A more sustainable fashion industry? Fashion journalist Anna Blom lectures on circular fashion
Travel was a turning point
Anna Blom has worked as a fashion journalist for over 13 years and interviewed many of the really big in the fashion industry such as fashion designer Stella McCartney and Burberry's former chief designer Christopher Bailey, but also global influencers like Gigi Hadid. Today, she combines writing with lecturing about circular fashion.
"Fashion for me represents longing and dreams and is a great way to express identity and build self-confidence, but you can't turn a blind eye to the fashion industry being a big environmental villain," he said.
A trip to Shanghai with the Global Change Award (awarded by the H&M Foundation) sparked Anna's interest in circular fashion.
"After that journey, I felt that if I were to continue working in fashion, I wanted to better understand the industry's challenges and opportunities.
Attitudes and behaviors a step on the road to change
Circular fashion means extending the life of the products, for example working with recycled materials that become garments that can then be composted or recycled when the owner is tired, or to develop new environmentally friendly materials, but also to develop business models that build circularity.
Today, by far the most common mode of production is that new textiles are produced to make garments that are thrown away after a short life cycle. But recycling does not solve the problems in the fashion industry, as only 1% of all recycled textiles turn into new clothes. In addition, it is no longer possible for the ordinary consumer to assess whether a garment is environmentally friendly.
What we can control instead is our attitude and behavior when it comes to fashion – our attitude towards ownership and how we use our clothes. The majority of a garment's negative climate impact takes place in production and when we customers go to and from the store. A garment that is used twice as long reduces the negative impact by half. And instead of buying new for the next party or even for everyday needs, there are many companies whose business idea is to rent out garments.
"There is a long way to go to a more sustainable fashion industry, but a lot of positives are underway. New innovative materials are being developed, circular business models are being tested and established, and among young people, sustainability and ethical values are becoming increasingly important.
Anna Blom's 3 best tips for becoming a conscious fashion consumer
- Shop in your own closet. How can you re-style, find new style combinations and reactivate garments that you're tired of?
- Try renting garments or selling and buying second-hand.
- Build a good foundation wardrobe that takes into account you and your needs.
