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SUPPORTING INNOVATION | 67

CHAMPIONING SLOW FASHION CHANGING THE NARRATIVE

Marisa Selfa, CEO, Ocean Born Lifestyle at Ocean In these times of overproduction and overconsump-
Born Foundation in Spain, 100% of whose profits tion, Georgia-Rae Taylor, Sustainability Strategy
are donated to ocean restoration and protection Director at British consultancy Eco-Age Limited,
initiatives, supporting four of the United Nations dreams of a circular fashion industry that values
Sustainable Development Goals. sustainability and ethics as much as creativity and
innovation.
“Fashion has a bad reputation, but I think it’s a
wonderful industry and it all depends on how we use “Promoting slow fashion, introducing strict regulations
it and make it evolve. The first thing to change would on production quotas, using technology for better
be the intensive use of resources, especially water. stock management and changing consumer
For instance, 2,700 litres of water is used to produce a behaviour are tools that can halt overproduction.
simple cotton t-shirt on average. That’s what a person
drinks in 3 years! However, greenwashing is one of the biggest threats
to the sustainability movement: when brands boast
The second thing would be to reduce the industry’s about their good performance in this area, they often
carbon emissions; fashion alone is responsible for 10% give a false impression of reality. This can be avoided
of the planet’s CO emissions – the same amount as by improving understanding of business impacts,
2
all air and sea traffic put together. Our clothing and developing solid, credible targets and a holistic
accessories production has doubled since 2000. But sustainability roadmap, and communicating better
the world’s population hasn’t doubled. Fast fashion is with consumers.
gaining momentum, with production increasing by
around 20% each year. Social media has a large part to Storytelling is at the heart of the Eco-Age Limited
play in this trend. This absurd cycle of overconsumption approach, as it shows how people are impacted
is creating a very problematic situation. by fashion choices and inspires change. We need
to champion a new narrative that emphasises
In fashion, being sustainable is no longer enough. sustainability, ethical production and the value of
We need to find a way to have a positive impact on quality.”
the planet and take into account the entire product
lifecycle, including end of life. New business models are
entering the market, such as second-hand clothing,
which eliminates the need for new resources, as well
as hand-made fashion and local production.”