 20, was changed to relocate catwalk displays from the day of the Queen’s funeral and to cancel its customary celebrations.
Amelia Twine, the creator of SFW, stated that one of the week’s main goals was to reinsert “joy” into sustainable fashion.
There is a lot of excitement in purchasing new items, but when we attempt to shift the narrative to emphasise the use of materials and apparel that are already in use, I believe some people feel like the joy and the pleasure are diminished.
According to the UN, the fashion industry is more accountable for 8–10% of global emissions than the shipping and aviation combined.
When Ms. Twine first realised fashion was “simply so far behind” other businesses in addressing its environmental impact, she was employed in the food industry.
In 2018, she founded a sustainable womenswear line, but she quickly saw that the cost of modern, sustainable apparel precluded a lot of people. This realisation gave her the idea for SFW.
It’s not about examining aspiration, exclusivity, or new trends, she continued, but rather about examining how everyone can interact with sustainability and fashion in a way that suits them.
The utilisation of raw resources, such as the farmland required to cultivate cotton and the amount of oil required for synthetic materials like polyester, is what has the biggest negative influence on the environment.
In recent years, the mistreatment of garment workers in both UK and foreign manufacturers has also come to light.
More affordable
The second Sustainable Fashion Week was held this year, but it was the first time a catwalk was featured.
As the creator of one of the catwalk outfits, designer Maria Loria hopes to demonstrate that sustainable fashion can be purchased on a budget, “instead of giving all of our money to these enormous fast fashion businesses who are hurting the earth and abusing workers.”
She hopes that the 20 “accessible ensembles” she has put together using antique, pre-owned, and upcycled clothing would inspire people to “reimagine” their wardrobes.
Local fashion students, the advocacy group Black 2 Nature, and the national clothing company Lucy and Yak are creating more catwalk ensembles.
On September 20 at Trinity School in Bristol, the neighbourhood Barnardo’s charity shop will host the Lockleaze Fashion Show, one community event.
When the shops were closed due to the pandemic, according to store assistant Karen Edkins, the charity lost a “substantial amount of income”—roughly £1.3 million.
They hope that the fashion show, which will only feature pre-owned clothing, would inspire more fashion enthusiasts
to purchase at thrift stores for “sustainable and great value items.”
Mrs. Edkins continued, “Buying used in charity shops increases the life of fabrics and home furnishings and minimizes carbon, waste, and water footprints.
The goal of SFW, according to Ms. Twine, is for guests to leave with the “empowerment to make positive changes” to their relationship with clothing.
