Our February film club joined up with the nationwide Future Citizen Sustainable Fashion Week. This week long campaign aims to spread awareness, inspiration and skills to help us all take action with our wardrobes to be more sustainable.

Alongside the other events that are happening at UWE throughout the week, I decided to screen the recent documentary Fashion ReImagined to open up conversations about practices in the fashion industry. Choosing this film felt really apt, following Amy’s decision this month to set up her own “purpose-driven” brand that focuses on transparency in the supply chain, natural materials and more sustainable practices within the fashion industry, according to her interview in Vogue.

The film follows the journey of Amy Powney, Fashion designer behind the Mother of Pearl brand, on her mission to challenge the exploitative, wasteful and extractive practices of the fashion industry. Starting from the very beginning of the clothes lives, the farms the materials are grown in through to the spinning, dying and sewing, we watch as Amy challenges the industry by sourcing materials, designing and making products for a completely sustainable fashion line.

Reflecting on fashion industry

We really enjoyed the film! It left many of us feeling curious about the origin of our own clothes and, though several of us never wanted to buy new clothes again, it didn’t dissuade fashion lovers from enjoying how they express themselves with their outfits.

We all felt a little shocked by having revealed to us the hidden process and long journeys of our clothes. None of us had any clue all of the stages that each of the fabrics went through before we ended up buying them. And each of us expected people in the industry to know a lot more too! We found it even more shocking what the brands and designers had no awareness of. Included in that was knowledge of (or care for) what happens after their clothes are purchased.

The film contained many interesting facts, figures and infographics, but something that dug its nails into me (one of many) is realising that each item of my clothing is better travelled than I am. No one in the audience realised how many countries are involved in the processing or how many chemicals and harmful activities are used to make our clothes appear more “fashionable”.

One of the messages we did know, was about the child and slave labour involved. It is something we were aware of and saddened to realise the scale of injustice. From the fast paced rat-race on top, where designers are under high pressure to churn out ideas to compete in the slit throat industry. To factory workers who risk diseases from the chemicals used. It was upsetting to learn of the lack of understanding there was of the people behind each of these processes.

But, we were super inspired by Amy’s mission! And the amazingly dedicated members of her team! One of the audience described how hopeful they were seeing her “give the industry a kick up the arse”. It showed that there are people who care and who work according to their values. It left a clear message, that challenging big industrial systems is hard, its full of mistakes and lots of learning, but it is not impossible!

And that we are not alone in the fight! There are many out there who support the same causes and want to make change. It just takes one person to pull up their socks and start.

Looking forwards

What happens now that sustainability has become fashionable? It’s brilliant that it is now a feature of many brands’ designs. But are they actually making the changes needed to shift the industry towards less extractive, wasteful and exploitative means? Or are they just ticking the ethics box to keep consumers buying more clothes?

Asking questions, was actually where we finished off our discussion. Knowing what to do next after watching an environmental or campaign film is hard. Without films leaving the audience a set of instructions of what they can do next, film club members often admit feeling a bit lost. Or hopeful but unsure of what to pour the hope in to.

That’s why I really like that the film ended on the #FashionOurFuture campaign which gave 9 options of pledges that we can take over the next year to reduce the impact of our clothes. These included the below, from a screenshot of Amy Powney’s instagram page, which give us all a good idea of what we can do next!

It was the act of actively questioning and reflecting on our actions and purchases, that our film club jointly agreed was something we all need to do more of. Asking our brands where clothes are sourced, whether child laborers were involved in making it and whether the brand stands against animal cruelty. As if enough people ask these questions regularly enough, if we make decisions by our values and hold those (brands and people) accountable for their unethical actions or greenwashing, we may be able to nudge these systems into changing.

But don’t stop there, take a leaf (or thread of yarn) from Amy’s book, we need to push the system until it looks more like one we all feel proud to be part of. Good luck!

Find out more and watch the trailer here – https://www.fashionreimaginedfilm.com/