Every day we receive a large portion of negative messages from fashion brands. Advertising constantly tells us that we do not have enough of the right things, that we are not thin enough, not young, not beautiful, too old, too fat, too ugly, too poor, too unfashionable, too incomplete, or that we are completely out of fashion. We are constantly fed with the feeling of; “we just aren’t enough”.
We are constantly fed with the feeling of; “we just aren’t enough”.
Well, I’ve had enough of it, how about you? Sick of discrimination, lowering self-confidence, ‘simply not right’, not being part of it (part of what exactly?), plastic, enough of dirty oceans and seas, enough of (having to) consume too much - but how should we actually go about improving things?
Clare Press, the first sustainable editor at Vogue Australia, comes with a positive sound to take action in a good way. She tries to inform people about sustainable fashion and how we can change that ourselves.
At the end of 2018, Clare Press was in the world’s first sustainable fashion museum, Fashion for Good in Amsterdam, for the European launch of her book “Rise & Resist, how to change the World”.
Amsterdam is the first to choose a sustainable fashion museum; Museum Fashion for Good.
Fashion for Good (Rokin, Amsterdam) was opened in October 2018 and offers everyone the chance to learn everything about the history of good fashion, sustainable products, and the latest fashion innovations. Stories behind the clothes that you wear are told here. In addition, it shows you how you can take action and have a positive impact on the fashion industry. This makes the city of Amsterdam the first to choose a sustainable fashion museum.
Photo: Guillia Squillace
During the launch, Clare says positivity is the only way to convince people. Ultimately, we all know, somewhere deep inside, that we are not bad. We are intrinsically good and we really do not want to pollute the environment with our t-shirt, let alone propagate child labor or exploitation. But where do you start as a consumer? Shouldn’t the clothing brands themselves just take action?
“People want sustainable solutions,” says Clare. “And this opportunity is a huge one for designers and companies".
There is more attention for sustainability on TV. Fortunately, more attention has recently been paid to sustainable fashion in programs such as “Genaaid” on NPO3 and VPRO Tegenlicht “Future Fashion Pioniers”. But how are you actually going to start? How can you tackle this problem? When I interviewed Clare, she says that it is useful to always choose your own passion as the starting point. Remember what you think is important.
“I really care about the environment and it’s important to me that a brand focuses on that,” Clare explains. “Everyone has their own moral compass and ideas about what is good for them or not. It’s such a big problem that people can feel overwhelmed and then lie on their backs and do nothing anymore.”
According to Clare, the most important thing is to start small. Think about what motivates you the most and then you can expand that more as a consumer.
Actress Emma Watson also prefers sustainable fashion
In addition to TV, nowadays more and more actors, celebrities and the likes are opting for sustainability. In March 2018, for example, actress Emma Watson (known from the Harry Potter series) contributed to Vogue Australia, which was all about sustainability.
This sustainable edition of Vogue created the new (and at the time non-existent) job of Clare Press: Sustainability Editor-at-Large Vogue. Clare responds to this:
“I am a bit of a special case, it is not common for a journalist and fashion editor to write about sustainability. It is my job to keep the conversation about sustainability as much as possible, and to build a sustainable future.”
Of course, I could not resist asking Clare about her tips for sustainable shopping, and here they are:
- Download the “Good on You” app for free. Super handy, fast and gives you all the (sustainable) information you want to know about your brands and clothing. In addition, it also offers alternatives when your own brand scores lower than hoped.
- Check small, sustainable brands on Instagram. Search on hashtags (#duurzamemode or #sustainablefashion).
- Buy locally and support good products. Do not buy less if you do not want to, but support the sustainable brands (eg Het Faire Oosten, Miss Green, Project CeCe).
- Visit the Fashion for Good Museum in Amsterdam.
- Listen to the various podcasts, e.g. The Wardrobe Crisis by Clare Press (available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts).
- And of course read the book Rise & Resist.
Rachel & Clare Press
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