Each year, sustainability becomes a bigger focus in the fashion world. Today’s consumers are more conscious about what they buy, and that means designers and brand owners need to think more carefully about how their work impacts the world around them.
But because sustainability is such a broad, ever-evolving concept, it can be confusing to define what true sustainability means in the context of fashion.
Tamara Leacock, Collarts’ Fashion & Sustainability Program Coordinator, spends her days exploring these questions with students and industry. She shared her perspective on what sustainability really means, and how she sees fashion changing as we move into the future.
When it comes to sustainable fashion, Tamara stresses one key thing: it’s not a simple, one-size-fits-all concept. Sustainability is complex, and real change happens when different approaches come together across the industry.
Sustainability and ethics go hand in hand, taking into account the effect of fashion production on people, the planet and animals. It’s about reducing harm and waste, while also creating products that offer genuine value beyond the clothing rack.
Sustainable fashion can take many forms, including:
Choosing better materials: recycled, repurposed, plant-based or biodegradable fabrics
Reducing resource use: cutting down on energy, water and waste in manufacturing
Supporting people and communities: through ethical employment, cultural respect and inclusive design
Most importantly, sustainability isn’t static. As the industry learns more about its environmental and social footprint, and new technologies emerge, sustainable practices must continue to evolve.
As Tamara explains:
“Truly sustainable fashion is informed, intentional, and defined through a constant conversation that the designer or brand owner has with their values. With their learnings of what is required for our shared stewardship of the world, and how their values can inform the creation and marketing of their products.”
Sustainability becomes harder to define when deceptive marketing and false promises from brands get in the way. This is called ‘greenwashing’, and refers to when brands exaggerate or misrepresent their own environmental and social responsibility.
Some companies highlight small “eco-friendly” actions while ignoring the bigger impact of their production. Others simply label themselves as sustainable without offering any real transparency about what that actually means.
The problem is that consumers are left to just take their word for it with no ability to verify the information, which can lead to them supporting brands that don’t align with their values.
Still, Tamara believes the industry is moving in a better direction, largely because today’s consumers are demanding more honesty, accountability and openness.
“There are thankfully more brands and voices committed to sustainability now, and thus more nuanced and diverse perspectives amplifying a wider range of definitions.”
So much progress has already been made in making fashion more sustainable as a worldwide industry.
Tamara points to several key areas where change has accelerated in recent years, including:
Material innovation: exploring new, lower-impact fabrics and alternatives
Circular design: moving toward reuse, recycling and longer garment lifecycles
Workers’ rights: increasing focus on ethical labour and fair treatment
As she explains:
“The fashion industry has also been successful in raising consumer awareness on the harmful impacts of fast fashion and to create more initiatives for fast fashion brands to take accountability of their overproduction.”
Consumers today are far more informed about the challenges within fashion, and more hopeful about what the industry could become.
That growing awareness is also shaping the future of fashion careers, with more opportunities emerging in sustainability, innovation and ethical brand leadership.
But there’s still plenty of room to grow. Change has been slower in areas like inclusion, where sustainable design speaks to diverse body types, cultures and access requirements. Designing for everyone helps reduce reliance on fast fashion alternatives — and brings the industry closer to real, lasting sustainability.
True sustainability is a big ambition, and there are real challenges that stand in the way of reaching it completely.
As Tamara says:
“I do believe that fashion can be created in an honest and truly sustainable way. However, I don't believe fashion as an industry, that requires consumption and novelty on some level, can ever be holistically and completely sustainable. I believe that of most consumer goods based industries, though.”
Fashion, by nature, involves creating something new to be bought and consumed, and that makes full sustainability difficult. Designers working toward more responsible practices also have to navigate fast-moving trends, shifting consumer expectations and constant competition within the industry.
The most important thing is that they keep taking steps forward and pushing for change at every opportunity. That’s how we’ll get as close as humanly possible to true sustainability.
“If we were wholly sustainable, we would create nothing and give back to the land all that we took from it. But we are truly doing our best and, in an effort of continuous improvement, will continue to do so in the months and years to come.”
Collarts aims to produce the next generation of fashion designers and brand owners, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Across our Fashion & Sustainability and Fashion Marketing degrees, sustainable and ethical practices are integrated at all stages of the course. This is already being reflected in the work of Collarts graduates, who are championing upcycling and circular fashion practices across the industry. Recently, Fashion Journal highlighted how Collarts designers are transforming pre-loved materials into bold new work.
Ready to launch your sustainable fashion career? Learn more about our Fashion & Sustainability course.