Time to change clothing mindset
More young people are increasingly aware that sustainable fashion is the future and wearing clothes that are designed to promote love for nature and clothes that do not harm the environment, as well as made with compassion for living beings and social responsibility, would be the next hottest trends. This is just one of the new insights brought out into the open during the recent Fashion Revolution Week UAE.
Led by a group of highly committed role models of sustainable fashion in the country, the event witnessed more than 6,000 audiences and participation to its digital sessions such as workshops, webinars and the student competition. The Fashion Revolution Week UAE sought to raise awareness about responsible shopping following this year’s theme #WhoMadeMyClothes.
Araceli Gallego, Fashion Revolution Country Coordinator for UAE and co-founder of Goshopia.com and Sustainable Souk, said: “We are starting to see more appreciation of sustainable fashion in the UAE, although there remains to be a lot of work to do for people to really understand what is behind the scenes when it comes to producing their clothes.”
Held in over 90 countries, Fashion Revolution Week takes place annually around the anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Palza garment factory in Bangladesh in 2013 where more than 1,000 people, mostly workers, lost their lives due to negligence and lack of responsible practices in place.
Gallego further noted that people need to be more aware of how their clothes are made and not be fooled by greenwashing or other marketing ploys.
“There is a need to change our relationship with our clothes. It is time we care for them and learn how to be more mindful with our environment and nature. We embrace the fact that business need to cater for the 3 Ps, people, planet and profit; and not profit alone,” she added.
One of the main highlights of the weeklong event is the Sustainable Catwalk student design competition, a digital sustainable fashion show which displayed the works of 10 finalists of budding designers across the UAE. The young designers presented their innovative collection of three ready-to-wear outfits that incorporate circular design strategies, from environmentally-conscious to gender sensitive concepts.
Other activities held during the fashion week include a presentation of the latest textile innovations such as the use of banana and pineapple fibres, a quilting workshop, a sustainable digital pop-up shopping, a stylist and photography session, a movie screening, and online panel discussions on the negative impact of microplastic to the oceans, among others.
Participants learned about more about pineapple fibres through Ananas Anam Ltd, producers of Piñatex®, an innovative natural textile made from waste pineapple leaf fibre, and the Bananatex®, the world’s first durable, waterproof fabric made purely from banana plants.
The second day put the spotlight on healthy relationships within the fashion industry where various stakeholders in the supply chain shared their views on key issues in the sector and the solutions to a more transparent operation. The session featured Ioana Hardy, founder of the Impacters Group; Bav Tailor, founder of her eponymous sustainable luxury clothing brand; and Adela Alonso, Founder of AlonsoAlonso, the strategic branding and innovation firm.
Fashion Revolution UAE is part of the global movement which campaigns for a more sustainable fashion industry and seeks to raise awareness about the social and environmental impact of irresponsible practices such as human rights violations, low wages, discrimination, environmental pollution, waste, and lack of transparency.