To prevent fashionistas from becoming... villains.

Nine years ago, on a summer afternoon, a video on TV captured the signs of...disasterSomething was about to happen: a large crack appeared in the wall of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh – a factory producing clothing for famous European and American fashion brands. Immediately afterwards, everyone left the building following an emergency evacuation order.

That evening, the telephone from the building manager woke the workers, announcing that the building had been repaired and they could return to work as usual the next day. The following morning, while the workers were toiling to meet the tight deadline, for a split second, they stopped, but not to rest. The crack in the wall was gone – the entire building had officially collapsed. Their work had finally come to a permanent halt.

Bangladeshi authorities reported over 1,000 deaths and more than 2,500 injuries. Following a more in-depth investigation of the factory's facilities,disasterThe truth has just been revealed: a clothing factory with no air purifiers, no air conditioning, workers forced to work 18 hours a day, breathing in the heat and dense chemicals, in a building without a factory operating license.

Ironically, a product intended to accentuate the most beautiful aspects of the human body has now been discovered to be a shady veil covering up ugliness, selfishness, and toxicity.

Why are clothes so important in human society?

In some other world, humans might not need clothes, but in this world, clothes have actually been transformed into...fashion- and that is precisely the thread that connects the structure of human society.

Throughout history, the Stone Age marked the beginning of the era when humans first learned to use tools to transform animal furs into cloaks for warmth and protection. Gradually, species that lacked tools for warmth and protection became extinct, and thus, the survivors were considered the most resourceful and powerful. A hierarchy began to form between those who wore clothing and those who didn't, between the strong and the weak. Within a tribe, people began to divide tasks based on gender – men hunted while women gathered, and from there, clothing continued to be a tool for classifying the status and nature of each individual.

Today, society is hierarchical and shaped by clothing designed to distinguish rank, or uniforms to showcase one's expertise or profession. And in this age of information explosion with countless opportunities, it's safe to say that...We can become anyone.Humans began to develop a desire for recognition by changing their actions, gestures, hairstyles, and gait. And all of these things transformed clothing into fashion.

From in-depth studies of human behavior, from individual desires to dreams, we understand that modern humans have instincts similar to those of prehistoric humans. The only difference is that instead of prehistoric humans needing clothes to protect themselves from the cold, modern humans need clothing to make a statement about themselves. Fashion is not just about clothes; it's also about the color of your computer, whether your chair fits the design of your space, and so on. These elements become crucial pieces in shaping human society, and their influence on the living environment is inevitable. So the question is: How can we change this?

Post-disaster

Following the shocking accident in Bangladesh, a wave of outrage began to rise around the world. Union protests occurred. Government courts tried the inhumane building owner. Consumers spoke out. Cases of factories emitting industrial fumes flooded the press. Businesses with factories located in the building signed contracts pledging to make changes. A documentary based on the event was released. The industryfast fashionThe exploitative nature and irresponsible exploitation of resources have been exposed. Protecting the workers also requires creating a safe working environment and stopping the use of toxic chemicals in products.

Between the struggle for workers' equality and environmental preservation, the conceptsustainable fashionHe was born with a mission to completely change those things.

In business, "sustainability," as defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development, means "developing a business to serve present needs without creating obstacles to future needs." Sustainable fashion is part of this trend.slow fashionIt was built on a foundation of ideas centered around values ​​that promote sustainability, such as an ideal working environment and minimizing environmental damage. A nearly perfect system, yet it immediately gave rise to a new problem: pseudo-sustainability.

Genuine "sustainability" and fake "sustainability".

The key factor for a brand to truly establish itself.sustainableIt depends on the level of optimization in the product manufacturing process. The sustainable garment manufacturing process includes the following stages: preparing "green" materials, humane processing, sustainable trade, transparent retail, and ethical consumerism.

According to research on sustainable fashion production processes at Donghua University (Shanghai, China), in the processing steps to make a purely "green" product, businesses need to meet the quantitative criteria called Triple Bottom Line, ensuring 3 "red threads": (1) Human safety including basic needs, personal development, and life balance; (2) Environmental safety including environmental health, temperature, and natural energy; (3) Economic safety linked to the business's plan to ensure future economic security.

However, implementing all, or even just one, element of a sustainable production chain consumes a significant portion of a company's profits—something few brands want. Therefore, instead of striving to create truly sustainable products, many brands are shifting to a less expensive strategy that still has the potential to enhance their brand reputation in the eyes of consumers:GreenwashingGreenwashing is a marketing tactic that promotes a brand's "green" and sustainable image – but the reality is often different from what the brand portrays to the public. Of course, these brands still receive support from fashion enthusiasts who are also following the "green" lifestyle trend. But for those who truly care about the story...sustainable fashionThey will be interested in what lies behind the image and "green" message of a fashion brand.

One common example of "greenwashing" behavior, in terms of materials, is when brands claim they use materials like cotton, linen, and bamboo because of their biodegradability, but fail to disclose the fact that cotton farming has led to the deaths of many farmers due to unsupervised work and the use of toxic pesticides. Additionally, bamboo is a fast-growing fiber, but it is sometimes grown using pesticides and chemicals during the fabric-making process. Similar misconceptions exist regarding vegan materials. Most are made from synthetic fabrics derived from petroleum.

Next, regarding the manufacturing environment, sustainable products often require less commonly used green materials, thus narrowing the scope of a supply chain, reducing costs, and requiring workers to work longer hours to ensure timely product delivery to consumers. Consequently, product costs increase, and consumers become wary when they glance at a product labeled "green" on the store shelf.

So, if they want the price to be attractive enough to buyers, businesses can set up factories in countries with less stringent labor safety laws – like India or China – to reduce processing costs. Of course, relying on the backs of frail workers for just a few pennies, taking away air purifiers and leaving them breathing toxic fumes, is precisely what sustainable fashion businesses are trying to eliminate.

Furthermore, numerous surveys in recent years have shown that consumers tend to buy items with paper or cardboard packaging rather than plastic. This has led to many instances of "disguise" by even well-known brands, such as wrapping a paper bag... inside a plastic bag. To prevent this behavior from continuing, brands have been competing to use paper packaging or reusable bags, creating a new contradiction: mass production is increasing, and products originally intended for long-term use are now being given away indiscriminately to stores to increase brand awareness of their "sustainability."

Businesses that "greenwash" their products often source materials from tropical regions because they evoke a sense of "peace" and "closeness to nature" in consumers, while in reality, sourcing these materials requires clearing primary forests for cultivation. Furthermore, according to statistics from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the fashion industry accounts for up to 10% of global carbon emissions, primarily from sea and air transport, especially between distant locations such as Asia and Europe.

What is the real solution?

Jokingly speaking, this is the time you could wear leaves and care for them until they grow old. In reality, this crazy idea might actually be a fitting answer.

Bolt Threads

Bolt Threads is one of the rare companies that created Mylo technology – a method of processing plant-based leather by combining mycelium fungi and 3D printing technology. Their groundbreaking invention has been recognized and used by fashion elites such as Stella McCartney and Adidas. In addition, several other brands have invented other unique green materials.

Pinetex

Dr. Carmen Hijosa, the founder and inventor of Pinatex technology, spent 20 years searching for a way.using pandan leaves- Abundant resources in the Philippines allow for the creation of plant-based leather without the need for PVC plastic.

Currently, Pinatex's clothing, shoes, bags, and watches are in collaboration with over 3,000 fashion brands worldwide, including famous names like Hugo Boss, Chanel, and Mango.

Desserto

Desserto is not only successful in creating vegan leather using giant cactus material, but their achievement also lies in building a successful green brand by collaborating with luxury fashion houses such as Karl Lagerfeld, Saye, Hugo Boss, etc., bringing forth collections made from cactus leather, from handbags and clothing to car seats.

In conclusion

Sustainable fashion is on the rise and is a necessary development. However, if not handled carefully, this sustainability can easily be shaken, causing skepticism, or even collapse, if people do not fully understand what they are wearing and what they are representing.

Ultimately, the safest and most "sustainable" solution is... not to buy anything at all. During the long period of lockdown, shopping and consumption activities came to a standstill. Did you notice?Is that okay?When you're no longer getting new clothes? Perhaps it's time to look back at the old clothes in your closet, give them a new lease of life, and wear them with the utmost confidence. After all, fashion always makes a comeback every 30 years!

And believe what Vivian Westwood once said: "In times of adversity, fashion breaks through."

Lưu (photo: Internet)