Consider your run-of-the-mill puffer jacket: although an everyday sight on Melbourne winter streets, it is fearfully and wonderfully made. Its materials – nylon, polyester – come from the fossilised remains of ancient sea creatures, extracted as non-renewable crude oil by the petroleum industry, its chemical byproducts transformed into plastic fibres. The supply chains it passed… Continue reading Regeneration time
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New guidelines help fashion brands cut waste and emissions
RMIT sustainable fashion experts have collaborated with brands to create guidelines aimed at eliminating wasteful designs and promoting durable fashion that supports reuse and recycling. The global fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions. The new guide, Refashioning: Accelerating Circular Product Design at Scale, outlines steps for makers to transition… Continue reading New guidelines help fashion brands cut waste and emissions
Age trumps gender, income and postcode for consumers’ clothing habits
The first-ever nationwide study into how Australians use and dispose of clothing has revealed people are buying too many clothes and are unsure how to discard them responsibly. Report authors: Professor Mark Leenders, Dr Ninh Nguyen, Professor Alice Payne, Professor Simon Pervan, Paige Street, Carol Tan, Xinru (Angie) Jiang Conducted by RMIT University and commissioned… Continue reading Age trumps gender, income and postcode for consumers’ clothing habits
Australia’s cotton farmers can help prevent exploitation in the global garment industry
Martijn Boersma, University of Notre Dame Australia; Alice Payne, Queensland University of Technology, and Erin O’Brien, Queensland University of Technology Ten years ago, the garment industry’s worst industrial accident – the Rana Plaza collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh – killed more than 1,100 workers and highlighted the travesty of conditions for millions of garment workers globally.… Continue reading Australia’s cotton farmers can help prevent exploitation in the global garment industry
‘I can only do so much’: we asked fast-fashion shoppers how ethical concerns shape their choices
Tara Stringer, Queensland University of Technology; Alice Payne, Queensland University of Technology, and Gary Mortimer, Queensland University of Technology You’ve found the perfect dress. You’ve tried it on before and you know it looks great. Now it’s on sale, a discount so large the store is practically giving it away. Should you buy it? For… Continue reading ‘I can only do so much’: we asked fast-fashion shoppers how ethical concerns shape their choices
What COVID-19 means for the people making your clothes
Workers everywhere are feeling the impact of COVID-19 and the restrictions necessitated by COVID-19. In Australia, retail and hospitality workers have been particularly hard hit. In other countries, it’s manufacturing workers, hit by disruptions to value and supply chains…
Sustainable shopping: where to find a puffer jacket that doesn’t warm the Earth
The environmental, ethical and social impacts of your puffer jacket might not leave you feeling so warm and fuzzy. Here is a guide to the considerations you should keep in mind when looking for your winter jacket, and where to find the best options…
Sustainable shopping: for eco-friendly jeans, stop washing them so often
Denim jeans – whether ripped, straight, flared, vintage or raw – are one of the world’s most-loved garments. But from fibre to wardrobe, they have a considerable ecological footprint…
Will we soon be growing our own vegan leather at home?
Conventional leather is one of fashion’s most ubiquitous materials – but it is fraught with ethical and environmental issues. We have been growing vegan leather from kombucha tea since 2014 – and the results are promising…
The story of … the military jacket
Fashion and war don’t seem an obvious pairing, but the military jacket is a fashion staple. It may take the form of a double-breasted dress uniform with brass buttons and epaulettes, trimmed in rock star braid, or it may be a khaki combat jacket, worn with Doc Martens and a scowl. Here I explore how these two forms of the military jacket were frogmarched into fashion…