It's an important topic in our contemporary world, and Siegle handles it well, with a careful balance of researched fact, anecdote and conversational-style that helps engage the non-academic audience. In fact, Turning the Tide on Plastic helped me remember why I enjoy non-fiction, although it wasn't perfect itself, and I found the second part in particular rather list-y. Still, compared to many books I've read recently designed to inform, this had the right tone, the right message and the ability to entice and shock the reader simultaneously.
(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:
Setting the scene in a non-fiction book can be a challenge. Attracting, engaging and educating a wide ranging audience from no-nothings to semi-experts on a topic seems a daunting task to me, and I don't envy those that do it. Siegle, however, appears to be a fully-fledged superhero at the task, crafting one of the most engaging and informative of introductory sections I've had the joy to read in a non-fiction book.
A warning for the book:
Part 2 is an anti-climax. In what Siegle was aiming for, part 2 of the book was always going to be a bit prescriptive, list-y and unengaging. In fact, it's this step-by-step approach that I would say is inappropriate for a book, and was certainly not what I was looking for from the book. As a blog post, perhaps, or magazine article, it fits perfectly: "Rid Yourself of Half Your Plastic in Just One Month!" As the follow-up to an extremely well-written introduction to the issue at hand, however, I'd have loved a more over-arching idea as to how we're globally addressing the issue in our typical eclectic myriad of ways.
Fashion’s failure to move beyond the most easily achievable — and easily marketable — sustainability issues puts it behind other sectors, argues Lucy Siegle.
Who made my clothes? That’s the question Fashion Revolution is asking us all to consider as it highlights the anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, where 1,133 garment workers lost their lives three years ago when their factory collapsed in Bangladesh. Because of this tragic event and because of the evolution of fast fashion, this question is far more important than many of us acknowledge and…
Currently in the process of having a riveting discussion with the CEO of TSDesigns, Eric Henry, about the fashion industry and how we can reduce our impact in the Earth and being more mindful about the clothes we buy and where they come from. Everything his company makes is made in North Carolina and travels about 600 miles in total, whereas most things we wear travel 10,000 to 15,000 miles (or more). Being more fashion aware is something that a lot of people don’t think about, but it’s becoming more popular, and it’s actually a really cool idea. Check out his website and research Cotton of the Carolinas if you’re interested. It’s really amazing how much of an impact one small thing can have.
Why give fashion the time of day? Why not dress exclusively in old clothes and charity-shop finds? I've become pretty familiar with the school of thought that regards fashion as unnecessary and corrupt, the deep-green (and dare I say puritanical) doctrine that finds the very notion of fashion distasteful. But it is simply untrue to say that all fashion is superficial, needless and stupid, and to ignore the semiotics of style. The way we dress is fundamental to our self-expression.
To Die For: Is fashion wearing out the world? - Lucy Siegle
Last month's factory collapse in Bangladesh revealed horrible truths about the clothes industry. There has never been a better time to choose your shopping carefully. Read more from Lucy Siegel in The Guardian...
