In this episode of Fashion, Really?, we dissect how fashion, sustainability, and culture come together, kicking off with how wearing fast fashion – if bought long ago – can be more sustainable than the shiny new thing.

We explore lobbying and failures at COP29, where climate action was derailed. We call out the leather industry for its shady lobbying against environmental regulations and highlight Pharrell Williams’ comments about LVMH’s use of fur and wild animal skins.

We also talk about scaling sustainable solutions and break down Good On You’s report on brand climate goals (it’s bad news). We revisit Fashion: A Philosophy by Lars Svendsen, diving into the psychological and societal factors driving overconsumption.

The conversation shifts to fashion’s overproduction problem: over 100 billion garments are made annually and 90 million tonnes of textile waste are produced each year. Who is to blame? How can we play our part in reducing the problem? We offer practical tips on reselling, repurposing, donating, and composting clothes.

Finally, we call out Black Friday’s absurd green-washing and take aim at a Thom Browne campaign ethics-washing its use of skins and fur, showing how imagery can deceive us.

In this episode of Fashion, Really?, we’re talking about how political events, like the American election's (sigh) influence fashion, and tackle the need for more legislation to fix our fashion mess. We also get into the weeds of fashion ethics, unpacking the latest industry green-wash and exploitation we can’t keep ignoring.

We also reflect on Abercrombie & Fitch’s fall from pop culture and into criminal proceedings, unpacking how all abuses of power connect.

Of course, we’ve got our usual book and report recommendations to keep you in the loop on all things total ethics fashion, along with some juicy chats on AI’s role in shaping the future of fashion.

We take a closer look at next-gen materials that could change the game for nature, the needed shift from a linear to a circular economy, and the growing challenges of scaling these innovations. Because we need them – like, yesterday.

And, as always, we balance the serious with a little fun, bringing you a mix of harder to digest truths paired with some palate cleansers.

If you’re enjoying our episodes, tell your friends!

Brought to you by your favourite charity for people, animals and the planet, Collective Fashion Justice.

Each of our episodes will be broken down into short and sharp sections, find episode one breakdown below:

0.00: Welcome!

0.28: First things first: what are we wearing?

5.57: The latest fashion gossip and news… but green

22.31: You’ve got to read this

25.09: Diving in: next-gen material solutions

47.04: Wrap-up and next time

Book, articles and other things to look at:

https://goodonyou.eco/fashion-climate-inaction/

Fashion: A Philosophy by Lars Svendsen

Fabricating the truth: a report on leather industry disinformation, green-washing and lobbying against the common good

IG: @collectivefashionjustice