Kate Fletcher and Lynda Grose. 2012. Originally in English. Now also in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese.
Sustainability is arguably the defining theme of the twenty-first century and the issues it presents to the fashion industry are broad ranging, including labour abuses, toxic chemicals use and conspicuous consumption. This book examines how sustainability has the potential to transform both the fashion system and the innovators who work within it.
The first section transforming fashion products, sets out ways in which the impacts of garments can be reduced and their resourcefulness increased across the garment’s lifecycle, including innovation in materials, manufacture, distribution, use and re-use. The second part presents ideas that are transforming fashion systems at root, including emerging business models that find commercial opportunity in reduced material throughput. The third section is dedicated to transforming fashion design practice and explores new opportunities for designers, which extend beyond the traditional role of creator, to include working as communicator, activist or facilitator to bring about systemic change.