Iâve just listened to the BOF (Business Of Fashion) podcast with Li Edelkoort (dutch trend forecaster).
She is anticipating the future of the âfashion planet industryâ after the Corona Virus.
Li Edelkoort what do you see in your crystal ball? Empty streets, Economic and human cost, mutation of the fashion industry, no more jobs in the fashion industryâŠWell, the future sounds a bit grey but not to worry; she wants to see the positive effects and talk about the future of fashion in the Corona Virus Era.
Slowing down is inevitable and probably the key to live in a different world, in a different way. Â As we know the fashion industry is responsible for 10 % of annual global carbon emissions, as she said the COVID 19 might be an amazing grace for the planet. Itâs time to reevaluate the fashion industry production and consumerism.
Designer and future designer, itâs time to RETHINK and REBUILD your identity around this essential fundamental ecology, more than ever to be ethical and traceable with your material and where your clothes are made who is making them (and how much they get paid). This industry must react, less polluting, less energy-consuming, and care about employee's rights.
âEvery year the fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water denounces the world bank articleâ enough to meet the consumption needs of five million people. Around 20 % of wastewater worldwide comes from fabric dyeing and treatment.â
Prior to COVID-19 the fashion industry had already begun to move towards greater social and environmental responsibility due to public pressure. Now it is in the spotlight more than ever and they have no choice but to continue to evolve their business model towards greater transparency, better working conditions.
Luxury designers and fast fashion are producing more than we need and this needs to change. We donât need 4+ fashion collections per year, we donât need all these celebrities in the front row when you can have only people from the industry, fancy goody bags is no needed and flying people in from all around the world when we can just recruit local models/ staff. We can see now due to the virus more fashion shows are happening with no physical audience only to be streamed online. For example as Richard Malone or Jacquemus who are producing only 2 collections per year.
We took the apparel industry for granted but as Li Edelkoort said everything is up for a renewal, and I believe this is for the best.
(https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/09/23/costo-moda-medio-ambiente)
