sustainability

The island in the desert

Talking about the cost of fast fashion and the madness of disposable items can be upsetting and frustrating. No one wants to listen.

We could define it as a hidden cost, assuming people do not see it directly. Except that there’s nothing hidden anymore. And so, we call it the true cost because it happens before our eyes. Although, people refuse to see it intentionally.

To illustrate the abnormity, perhaps a visual image helps awaken the conscience more than words.

Atacama desert in Chile - fast fashion leftovers
Atacama desert in Chile – fast fashion leftovers

Here, in front of your eyes, is the Atacama desert in Chile, the driest desert in the world. And that is an island of discarded clothing, including Christmas sweaters and ski boots, piling up in the desert.

Chile is a hub for secondhand and unsold clothing coming from all over the world. USA, Europe and Asia. Approximately 59,000 tons of garments arrive there every year. Clothing merchants buy part of it, but the majority, about 39,000 tons, end up in rubbish dumps in the desert.

That happens because those garments contain chemicals and are not biodegradable, therefore not accepted in the municipal landfill.

We wonder what’s going to happen over time.
Do you still feel ok with fast fashion and disposable goods?

On Monday, we posted about the need to shift our consumption habits. After reading this, the sense of urgency becomes imperative. It doesn’t need any further explanation.

Educating ourselves towards thoughtful consumption habits is fundamental.
If brands don’t produce items made to last, we don’t buy from them!
Stop overconsuming. Stop purchasing disposable items. That is how we bring our contribution.

We know that expecting a change from brands is an illusion, and it’s just a way to exclude ourselves from the game. If we pretend we do not play an active role, we hide our responsibilities.

On the contrary, we have to educate ourselves in order to become conscious and make intentional choices.

Break the loop. Take action now!

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Black Friday & promotion spam

Retailers spam promotions, and if Black Friday was not enough, early black Friday is here too!

Still the distribution model has clung to this policy as the only strategy to attract attention. Forget evolution from brands and retailers. Educating people towards an improved and conscious consumption model is not on their agenda. Not worth it.

Obsessive promotions are the outcome of a hyper-saturated market derived from the overproduction model.
Also, the lower the quality of products, the higher the mark-up, allowing discounts (real or fake?) that can reach -70%.
But the purchasing illusion is safe.

Heavy discounts and obsessive promotions are indicators of a sick system.
The environmental impact fostered by Black Friday and never-ending promotions is really huge. Not to mention the ethical implication, if you do not pay the full price of products, someone will pay for it. So we go back to the disturbing modern-day slavery.

As a matter of fact, there is too much of everything, and our blind habits contribute to feeding this vicious cycle, which has no way out.

Black Friday & promotions spam - Image of a shopping bag - Pointless shit
Image via: drops of devotion – Tumblr

The solution to Black Friday & obsessive promotions

Is it possible we cannot find a better system?

In fact, the solution is a distribution model that abandons large quantities to shift towards good quality. A sustainable production system that grants proper living wages and limits its impact on the environment. Things made to last and healthier consuming habits.

In this balanced context, promotions and discounts would be necessarily limited.

Changing attitude is a necessity. We started from us first, adjusting our activity to an evolved lifestyle. So, we offered a thoughtful consuming model represented by a capsule selection of quality pieces.

We don’t lure consumers by offering crazy discounts. But, we try to educate ourselves and our audience on meaningful consumption.

We respect people, and we understand the worth of their work. We appreciate the products we select. We value quality, and we value our customers.

Modern humans are conscious consumers.
Say no to Black Friday! We don’t need all that stuff.

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Climate change, Fashion Taskforce and private jets

Climate change is the alarming issue we discuss frequently, but the sad irony behind the latest news is creepy.

G20 and COP26 – the world leaders meetings to address climate change represented the bla bla bla we are used to hearing. Words, not facts. In some cases, they offered us something to laugh about with their sleepy faces. Even if there’s nothing to laugh about, in fact, we should only cry for what we did to our planet, as it wasn’t our source of life.

Does it make sense to discuss Joe Biden flying on his jet to Rome and then to Glasgow? Is that the point? How about the other 400 VIP jets that landed in Glasgow for the occasion?
The problem wasn’t Joe Biden’s flight. The problem was all of them gathering together – 400 flights for a climate change summit! That is ridiculous!

To make it really sustainable, wasn’t it better to arrange a zoom meeting?
Perhaps they had some problem with their wi-fi. Or maybe, world leaders intended to make it appear more spectacular to make us believe they are doing it for real. Of course, they needed more impressive backgrounds than computer screens.

climate change - Killing me softly by Gianluca Traina
Killing me softly – by Gianluca Traina

The agreement: -30% gas emission by the end of the decade, and halt deforestation by 2030.

However, acknowledging that China, India and Russia didn’t show up is so sad. They can say whatever, but if the biggest polluters are unwilling to sit at the table and openly find a solution, we have lost at the start.

As a matter of fact, after the Paris agreement in 2015, nothing positive followed. On the contrary, a lot of bad events occurred.
That is the demonstration that capitalism will never change. And money rules even when the house is burning.

At G20 in Rome, Prince Charles guiding a Fashion Taskforce, launched the idea of the Digital ID: a digital passport that carries all the information of a garment in order to provide transparency and traceability.

Although they are the Illuminati, those who created the problem cannot be the solution. All the businessmen with skin in the game have no interest in real change.

Eventually, Draghi thanked the climate activists. And undoubtedly, that is the pathway to follow. Make the change and trust ourselves, not the world leaders.

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The hypocrites

Modern slavery is a topic we frequently discuss because it is horrific and unacceptable. Even more, we are concerned by the context of hypocrisy around it.

Brands are the new gods. Sell people a famous brand, and you’ll get silence and blindness in return.

However, as members of an evolved society, we cannot turn our heads to the other side pretending nothing happens.

The exploiting system based on forced labour and minority oppression has a direct link to superbrands. Not only fashion brands, to make it clear. Indeed, every field finds benefit and — profit — in this rotten practice. In fact, there’s no better way to maximize profit.

Even though we are a drop in the ocean, we think it’s important to put out our words to help raise awareness about this issue.
Popular magazines shed light on it, but people don’t like reading. Or they don’t care enough about things that do not affect them personally. Which, by the way, is a scary attitude.

So, how can you make the message resonate with a large audience?

modern slavery - via Enes Kanter
Modern Slavery – via Enes Kanter

Here comes Enes Kanter, an NBA player. We admit we know nothing about the sport he plays. Zero. But that’s not the point. In fact, we admire him for his bravery in showing up consistently in support of human rights. For many that tend to hide, there are a few who talk out loud.

And so, it was with immense pleasure that we saw his recent posts about the Uyghur minority, forced labour camps and brands hypocrisy, asking Nike’s accountability.

We need more brave humans like Enes Kanter to speak the truth to reach the masses. Just like we need more people that open their eyes and feel touched. Fundamentally, we must find a way to put an end to this exploitation.

Hypocrite Nike - via Enes Kanter
via Enes Kanter

If, as humans, all we could do was develop new forms of slavery in order to feed our fake needs, we have failed.

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B-Corp and fashion

It has emerged over the past few days that Chloé became a B-Corp.
Of course, people welcomed the news, applauding. Maybe there were just a few perplexed comments on social media.

B-Corp: What does it mean?
Now they are a Benefit Corporation. So, beyond their for-profit business, they want to maximise their positive impact on society and the environment.

What’s the point of becoming a B-Corp in fashion?
The Chloé’s collection shown in Paris was far away from the past magic. Indeed, all the luxury beauty outlined by the former designer, Natacha Ramsey-Levy, was gone.

The new guidance follows a more American way of working that embeds marketing at the brand’s core. We saw a collection peppered with the latest marketing trends — diversity, eco-friendly and ethical themes. And not that those values are wrong, indeed we share them entirely. But we question the fact that they sound like pure marketing.

Anyhow, it will be nice to witness how they’ll manage the actual overproduction model with an eventual lower production level. And see what happens with prices too.

B-Corp & the purpose of a fashion brand

What seems clear is that brands go from overproduction to the B-Corp losing sight of the real point of the work. What makes it a worthy effort.

The scope of an evolved fashion brand is to make beautiful collections, keeping in mind that the only way to obtain this goal is by respecting people involved in the production chains and the planet. Hence, paying proper wages and reducing pollution as much as possible.

Beautiful collections are the expression of good design and meaningful creative ideas. Therefore, the moment we make a respectful work representing a positive vision, all this beauty of thought must translate into outstanding products.

If the style is bland, meaning is lost. Even though the intentions are noble, assuming they are not only marketing tools, in the Chloé fashion show, there is no substance.

To be purpose-oriented is fine, but please don’t forget you are making fashion.
Keep beauty alive. Don’t kill the dream.

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