fashion education

The Land Of Waste

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How the fashion industry dumps the problem into Africa


A land of waste describes the unbelievable amount of discarded clothing that is regularly dumped in Africa.. About three million pieces of clothing every year. Endless layers of textiles form mountains high of fashion waste polluting the land and waters. A terrifying sight that illustrates the destruction the Western world inflicts on nature, known as waste colonialism.

Fast-fashion waste recycling?


People often believe that clothes discarded into the recycling container (the yellow ones here in Italy) are reused. Usually, charities are in charge of these garments. But fast fashion items are of poor quality. So, large quantities can’t be resold and eventually end up in a massive toxic blob in Africa.

Y2K: the overproduction era


Since 2000, global clothing production has doubled, but the quality has steadily decreased. As we’ve already discussed, brands accelerated the overproduction model. At the same time, they promoted overconsumption, kickstarting the toxic cycle.
Brands overproduce up to 40% every season.

Waste shipped to Africa: waste colonialism, the western solution


In West Africa, everyday cargos arrive full of dirty clothes, and most get there in unwearable condition. In Ghana, a dumping ground for textiles, they call them the “dead white man’s clothes.” Moreover, Western garments are so cheap that local manufacturers can’t compete (source ABC.net.au) with their original textiles.

The city of Accra has to find a place to dispose of 160 tons of textile waste every day! Liz Ricketts, a circular economy advocate, has spent about ten years documenting what happens in Ghana.During the monsoon season, the heavy rains drag the textiles into the sea. Then they return to the shore buried in the sand.

In Accra, there’s no room left to throw away clothing.

ABC News: the land of waste


We recommend to watch this video by ABC News:

Video by ABC News


Waste colonialism & the land of waste


If waste is the byproduct of a fashion industry based on an overproduction pattern, consumers play an active part, too. Indeed, they contribute to this environmental disaster with their consumption habits. Perhaps years ago, information was lacking, but now it’s everywhere! Everyone can understand the downside of cheap clothing.

There are people who are underpaid to make cheap clothes and, at the end of the cycle, other people who earn 4 dollars a day collecting fashion waste. Slaves, indeed!

The western world’s solution was to ship the problem to Africa–waste colinialism. But that has resulted in a land of waste, which we are leaving to the coming generations.

Fashion brands are responsible, but so we are if we don’t change our consumption habits.

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The Fashion Regeneration

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A circular vision from the Paris Haute Couture Week


Although the status quo is hard to fight, some designers made a strong visual impact showing some fashion regeneration at the Paris Haute Couture. Their creations went beyond mere opulence, embracing bold innovation and craftsmanship to redefine traditional codes. These designers demonstrated that couture is not just about preserving heritage but also about pushing boundaries and imagining the future of fashion.

Regeneration: a new narrative in the fashion industry


While showcasing beautiful clothes, some brave young designers proposed bold setups to provoke thought. Specifically, they introduced a new narrative that raised awareness about fashion overproduction and waste, promoting a more sustainable lifestyle based on circularity.

Since finance controls top brands, the fashion business has become an uneven playing field. In fact, independent designers put immense effort into competing with large luxury conglomerates that have no interest in change. However, some spectacular shows made a difference during Paris Haute Couture Week.

One-of-a-kind: a positive change


Yuima Nakazato is a talented designer who presented impressive work. The collection named “INHERIT” wants to inspire a positive change. Born from upcycling, it is a mix of captivating design, enveloping lines and evocative colours. So, he showed the beauty of fashion innovation and the downside of fashion pollution. Chills and creativity.
Inspired by a trip to Kenya, the introduction video showed an Africa devastated by fashion waste.

“There are many places in Nairobi that have been contaminated with textiles. We need to change that.”

Yuima Nakazato SS23 Couture

Circular couture and fashion regeneration


Marine Serre: proposed a fashion regenerated through a circular design. To better explain, we quote her concept for her Couture show:

“The RISING SHELTER show featured a fully circular set design. The tower weighs 1.3 tons of vintage clothes inside three 8m high towers full of used denim, silk scarves and t-shirts that will be regenerated for the collection’s production.”

Marine Serre SS23 Couture


Perhaps highlighting the reality with the terrifying imposing towers full of fashion waste will help understand the urgency no one wants to see.

In conclusion, these young designers deserve credit for addressing fashion waste and climate change, leading fashion regeneration with creativity and skilful design—paving the way for positive change in the future.

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Fashion, Politics, and Dante Alighieri

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Why bother the Tuscan poet?


From fashion to politics, Dante Alighieri has become a recurrent name in the news. Sadly, people like to speak out of turn to make an impression. However, their remarks often have the opposite effect, making them appear absurd.

Dante on the Italian scene: sad but true


Not a piece of fake news, so please take a deep breath if you didn’t already know it. Recently, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s culture minister, claimed that the poet Dante Alighieri was the founder of right-wing thinking. Of course, this statement caused a great stir leaving many people perplexed. However, understanding why contemporary politicians look like caricatures more than real leaders would be really interesting. But that needs a deep reflection we will not tackle here.

Dante Alighieri & the Paris Haute Couture


Yesterday, Daniel Roseberry for Schiapparelli opened the Haute Couture week in Paris. And for the maison, the creative director sent on the runway a show inspired by the Inferno by Dante Alighieri. Specifically, he focused on the three fairs the poet encounters in the forest dark: the leopard, the lion and the she-wolf.

Cultured reference or not, animal trophies embroidered onto evening gowns were a horrible concept. Even more considering that those animals are in danger of extinction. Furthermore, models no longer in their youth had the face skin smooth as a child’s butt.

Bad taste dominated the show. Most of all, it is unclear what kind of women the fashion industry wants to appeal to.

Ignoring the Italian culture minister’s statement made sense—it’s best to avoid highlighting stupidity. But now Dante is back, making headlines again—this time, from Paris Haute Couture week!

Understandably, we are living in an unprecedented time of disruption and change. But why bother Dante? From fashion to politics, they force out-of-context cultural references. The only plausible explanation is that they want to impress but have nothing meaningful to say.

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Upcycling: The Future Of Fashion

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A trend or a permanent approach towards sustainable fashion?


Upcycling seems to be the future of fashion. Indeed, this technique is one of the best opportunities to make fashion a more sustainable industry. But is it just a trend? One of the buzzwords brands use to lure attention? Or is it here to stay?

Upcycling – what does it mean?


Upcycling means taking discarded materials, re-designing and reassembling them to create a product of higher value. While recycling transforms materials into something new, which implies more resources, having a higher impact, upcycling starts with existing materials, resulting in a lower impact. Therefore, this practice represents a pattern of circularity, the heart of sustainable fashion.

A personal note: family tradition


For us, daughters of a seamstress so passionate about making clothes that she even finished buttonholes by hand, it’s not a novelty. Since we were children, we’ve had familiarity with collecting buttons, zippers, and fabrics. Pieces from existing garments that mom would reshape to make something else: beautiful clothes for special occasions or garments and accessories for daily life. Our school bags and pencil case made of deadstock denim were fantastic.

upcycling

Upcycling, background notes


A memorable example of upcycling comes from the movie industry. Rossella O’Hara’s dress, made from curtains in “Gone with the wind”, belongs to our collective imagery.

Many blogs attribute the “upcycling discovery” to this or that designer for a promotional purpose. But we cannot avoid mentioning Mr Martin Margiela. Since the beginning, his aesthetic mastered the deconstruction and reinvention of found garments, culminating in 2006 when Maison Martin Margiela Artisanal was born.

On the same line, we mention Marc Le Bihan. A big part of his work consists in searching for vintage garments, deconstructing and reconstructing them. He upcycled military uniforms from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, reshaping them into modern pieces. With Swedish pants, he created a coat; with military pull, a gilet; and with smoking pants, a long skirt. Also, he created pieces with postal bags made of heavy linen for a catwalk.

Among young designers, Marine Serre’s creativity stands out. Indeed she is doing a great job with upcycling.

By exploring fashion history, we can see that upcycling is nothing new. But what brought it to the centre of attention was the pandemic, which spread a do-it-yourself trend among young people. Most importantly, it favoured the diffusion of particular attention towards sustainable fashion.

Nowadays, many famous brands ride the wave to stay popular. Though advisable to become sustainable, a fashion industry that almost entirely revolves around upcycled garments is hard to imagine.

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The Luxury Inconsistency

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How the fashion system devalues itself


Straight to the point of the luxury inconsistency: top brands stopped representing luxury. When they adopted the overproduction model, triggering a constant need for discounts, they moved in a different direction. And with the rise of ‘affordable luxury’–a meaningless oxymoron–the fashion industry has been doing its best to devalue what little remains of luxury.

Luxury: from exclusivity to mass products


Overproduction and luxury have nothing in common. But the fashion industry promoted this pattern to make more money in the name of growth and greed. Some top brands represented the last stronghold of an industry that was transforming into financial conglomerates. In this new context, fashion shifted from exclusivity to the masses.

In order to appeal to a wider audience, communication had to develop a different narrative, revolving around three points:
1- extremised concepts, just to give something to talk about
2- socialite or fashion bloggers to promote the products
3- frequent markdowns

As a result, the industry lowered its standards focusing on branding rather than providing creativity and excellent quality. The byproduct was a crass logo dependency. However, associating a logo with specific lifestyle imagery is not the same as creating well-made products. Most importantly, exclusivity and discounts are inherently contradictory.

The luxury short-circuit


Sometimes luxury brands, how they still want to call themselves, release the misguided communication, as seen in the case of Balenciaga. Consequently, fashion bloggers end up selling their products at a discount. But can you imagine who paid full price for those items? They must be thrilled to see them undersold!

Rising prices: the latest strategy for luxury


Now brands increase prices due to pandemic-related issues and inflation, but that does not mean better quality. They’re simply covering their costs. If people accept paying more, they get mass-produced items in return, not exclusivity.

What masses believe is luxury, it is not. It’s the product of an industry that has lost its consistency. A fashion industry that, without serious critique and questioning, reveals its short-circuit and inability to change.

In conclusion, communication missteps show the luxury inconsistency to everyone. And you don’t even need to be a fashion insider to understand it!

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