Finding the perfect outfit is about to get harder
A growing number of sustainable fashion companies entering the Australian market are set to shake up the way we shop, according to a University of Sydney doctoral student.
Models in clothing by Clean Cut, an Australian sustainable fashion label, at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2014. [Image: Clean Cut]
PhD candidate Lisa Heinze, from the , will share her research into changing consumer fashion trends at the Sydney Environment Institute panel, , on Wednesday 12 August.
Heinze joins Australian fashion icon Kit Willow Podgornik, founder of WILLOW and new label KITX, Ethical Sourcing Manager at David Jones Jaana Quaintance-James, and from the Sydney Environment Institute for a talk that will unravel the stereotypes of sustainable fashion.
While many people face the daily struggle of what to wear, few are in a position to make informed fashion choices, with no national accreditation body currently certifying clothing which is both environmentally sustainable and ethically produced. 聽聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 very rare to find a label or a garment that is ticking all the right boxes. It鈥檚 quite common to find a brand that is dedicated to being sweatshop-free, but their environmental credentials won鈥檛 be as strong,鈥� said Heinze, author of Sustainability with Style.
Most people don鈥檛 want to buy something that鈥檚 made in a sweatshop 鈥� it鈥檚 not that people want to choose that as an option 鈥� but it can be really difficult to know how something was made.
Currently only one certification 鈥� Ethical Clothing Australia 鈥� provides information on working conditions for accredited brands and manufacturers producing garments in Australia.
Following the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013, there鈥檚 been a marked change in how people make their fashion choices, said Heinze.
鈥淐onsumers have little patience for companies that don鈥檛 know how their clothing is produced. But at this point they also don鈥檛 seem to be aware of how deep and complex the fashion supply chain can become.鈥�
The days of daggy eco-fashion are numbered, with an increasing number of sustainably- and style-conscious retailers bursting onto the Australian fashion scene. So far, Heinze has interviewed 25 sustainable fashion designers, labels and retailers to present an accurate overview of the industry today.
鈥淎ll of the retailers I鈥檝e interviewed acknowledge that we need to move beyond the old stereotypes of what eco fashion looks like,鈥� said Heinze.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a recognition that aesthetics and style has to be as good as everything else that鈥檚 out there. Price, style and availability tend to be the top three issues when choosing fashion, and many people aren鈥檛 even aware of the sustainability factor.鈥�
As major global labels like H&M launch their 鈥楥onscious鈥� Collection, the opportunities for making sustainable fashion decisions are likely to increase in future. Heinze believes the first step towards change is to increase awareness among both consumers and the industry.
鈥淭he answer is not to make people feel guilty about shopping for pleasure but rather painting a realistic picture of fashion consumption, and in doing so it will make it easier for people to consume fashion sustainably,鈥� she said.
The panel is co-presented by Sydney Ideas and the at the University of Sydney.
Event details
奥丑补迟:听鈥�鈥� panel
奥丑别苍:听Wednesday 12 August, 6.30 to 8.00pm
奥丑别谤别:听Law School Foyer, Level 2, Sydney Law School, University of Sydney
颁辞蝉迟:听Free, registration requested
Podcast:
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