Disrupting Excess in the Fashion Industry

"Change or die" - Mara Hoffman

In the piece I wrote about Eileen Fisher earlier this month, I addressed the severity of the amount of pollution created by the fashion industry. I posed a question of what could happen if more and more designers were brave enough to address and commit to making changes to reduce waste in the manufacturing and distribution of their merchandise. Well, more and more designers are getting on board to stop throwing overboard waste into our landfills and oceans.

Recycling product and using organic materials is one way that CEO's are taking environmental steps to decrease their companies carbon footprints. Every little bit helps, because not only does it send a message to people from inside and outside the sector, the human brain has a mirror neuron that is used for learning and it is also the biological feature of why we influence and copy each other.

While the fashion industry produces 1.26 billion tons of greenhouse emissions every year, recycling materials might seem futile, but with the way we influence each another, the domino effect of using more holistic methods in production and distribution, the fashion industry alone could take on another role in not just making people (and sometimes their pets) beautiful, it can actually begin the reversal of climate change and also help make our oceans and communities beautiful, too.

Mara Hoffman is a forerunner in sustainable fashion and is committed to reducing waste this $2.5 trillion industry. One way that Hoffman works toward her goal of responsible manufacturing is through a program where damaged clothing are repaired and given new life. You can read about The Renewal Workshop here.

Sustainability is more than a trend,  it is an investment that designers are now taking to revamp their entire infrastructures. There is still a long way to go, but taking a small step in the preservation of natural resources can make a significant contribution to reducing a carbon footstep.