Welcome back upper east siders! Fashion Week is back and New York has just had its own. Even though it was a much quieter affair than usual, NYFW did not fail to give us the luxury and extravaganza that we have been longing for for almost two years.
However, the air was different, perhaps filled with a bit of irony. With the industry beginning to rethink its impact, designers didn’t just only show off their designs, but their sustainable ethos too. And herein lies the irony, don’t Fashion Weeks epitomize everything that (sustainability-wise) is wrong with the fashion industry? Wear it once, take a picture, throw it away… Well, let’s break this down!
What are Fashion Weeks?
When someone mentions Fashion Week, the first things that likely come to mind are runway shows, street style photos, social media, and countless celebrities and influencers in front rows. But what really is it?
Fashion Week is a glamorous week in which the apparel “industry’s top designers present their upcoming collections in a series of runway shows and presentations.”[1]
It started as a “Press Week” and officially mutated into “Fashion Week” in 1943 when, in the height of World War II, the American fashion media couldn’t travel to Paris to cover the best shows (obviously!) and decided to show the world that they could be just as fashionable.[2] The rest is history…
The environmental impact of Fashion Weeks
Although we already suspected that Fashion Weeks were not very environmentally friendly, it wasn’t until last year that we had some real information. In February 2020, ORDRE.com, a fashion technology company, and Carbon Trust, a climate change consultancy, measured for the first time the travel carbon emissions of the fashion industry’s attendance at major international Fashion Weeks.
The report (Zero To Market) measured the annual carbon emissions of buyers from more than 2,600 retail organizations and more than 5,000 ready-to-wear designers that participated in international Fashion Weeks.[3] The result: “the industry emits 241,000 tCO2e a year from the travel associated with wholesale buying practices.”[4] And this is without considering the models, the press, and the staff working behind the scenes!
The report also looked at a year’s worth of data and concluded that our beloved New York Fashion Week was responsible for 37% of the emissions, followed by Paris (28%), London (18%), and Milan (17%).[5]
Why focus on Fashion Weeks when there are more worrying issues?
Yes, we know that the environmental impact of Fashion Weeks is nothing compared to the impact of other areas like manufacturing, logistics, and clothing itself. Yet, and we’re sorry to say this, Fashion Weeks are inherently wasteful and are a true representation of all that is wrong with the industry. Just think of the amount of scenery that is set up for a show that must be dismantled after 10 minutes (this reminds us of something… Oh yes! Fast fashion), the make-up, the intercontinental flights, the transportation within the city, etc., etc., etc.…
As co-creator of luxury conscious brand Nicholas K., Christopher Kunz, told The Cut, “the people who get the most coverage and attention spend a lot of money and show things that nobody will ever wear.”[6] So we are no longer talking about the “bulimia of buying, using, and throwing away”[7], we are talking about just creating waste.
The world is changing and the one where Fashion Weeks were created for does no longer exist. Once upon a time, fashion shows used to serve as an “immersive experience that stroked the egos of editors [and] influencers”[8]. But with social media and brands sending influencers everything they need to produce content from their own homes, there’s no real need to participate in the frenetic Fashion Week schedule.[9]
So why is the industry still so obsessed with keeping Fashion Weeks? Vogue explains that “the purpose of the runway has pivoted to helping big brands sell more of their profitable offshoot items: bags and jewelry and beauty products.” [10] It’s not only that brands want to get eyeballs in upcoming collections, but in everything they produce. In a nutshell, they want to sell us even more stuff. And here lies the crux of the problem: endless production.
Are digital shows the answer?
Thanks to the pandemic travel restrictions, digital shows have been on the rise. Although this mutation has been supported by sustainability advocates, “digital” should not be mistaken with “sustainable”. Unfortunately, there is always an environmental impact when it comes to fashion, and the fact that you can see a show from the comfort of your sofa without the need to take a plane doesn’t mean that the show is “green”.
Just think about the number of computers and the invisible infrastructure behind a digital Fashion Week. Video production, data centers, host servers, all contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
Contrary to what we would have thought, studies show that a digital show has a larger carbon footprint than a physical one.[11] However, if we consider the number of people that attend a digital fashion week, then the carbon footprint is substantially lower.[12] In short, more of the same…
So why are we even creating this useless rivalry? Can’t we get it? It’s not about choosing digital over physical or the other way around! It’s about reducing the environmental impact across the whole industry! We must do what we have to do in the most sustainable way possible, whether that means holding fewer shows, cutting back on travel, or switching to renewable energy sources.[13]
Final thoughts
As amazing and massive as it is, the fashion industry is still one of the dirtiest in the world. But change is possible and the pandemic helped prove this. Before 2020, the industry was just focused on the “need for change”, now it is finally starting to read the room and pushing those words into action.
With regard to Fashion Weeks, even though some countries, like Sweden, have decided to cancel theirs for sustainability reasons, that doesn’t mean that that’s the way to go. Yes, the most sustainable fashion show is one that doesn’t happen, but for the sake of keeping some extravaganza in this sometimes-dull world, just slow it down! It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing situation, after all for many brands Fashion Week is critical to success and it can be a boost for local economies.
Moderate changes that have an impact are the key to success. Think about this: one show per season, shows hosted in places strategically chosen because of its efficiency; minimal décor; reused and recycled set materials; clothes that can actually be worn (more than once, of course). That way we can slow down the production machine a little bit and we can enjoy our purchases for a little longer.
Last but not least, more questions should be asked: Do we really need so many shows? Do we really need to buy this much stuff? Are we listening to the 2021 consumer? Are the sustainable business practices in force good enough?
Hey fashion monster, listen up: You need to catch up!
What do you think about Fashion Weeks? Should we keep them? Do you think they could be more sustainable? Let us know in the comments below!
YES!! We definitely need to slow it down! I was shocked by the way Instagram broke the internet down this week with the met gala and the way everybody talked about this show with nothing but excitement… They’re kind of amazed (or horrified) by the diversity in the styles, judging from 1 to 10 not only the outfits but the celebrities wearing them. They never mention not even a single thing about what it means to set those shows up.
Nowadays, Fashion Week Shows has even the “intention” to simulate a sustainable event by giving some speeches and showing some videos about the involution of our environment…
Tons of CO2 is emitted annually by fashion people and clothing collections while moving around the planet. Here is the real proof that clearly we are still doing something wrong, we need more sustainable actions!
Great post!!
The article is very interesting. It is quite important to reduce our carbon footprint and hopefully the fashion industry will take note of the current demand for more sustainable events.
How informative, nice article!