photograph: courtesy DazedDigital Having already produced similar actions at Saks Fith Avenue in NYC, Mayfield in LA,Vetements recently staged another exhibition of donated clothing, piled in four store window of Harrods on Brompton Road to coincide with London Fashion Week A/W 2018. These displays are intended as a call to inaction, by reducing consumption of clothing that has not been ethically sourced. Certainly overwhelming consumption of clothing is dubious, if we value our environment. According to CEO of Vetement, Guram Gvasalia "The problem with sustainability today is that people look at it from the wrong perspective. Yes, where you produce and how you produce is super important. But what people are overseeing is something that's right in front of our eyes: it's about how much brands produce and how much consumers buy."
Reporter Lucy Siegle evaluates the costs of clothing consumption, citing WRAP's (the Waste and Resources Action Program) estimate that Brits purchased 1.13 million tons of new clothing in the UK in 2016. A study commissioned by Sainsbury the same year found that 235 million items ended in landfill before acquiring summer wear. Big boxes such as H&M are vastly responsible for the throw away mentality, pricing their clothes so cheaply that consumers can't imagine the effort (poorly paid at that), chemicals and raw resources that are required to produce such clothing. As the Fast Fashion exhibition in Hamburg several years ago (there is a catalog available) made clear that in addition to working for pitifully small wages, that workers are not just sexually harassed but sometimes assaulted and raped. The #MeToo effect will be slow reaching the confines where these garments are made in Asia, Africa and other impoverished regions. Discarded clothing from H&M even fuels a power plant in Sweden. Ii's commendable that the Gvasalias are speaking out and taking action. After we reduce consumption could we please consign any logo ladden clothing and accessories to fuel another power plant?
photograph: Multi-fuel power station in Västerås, Sweden burns H & M's leftover clothing and is considered to be one of the cleanest power plants in the EU. Hennes & Mauritz dispose of clothing that is moldy or otherwise unsalable, giving greater impetus for us as consumers to reduce consumption. The Gvasalias are certainly prescient and their commitment to the environment worthy of our consideration. ecomodista rarely passes on clothing to those in need, simply because fashion is cyclical, she has her own style and maintaining a backlog of clothing has been invaluable in terms of personal reduction of consumption. When consuming, ecomodista resorts to eBay primarily, and one vendor recently extolled recycling versus consumption of new items. Naturally, the global clothing communities must consider how to move people in new employment, especially if we can reduce population. All it takes is imagination and the commitment to a cleaner planet.
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