Fashion waste: we can all rise and resist

Posted on 9 October, 2018

Did you know that Australians are one of the biggest fashion wasters in the world, throwing out up to 30 kilograms of clothing a year per person?   

The good news is that we can change the world one garment at a time.

Clare Press says we can all be champions of change. Clare is Vogue’s first Sustainability Editor-at-Large, author, podcaster, international speaker and expert on sustainable and ethical fashion.

As if this isn’t enough, Clare is embarking on a national book tour of her third and latest book Rise & Resist: How to change the world. And luckily for us Canberrans, Clare is launching her book at a Clothes Swap and Style event hosted by eco-stylist Nina Gbor, in Canberra on Saturday 13 October.

But first, as a fashion admirer and writer, I’m keen to know how Clare arrived at her current role as Vogue’s first Sustainability Editor-at-Large.

“I always wanted to be a writer. As a young kid, I wanted to write fiction and then I wanted to be a political journalist. I studied politics and then I went into fashion, as sometimes happens when the universe gives you further direction,” says Clare.

Clare has been a journalist for over 17 years and her by-line has appeared everywhere including Rolling Stone, the Sydney Morning Herald, Marie Claire, and fashion bibles Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Australia.

Clare’s appointment as Vogue’s first sustainability editor recognises that sustainability is not just a trend. It is essential to the survival of major brands, as consumers increasingly demand transparency when considering their fashion purchases.

Fashion is a big business. Globally the fashion industry is worth $US3 trillion and employs 80 million garment workers. It is also the world’s second-largest polluter after the oil industry

Motivated by her own pro-fashion interests, Clare delved deeper into the history and ethics of fashion and the origins of clothes to write her 2016 book, Wardrobe Crisis: How We Went from Sunday Best to Fast Fashion.

After Wardrobe Crisis, I’m keen to know the inspiration for Rise & Resist.

“I’m seeing it as a sort of sequel, or at least a sister book. That said, Wardrobe Crisis fans might be surprised that fashion is less central to this new one,” Clare says. “Don’t worry, there’s still fashion in it!”

“I explore the possibilities of changing the world through craftivism. But this book is an evolution, it’s the next steps from the fashion conversation.”

“The more I learned about sustainable fashion, the more I wanted to understand the bigger issues that surround it, so: climate change, waste, environmental degradation and pollution, and the effects those things have on people and communities. Too often it’s women and children, who suffer.”

“But this book is not about doom and gloom—far from it. It’s a book about building movements to create change. How can do we do that? What can we learn from people— especially women—who are already doing it? How can we come together? How can we change our world in positive ways?”

During the writing of the book, Clare met fashion and environmental activists who are trying new and different approaches to introducing positive change.

“I’m a storyteller, so I’m attracted to a good yarn, to unusual people doing unusual things. That’s why I sought out craftivists, tiny house builders, off-gridders and freegans,” Clare says.

“I knew it was important to weave in stories from the influential movement builders of our times, like the Women’s Marches and the kids agitating for stricter gun control in the US with March for Our Lives.”

I ask Clare whether an event such as the Clothes Swap and Style is activism (or is it an excuse for a glass of wine and an opportunity to snaffle a free dress from a stylish Canberran?).

“A clothes swap can absolutely be activism. Practical activism—my favourite sort! By coming together to swap unwanted clothes we are sharing ideas and stories and making connections, we are getting educated. And we’re doing all this to address the problem of fashion waste by keeping clothing in use for longer.”

“According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, globally we’re producing around 53 million tonnes of clothing each year and sending 87 per cent to landfill. Less than 1 per cent of used clothing is currently recycled into new clothing,” Clare says.

“Also, there’s no reason why activism can’t be fun. It’s about engaging community to make positive change, and the more enjoyable that is, the more likely people are going to be to want to come along and join in.”

Activism and fun. Now that’s a movement I want to join.

Rise & Resist will be launched in Canberra on Saturday 13 October with a Clothes Swap & Style event.

Tickets are $80 and include a copy of the book, entry to the clothes swap, drinks and canapes, and an “In Conversation” between Clare and eco-stylist Nina Gbor.

Rise and Resist: How to Change the World, out 1 October from Melbourne University Press.