climate change

Is It Time to Give Up On The COPs?

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COP29 in Azerbaijan: oil and corruption for climate change


Is it time to give up on the COPs? Perhaps we need to question the relevance of these events altogether. This year, COP29 is being held in Azerbaijan – a petro-state notorious for corruption, where its CEO was secretly filmed while making gas and oil deals. 

But is this the climate action platform the world needs? Or is it a glaring sign of systemic failure?

“It’s unacceptable that a country that depends upon oil and doesn’t respect human rights is hosting COP29” – declared Greta Thunberg, who boycotted the event.

COP29 – Azerbaijan


The annual climate conference has sparked fierce criticism. In a divisive address, Azerbaijan’s president declared oil to be a “gift of God.” Meanwhile, with Trump’s recent election victory, there is growing concern that the climate emergency could vanish from the global agenda entirely.

Rupert Read, leader of The Climate Majority Project, reflected on the unfolding debacle: “The news that the head of COP was using COP to make gas deals is hardly even a surprise.”

This revelation underscores the troubling state of an institution increasingly out of step with its mission. However, Read sees a potential upside: growing scepticism around COP could catalyze the creation of meaningful alternatives. “What we need are coalitions of the willing – countries genuinely committed to action. COP was designed to fail.”

With the 1.5°C target now out of reach, the narrative must shift. Pretending that decarbonization alone will suffice is no longer viable. Instead, the focus must pivot to transformative and strategic adaptation. “In this context, adaptation, preparedness, and resilience-building aren’t optional – they are pivotal. These measures will determine whether humanity survives, let alone flourishes,” says Read.

Is it time to give up?


The future of the climate movement won’t hinge on a singular solution but rather a multiplicity of efforts. “The next big thing will be lots of things” – Read explains on his website. “It will emerge from millions of people with diverse backgrounds, talents, and needs, each finding their own part to play in something much, much larger. We could never actually construct such a movement. We can only do everything we can to make sure it happens.”

In conclusion, can these events still become platforms for real change, or is it time to move beyond? Is it time to give up on the COPs entirely?

Yes… it may sound rhetorical.

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Valencia’s Nightmare: Catastrophic Flooding & Human Inaction

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Climate change: what do we do with the information?


Valencia’s nightmare of catastrophic flooding wreaking havoc underscores a grim truth about climate change. Despite mounting evidence, human inaction remains the norm. 

So, “what do we do with the information?”
Rupert Read, author and professor of philosophy, poses this question as he reflects on this tragedy.

Valencia’s nightmare: flooding wreak havoc


In the span of just eight hours, Valencia was hit with a year’s worth of rain, resulting in more than 200 deaths. But this brutal event isn’t an isolated incident. Indeed, it mirrors extreme weather patterns seen in Italy and across the globe. And yet, our response remains inadequate in the face of such overwhelming evidence. There is a disturbing trend of growing numbness. A tendency to witness these catastrophes from a distance, accepting them as a new normal.

Climate emergency & humans inaction


Rupert Read’s poignant words, shared in a recent video, go straight to the heart of the issue:

“How do we handle the fact that people are suffering immensely because of the climate crisis and the response to that suffering doesn’t seem to be adequate? This is a very important dimension of the crisis that I don’t think has been fully understood yet. There is a gap between the amount of response, the amount in this case of, say, sadness we are feeling on the one hand, and the appropriate amount, on the other hand, of us collectively as a society, as a civilization. There isn’t nearly enough in the mass media about the immense suffering that the Spanish people are going through right now. And, about what it should mean to us.

Consider the idea of us being in a climate and ecological emergency, as a good reason for saying that we are, we are not treating collectively as an emergency. There is a gap between the actual emergency and the extent to which it’s being treated as an emergency.”


Read calls this crisis a “meta-emergency,” where our inability to treat the situation with the urgency it deserves amplifies the problem itself. He notes, “The meta-emergency is that we are not treating the emergency as an emergency. And that makes it so much worse. If we were responding adequately, we would be in a much better position than the one we find ourselves in today.”

In Read’s view, our collective failure to grasp the full scope of our environmental crisis is staggering. And this lack of recognition is a critical part of the problem. “This is the most troubling aspect of our failure,” he argues, “that it hasn’t even been fully recognized as a failure.” He advocates for a sweeping public inquiry on a global scale – a massive truth and reconciliation commission for climate, to understand how we’ve allowed things to go so terribly wrong for so long.

The emotional toll of these events also warrants attention. Read observes that our sadness, worry, and anger for the Spanish people don’t suffice. Instead, he identifies a secondary layer of sadness – “meta-sadness” – which arises from the inadequacy of our emotional response to these events.

What solution does Rupert Read offer?


So, Valencia’s nightmare of catastrophic flooding make us sad or angry but that is not enough. Read suggests that by recognizing our “meta-sadness” – our grief over our collective emotional inadequacy – we put ourselves in a better position to act. By acknowledging our insufficient responses, we open the door to more meaningful action. It’s a call to move beyond passive observation. And to challenge the systems that perpetuate this cycle of apathy and inaction.

This awareness could be the first step toward bridging the gap between understanding the problem and taking the decisive action required to address it.

Ultimately, only a true, intense, and profound awareness can wake us from this torpor, and push us toward collective action.

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Fashion Retailers: Part of an Industry Unwilling to Change

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Challenging the status quo for a sustainable future


Today, fashion retailers are part of an industry that continues to uphold a culture that fiercely defends the status quo. Specifically, fashion retailers contribute to this stagnation, showing little interest in exploring new, innovative ways of operating their businesses.

Profit remains the guiding principle of the fashion industry. This relentless focus blinds it to the true cost of doing business: the exploitation of labour and natural resources. Ethical practices take a backseat, as they don’t align with profit-driven motives. In fact, respectful work doesn’t generate massive returns; only extraction and exploitation do. But in this race for profit and growth, the system is falling apart.

The role of fashion retailers


In this unstable context, the role of retailers becomes particularly intriguing to examine. Despite ongoing conversations with industry peers, we see no signs of change. There’s no intent, no effort to try something different. Retailers, facing declining sales and increasing store closures, feel trapped in a vicious cycle. Believing they have no alternatives, they continue ordering excessive stock and relying on heavy discounts. But these actions only fuel the system that’s contributing to their downfall.

Following the system may seem like the path of least resistance for now, but it’s clear that the system is broken. Corporations, brands, retailers – they all know it. Yet by conforming to these failing norms, they accelerate the industry’s downward spiral.

Amidst this turmoil, brands, retailers, and all industry players must make a concerted effort to grasp the complex realities shaping today’s market. The luxury sector, for instance, finds itself in a state of stagnation. The niche clientele that supported independent brands in the ‘90s and early 2000s has dwindled to near extinction. Today, both affluent and less affluent consumers gravitate toward cheap, disposable fashion.
Is this a temporary shift? Or have people’s attitudes toward fashion fundamentally changed?

Fashion retailers vs change


If overproduction was already senseless, now in the face of the climate crisis, it’s even more absurd, as consumers are no longer willing to buy these products. So why are fashion retailers still unwilling to change their buying practices? Why do they ignore small independent brands focusing only on those who produce huge quantities?

The question is no longer if the system will collapse. It seems we’re already on the brink. The real question is how much longer we – fashion retailers, brands, the industry – will prop it up before embracing the change that’s urgently needed.

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Ujoh SS25 Paris Fashion Week Runway Show

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Modern tailoring and lightness in the face of extreme weather


Today, we are excited to share the Ujoh runway show from the SS25 Paris Fashion Week. Ujoh is our new-in from Japan this Fall/Winter season. In fact, we have just received some amazing garments that we can’t wait to share. 

For Spring/Summer 2025, presented at the Paris Fashion Week, UJOH reshapes tailoring by focusing on structure and lightness through the cutting. And so, utilising signature techniques specific to the brand, the collection merges sleek design with effortless comfort, making it ideal for navigating a changing climate.

Indeed, the extreme weather in Japan is the inspiration for the SS25 collection, which addresses the need for adaptable fashion in a warming world. Designer Mitsuru and Aco Nishizaki explored how their unique pattern-making could evolve to meet the demands of higher temperatures. And it results in layered silhouettes that marry style with practicality. So, the collection showcases innovative, tailored looks incorporating breezy elements, offering wearers both sophistication and function.

SS25 Paris Fashion Week: Ujoh

Ujoh SS25 Paris Fahion Week


This season’s iconic items include cut-off jackets shaped to fit the body’s lines, straight-cut jackets, wide-legged trousers and skirts with deep slits that allow for and create movement. Specifically, asymmetry played a key role in the collection, with restructured sleeve-ties from shirts. All complemented by scarves that could be styled over or under layers for an effortlessly unique touch. Standout pieces included satin garments treated with the traditional Japanese Shibori tie-dye technique, creating creased patterns reminiscent of petrol spills on wet asphalt. Geometric swirl prints added another layer of visual appeal. These garments highlight the idea of reconstruction by adding elements to the spaces created through subtraction in the cutting process.

Textiles:
Matte organza, washed organza tailored inside out, and washed satin with shibori tie-dye treatment. 

Key colours:
Pinstripes in the brand’s signature shades of sand beige and slate grey. Along with bright colours such as leaf green, lilac, sky blue and terracotta, representing a positive mindset.

According to UJOH, modern tailoring is a balance between sharp craftsmanship and functionality, with a strong emphasis on pattern-making that defines the collection’s approach.

Ultimately, Ujoh’s SS25 collection from Paris Fashion Week offered an imaginative, well-considered response to the challenges of dressing for a warming world. But it stayed true to the brand’s sophisticated yet daring aesthetic.

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Fashion Industry: Is it Business as Usual?

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Can the fashion business continue with the same old strategies?


If there were an award for stubbornly clinging to a “business as usual” model, the fashion industry would win without contest. In fact, during a time of deep crisis, there is no sign of change.

We have to admit that working in the fashion industry this month feels stranger than ever for us. Starting a new FW retail season while researching SS25 collections seems particularly surreal. Like living in a fashion bubble disconnected from reality. Indeed, we stay well-informed about current events through our virtual window. Despite the glaring flaws, brands, retailers, and insiders seem trapped in an exploitative and broken system they can neither dismantle nor escape.

Some data points from the fashion system


Just take a look at the fashion magazine headlines or tune into the news – the fashion industry is crumbling:

  • In Turkey, 15,000 textile companies filed for bankruptcy in the first seven months of 2024.
  • By the end of June, 107 shoe manufacturers in Italy had shut down.
  • China’s luxury market is stagnating.
  • At London Fashion Week, amid the market slowdown, designers pressed on. “Keep calm and carry on,” as Business of Fashion put it.
  • Italy’s footwear and leather goods sectors are in decline.
  • Warehouses across the industry are overflowing with unsold goods.

Milano Fashion Week started yesterday, with expectations of economic recovery in the second half of 2025. “The crisis is here, there’s no denying it, but it’s a period of 12-18 months during which the market has slowed down, only to be ready to pick up again afterwards,” says Carlo Capasa. Ok, but how do they actually plan to move forward?

The slowdown, climate emergency & business as usual


The slowdown in the fashion industry is undeniable. Yet, most continue to operate with business as usual. But does it really make sense to approach the fashion business as we always have? What are we trying to achieve by continuing with outdated strategies? Adding more overproduction to an already saturated market, and waiting for the economy to magically recover? Or, are we simply ignoring the problem, living in denial?

This seems to be neither a plan nor a recognition of the urgency of the crisis we’re facing.  Climate change and overproduction in the fashion industry with their devastating effects – exploitation of people and the planet, carbon emissions, and massive waste – are part of the same problem. 

Amid an existential climate and environmental emergency, it’s glaringly obvious that the fashion industry needs a complete systemic change. But how likely is that when all we see is business as usual?

🖤 Dive into our latest post, and don’t hesitate to reach out. You can comment here below (just register first), or drop us an email or WhatsApp. We’d love to hear from you! Whether you have questions, feedback, or just want to say hello, we’re all ears. 

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