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Sustainability of the Fashion Industry Inquiry | Interview with Mary Creagh MP

By November 16, 2018 Ethical

I recently had the chance to attend what is called an ‘evidence hearing’ at the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington, London, as part of the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee‘s inquiry into sustainable fashion. This is actually an incredibly exciting time, as the inquiry may go onto help aid the Government to ensure we are starting to create a newer, more environmentally conscious fashion industry.

Sustainability of the Fashion Industry Inquiry - Mary Creagh MP Interview


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  LOCATION:
Victoria & Albert Museum
London


 (Mary): The Environmental Audit Committee is conducting an inquiry into fast-fashion. We want to look at the global carbon footprint of the fashion industry and to see how Government and consumers and the industry itself can reduce the huge amount of environmental resources that the fashion industry consumes every year.

(Tolly to Mary): For those who don't know, what is the inquiry about?

I had the opportunity to sit down with Mary Creagh, an MP (Member of Parliament) and the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, which is the group responsible for considering how the Government is doing in terms of environmental protection and sustainable development in the UK. The committee was behind securing the recent ban on microbeads in cosmetics products and hopefully, with the sustainable fashion inquiry, they will go on to do much more.

I know that a lot of people will be new to the concept of a parliamentary inquiry – trust me, I am too! – so, I want to discuss what it all means, as well as some takeaways from the evidence session itself. Some of those giving evidence at the hearing included Eco-Age founder, Livia Firth; journalist and writer, Lucy Siegle; the Sustainability & Innovation Director of Stella McCartney, Claire Bergkamp, and the Director and Professor of Fashion Design for Sustainability, Dilys Wiliams.


(Mary): The government sets the rules in which all companies operate. So, at the moment we have rules that say, you’ve got to check your supply chain to check that you’re not employing slaves, for example. So, there might be some recommendations that we want to make to Government about what companies should do.

We’ve heard today from bloggers and upcyclers, about how we can all make our clothes last for longer, and how we can incentivise companies to look at new business models. Rental models, for example. The most sustainable garment is the garment you already own. So basically, buying less, buying better and wearing clothes for longer.

Compared to independent initiatives surrounding these issues, what can the Government do?

Sustainability of the Fashion Industry Inquiry - Mary Creagh MP Interview

There were two clear take-aways for me, not only from the evidence session that I attended but also from the initial session which I watched on live stream (both of which you can watch here). Firstly, it’s that, as Dilys Williams so rightly said, the system and the model of fast-fashion are broken. There is no way in which we can continue producing and consuming at the same rate that we are, in a sustainable manner – this goes for the UK and elsewhere.

The Ellen McArthur foundation states that textile production uses around 93 million cubic metres of water and an estimated 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, per year, which is more than flights and maritime shipping combined. And in the UK specifically, the consumption of clothing itself is rapidly rising, alongside disposal rates, with 350,000 tonnes of clothes being discarded to landfill, according to WRAP.

In terms of statistics, these are all numbers that a lot of us have already considered or educated ourselves on but there’s more to it than that. In the first evidence hearing, a common theme regarding the initial design process of our clothing arose and it was brought up again at the V&A with fashion designer, Phoebe English, speaking on the panel. She reminded us of the large amounts of waste created before a garment even gets on the shop floor. After describing the pattern cutting process, Phoebe said, “There is waste from every single garment on the high street. Where is that waste going?”.

Sustainability of the Fashion Industry Inquiry - Mary Creagh MP Interview

There are many different elements to the conversation and that’s the second takeaway that became very apparent; what recommendations does a committee put forward to a Government, when there are so many angles and specific issues to focus on? There is no one set solution to creating a sustainable fashion industry. Even when we say the system is broken and creating a new one seems like the only answer, a new system will always come with its challenges, too.

For example, a circular fashion industry could work in theory but only if you’re also looking at circularity in a social sense, as Dilys Williams suggested. A circular economy is a regenerative system which thrives on reuse, remanufacturing, repairing and recycling but we can’t transform the fashion industry into a closed-loop system unless the consumer mindset shifts dramatically, and that is a great feat we face.


(Mary): We need to reconnect people with their clothing. We’re sitting in the Fashioned from Nature exhibition at the Victoria & Albert museum which reminds us that everything that we make comes from the earth, whether it’s polyester which is a by-product of the oil and gas industry; silk, feathers, fur, leather, cotton, wool – are all made in nature. Reconnecting people with their clothes, reskilling people to look after their clothes, look after them better, wear them for longer, repair them when they get holes in them – I think these are all techniques that we are keen to look at as a committee.

But also, we’re keen to look at the whole fashion industry and look at how the £32 billion industry which has one of its global headquarters in London, can play its part in reducing its environmental footprint and what Government needs to do, to make that happen.

How do we balance changing a broken system with the economy?

Sustainability of the Fashion Industry Inquiry - Mary Creagh MP Interview

One of the suggestions relating to the idea of circularity, once again came from Professor Dilys Williams – perhaps a recommendation to the Government could come in the form of reduced VAT on repair services, which as Graeme Raeburn (one half of the Christopher Raeburn duo) pointed out is something that has already been executed in Sweden.

Although we may not be at a point in time where the general public has learned how to darn socks and tailor trousers, if we allow services for these repairs to become more accessible, it could cause a shift in how we appreciate clothing and in turn, create an environmental shift, too.

Along with circularity, the Scottish Government has already started in this direction with the ‘Make Things Last‘ strategy which has trialled large-scale reuse and repair hubs.


(Mary): I don’t think the UK is really far behind. We have modern slavery laws, I think we are good at recycling our clothes to charity shops; what is coming out is that clearly when we’re sending those clothes to the recycling shops, they may not be getting sold. We’re not very good at collecting clothes in household waste. We’ve got 350,000 tonnes a year that’s going to landfill and another 50 or 60,000 being burned.

So, we are bad in terms of buying a lot more clothes than the rest of Europe. We’re buying 27 kilos of clothes a year. We are good at then recycling it but we’re not clear with what happens with the clothes at the end of their life. The fact that 23% of what we buy just ends up sat in our wardrobe, a lot of it because it no longer fits us, is one of the interesting statistics from today’s session.

Is the UK far behind in terms of making progress with these sustainable issues?

Sustainability of the Fashion Industry Inquiry - Mary Creagh MP Interview


Myself and Mary Creagh, MP at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Fashioned from Nature exhibition


The complexity of the issues at hand go as far as advertising and how fast-fashion actually affects us all psychologically. If fast-fashion and unsustainably produced textiles are as destructive to ourselves and the environment as products that we see on the shelves of supermarkets, with labels to warn us of toxic ingredients that could potentially cause us bodily harm, is it time that legislation is put in place in order to make consumers more aware of what they’re really buying into? Is it time that we are shown the true cost of a £5 t-shirt before we reach the checkout, bringing back what Lucy Siegle called a ‘pause for thought before buying‘ that’s been stripped away with such fast consumption habits?


(Mary): I think one of the most surprising things is about the psychological impact of fashion and how the endorphin rush you get after buying something new, wears off after about three days. That’s something very interesting and relates to my own experiences. So, how fast-fashion is potentially fuelling unhappiness in young people, who are buying more, spending just as much as they did in the past but wearing for much less time. I think this constant cycle of consume, spend, throw is not a cycle that makes people happy.

What's been one of the most surprising things to come out of the inquiry, so far?

As I now personally have a large understanding of many of the issues raised at the evidence hearing, it’s been clear to me that the system is broken for quite some time now, but it’s even clearer that we are in dire need of answering a pivotal question, which was once again raised by Professor Dilys Williams…

Do we want to keep the current industry or do we want to live within planetary boundaries? 


If you want to learn more about the Environmental Audit Committee and the ‘Sustainability of the fashion industry inquiry‘, take a look at the Parliament website. Follow the committee on Twitter @CommonsEAC and voice your thoughts with #EACFixingFashion.

 

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David Bowie Is in Bologna 🇮🇹

By August 8, 2016 DIY & Lifestyle

Towards the end of last week, I was off on another trip in Italy, this time to Bologna (as well as San Marino) to visit the David Bowie Is exhibition. As soon as the tickets went on sale, we purchased them knowing that it was the last time the show was being held in Europe. I came out feeling so inspired and even more in admiration for Bowie and his work, and seeing as I can still intertwine the whole experience with fashion, I decided to write down some of my thoughts after visiting…

David Bowie Is MAMbo Bologna V&A Exhibition Review

David Bowie Is MAMbo Bologna V&A Exhibition Review

David Bowie Is MAMbo Bologna V&A Exhibition Review


location

  LOCATION: MAMbo Bologna, IT  🇮🇹


Okay let’s first of all start with the above pictures – I’ve already posted them on Twitter and Instagram and basically everywhere (including Tumblr) because they are just so magical. Shoutout to my brother for capturing such an epically timed set of photos of myself crossing the road to the MAMbo, just as a guy on his motorbike passed wearing a black star helmet. He wasn’t visiting the exhibition either just FYI – he drove past and proved that Bowie is still using his magic even now. It’s actually pretty crazy – I mean, what are the chances that someone would be passing at that exact moment with the exact same star?

Speaking of the MAMbo; that’s of course where the exhibition was held. It was a fairly big exhibition, but just the right size that if you aren’t a super fan of Bowie, you won’t get bored or uninterested. I’m not going to say I know everything and anything about the man himself, but I’ve definitely learnt a lot over the past few years with the help of my aforementioned brother, and was of course hugely hit by Bowie’s passing in January.

The cool thing about the exhibition is that you’re given a headphone and audio set that automatically plays when you walk around. It plays a mix of music, interviews and recordings, and as soon as I heard a faint whisper of a song in the first room, I could feel my emotions coming to the surface. I never really knew how much somebody I didn’t know could effect me, but I’m still not fully recovered from the news, and I’m not sure any of us will be for a while. So really, you can probably guess what it felt like to see some of his work (whether that be costumes, lyric sheets or paintings) up close and personal, just an arms stretch away.

David Bowie Is MAMbo Bologna V&A Exhibition Review


WHAT I WORE: DIY ★ Jacket // Blouse (Charity Shop) // Super Crop Top (ASOS) // Printed Trousers (ASOS Africa) // Sunglasses (Topshop – Old) // White Vagabond Dioons (Mastershoe)*


A lot of people only know certain parts of Bowie’s story, whether that be his life as Ziggy Stardust (only a very small part of his career), his acting career in films like Labyrinth, or even for younger generations, his latest albums like The Next Day and ★, but there’s so much more to him than all of that, and that’s what the exhibiton really brings to life. There’s a dedicated section to his time in Berlin in the 70s, which includes some of the artwork he produced as someone who has always had an interest in art; there’s a film room dedicated to more than just his role in Labryinth and The Man Who Fell To Earth and there’s the very first original letter which shows the change of his name from Davie to David Bowie…

David Bowie Is MAMbo Bologna V&A Exhibition Review

…and then of course, there’s the costumes. As an aspiring designer, you definitely won’t be surprised to hear how much time I took to look at each piece in detail. There’s an incredibly well preserved collection from most of his tours, including of course the more well known outfits and designs by Kansai Yamamoto (seen above – a scan from the David Bowie Is book). Seeing the textures and three dimensionality of everything really brings to life Bowie in front of your eyes, and is worth all the odd looks of being down on my knees in front of fifty odd people to inspect that knitted jumpsuit in dim lighting through a mesh panel…

…the mesh panel being in one of the most incredible rooms. A 360 degree square of lights and projections showing various concerts including the last ever for Ziggy and a performance of Heroes. I may have been in that room for longer than most, but it was genuinely breathtaking and made my heart warm when a few people started dancing – although the legend might not be with us now, it’s a time to celebrate his influence and how he’s changed the lives of many; past, present and future.

David Bowie Is MAMbo Bologna V&A Exhibition Review

I’m not sure how many times I’ve now said this, but it truly was an incredible experience. I came away feeling truly grateful of the fact I was able to see Bowie create new music and leave behind such a powerful message. There are many reasons why he has such an inspiring story, but if you really want to learn why, you’ll have to visit the exhibition yourself. It’s worth all the travelling, all the money and all the emotions you may (and probably will) experience. Even just seeing the imagery outside the museum overwhelmed me…


Have you been to the David Bowie Is exhibition? How did Bowie inspire you? Let me know in the comments!

 

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