On the 8th of October BBC aired a documentary presented by Stacey Dooley called “Fashion’s Dirty Secrets”. The documentary has taught me how fashion is creating so much harmful pollution and affecting the environment in irreversible ways. The factories of high street brands are channelling chemicals into rivers which locals use for washing, drinking and cooking. Landfills are being filled with year old clothing. 15,000 litres of water is used to grow the cotton to make a pair of jeans. There are so many aspects to fashion which are contributing to ending our planet that soon there won’t be one.

High street brands such as Zara, H&M, Prettylittlething, are few amongst companies which are promoting high street fashion. “Globally, we’re producing over 100 billion new garments from new fibres every single year, and the planet cannot sustain that.”

Levi is one of the few retailers that are trying to reduce their print.

Paul Dillinger, head of global product innovation for the jeans brand Levi’s, told Stacey, “We share information on how to reduce the water footprint of our cotton. We’re working on a solution that takes old garments, chemically deconstructs them and turns them into a new fibre that feels and looks like cotton, but with zero water impact.”

˙People aren’t aware that is said that the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. I want to create more awareness to people my age, in order to try reduce the print we are making.

To gain a better understanding of the history behind Minimalism I read the book “Less Is More : Minimalism In Fashion” by Harriet Walker.

Page 165, taught me that minimalism is not just a change of trends, but has also been developed by social, political and economical movements. “Consumers have less money to spend on clothing is obvious; that they wish to spend it on pieces that will not date quickly is logical.”

“Not only did consumers want and need durable, timeless pieces, but also they were under instructions from the style press to reform their shopping habits: to shun so called “fast fashion” and purchase pieces ethically, to be willing to spend a little more for a better quality item that would last longer and cost less in terms of natural resources, waste and pollution.”

This has highlighted to me the importance that we purchase and wear clothing that is more practical and timeless. I will research further into the effects of fast fashion and how my fashion brand can help prevent further issues.

Page 115 explains how Japanese designer Helmut Lang’s designs in the 1990’s were “ a way of life”, clothes that will take men and women through their working day. See photos below: