#slowfashioninfluencers

[lavieestbellebelle]

Slow Fashion Influencers, Podcasters & Speakers... (#7)

This blog post is a continuation of my previous blog post on the slow fashion movement, providing a more in-depth feature of a diverse range of Instagrammers, podcasters and other online activists and thought-leaders within this space teaching their audiences about the slow fashion movement, sustainable fashion and conscious consumerism…

Hannah Heading is an Australian content creator focusing on a sustainable approach to fashion, featuring second-hand finds and styling tips through her beautifully curated Instagram page. She also recently launched her own podcast called ‘Well Worn Pod’, which explores the joy of secondhand through fascinating interviews. 

Known as Unmaterial Girl on Instagram, Leah is a former fast fashion addict turned slow fashion activist and eco-stylist based in Melbourne. She also shares lots of beautiful and stylish crafty creations and DIY clothing projects.

Candice M Tay is a Toronto-based content creator who posts a mix of YouTube videos and Instagram content, curating a conscious slow fashion diary and sharing her sustainable living wisdom with her online community. 

Gabriella Smith is the founder of The Upcycle Project, a platform that raises awareness on the waste that the fashion industry creates by making hands on, circular solutions for design students. Their motto is “sustainability starts with the designer”. She is also a TEDX speaker.

Her TED talk I Broke up With Fast Fashion and You Should Too about her journey to an ethical closet is a fascinating listen and filled with pearls of wisdom. 

Clara Vuletich is an Australian sustainable fashion strategist, coach and adviser, TEDX speaker and also hosts group training and one-on-one coaching sessions about sustainable and slow fashion. 

In her TED talk How to Engage with Ethical Fashion, she shares actionable and achievable steps fashion lovers should be doing in order to work towards a more conscious, slow and sustainable fashion industry. Her perspective that  “we’re currently in a transition to a new type of fashion industry based on ecological and holistic principles of closing the loop on materials, that prioritises community, values, and respect of all the people in the supply chain” is particularly interesting. 

[lavieestbellebelle]

The Intersection Between The Slow Fashion Movement & Digital Citizenship (week 7)

When referring to the online media landscape, digital citizenship encompasses a range of user behaviours, ranging from proactive and positive elements to more negative behaviour. In relation to the slow fashion movement, digital citizenship includes engaging respectfully with others as a good corporate citizen, and the responsibility of content creators to produce meaningful and entertaining content, whilst considering the potential impacts their habits and influence may have on others and the environment.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development defines sustainable fashion as “goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimising the use of natural resources, toxic materials, emissions of waste and pollutants over the life-cycle” (IISD 2015). This means that slow fashion is focused on promoting more eco-friendly and conscious shopping habits to reduce our impact on the planet. For instance, buying second hand or ‘thrifting’ and supporting fashion labels that are transparent about their ethical supply chains, using natural, recycled or up-cycled materials and supporting local designers and artists when developing and producing their clothing collections. Although the slow fashion movement has become more well known since it has reached #trending status on social media, this isn’t an entirely new movement, and can be traced back to the counter culture of the 1960s and anti-fur campaigns during the 1990s and early 2000s (Lai et al 2017, p. 81).

For the purpose of this analysis, I will refer to activism in the 21st century as the ‘second wave’ of the slow fashion movement. The collapse of the Rana Plaza, an eight-story building tragically killing 1,138 garment workers and in excess of 2,000 fatal injuries, in Dhaka in 2014 was a pivotal moment in the fashion industry (Parven 2014). This tragic incident emphasised the suffering of employees in the conventional textile industry, and raises the point that “compassion should play a significant role in sustainable fashion consumption” (Geiger & Keller 2017, p. 1124). Therefore, this was arguably one of the greatest public outcries for more transparency within fashion supply chains for security and ethical trading practices. Similarly, the release of ‘The True Cost’ documentary, directed by filmmaker Andrew Morgan in 2015 was another influential moment in the slow fashion movement. This shocking exposé of the dirty secrets of the global fashion industry highlights the true human cost of the fast-fashion retailers, and ultimately poses the question, who really pays the price for our clothing? This creates a fascinating juxtaposition between the extreme poverty and poor working conditions of the employees working for these big brands, in comparison to the glamorous models and advertising campaigns, which encourage wealthy consumers to invest in their luxury clothes. Interestingly, many activists and influencers in the slow fashion movement have described this groundbreaking documentary as a pivotal and significant catalyst towards their journey towards more ethical and conscious consumerism and overall approach to fashion.

Social media arguably has both positive and negative impacts on consumerism and the slow fashion movement. The most prominent damaging example are the extremely popular clothing ‘haul’ videos created by YouTubers and influencers, which promote regular shopping trips and materialism to their online audience. However, aside from the clear negative aspects, social media platforms, particularly YouTube and Instagram, have offered both consumers and producers of fashion a highly effective platform and exciting digital space to ‘spread the word’. This has ultimately fostered the development of digital communities that are passionate about and interested in the slow fashion movement, ethical labels and conscious consumerism. Some famous slow fashion activists and content creators include the well-known Tiffany Ferguson, Kirsten Leo, Venetia La Manna, and some of my personal favourites, Australian-based Hannah Heading, Clare Press and Unmaterial Girl. Other positive acts of digital citizenship encouraged by digital communities include the popular ‘capsule wardrobe’ movement, the ‘10x10 challenge’, originally created by style bloggers, Lee of Style Bee and Caroline of Un-Fancy; and the #createorrenew and #capsuleconversation hashtag publics created by Danice M Tay, a Toronto-based slow fashion and sustainable living blogger.

Therefore, it is clear that there is a powerful connection between the slow fashion movement and digital citizenship, which is highlighted through the influence of slow fashion online activists and the rise of digital communities within the eco-fashion space.

Illustration by Camila Gadotti, a Lisbon-based artist.

References

Geiger, S & Keller, J 2017, ‘Shopping for clothes and sensitivity to the suffering of others: the role of compassion and values in sustainable fashion consumption’, Environment and Behaviour, vol. 50, no. 10, pp. 1119-1144.

Henninger, C, Ryding, D, Alevizou, P & Goworek, H 2017, ‘Introduction to sustainability in fashion’, in Sustainability in fashion a cradle to upcycle approach, Palgrave, Manchester, pp. 1-10.

International Institute for Sustainable Development 2015, Definitions & concepts, IISD, viewed 1 May 2020 <http://www.iisd.org/susprod/principles .htm>.

Lai, Z, Henninger, C & Alevizou, P 2017, ‘An exploration of consumers’ perceptions towards sustainable fashion – a qualitative study in the UK’, in Sustainability in fashion a cradle to upcycle approach, Palgrave, Manchester, pp. 81-100.

Parveen, S 2014, ‘Rana Plaza factory collapse survivors struggle one year on’, BBC, viewed 29 April 2020, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27107860, accessed: 06/08/2014>.

The True Cost 2015 [DVD], Life is My Movie Entertainment.