As 2019 drew to a close, the fashion tide seemed to be turning in favor of sustainability. After years of advocacy and education by activists, garment laborers, small brands, independent journalists and more, fashion finally began to acknowledge the need for a more environmentally conscious and socially responsible way of making clothing.
Workers' Rights Were OverlookedMany people hoped the pandemic would provide the kind of reset that might allow the fashion industry to rebuild itself into something more equitable and ethical. But it quickly became clear that at least in some ways, that vision was failing. Major retailers responded to the economic squeeze brought on by the global shutdown by refusing to pay their factories for orders, even if the orders had already been completed.
But garment workers and advocates didn't take all this lying down. Ghana's kayayei demonstrated for their rights. Advocates created the #PayUp campaign and successfully pressured many major retailers into paying workers for the orders they canceled. Former employees worked together to expose racism at their old companies. And garment workers continued to push for new legislation that would protect their wages.
Of course, the question remains about whether consumption will simply bounce back to pre-pandemic levels once the economy recovers, as evidence is already starting to show it may. But even if it does, there might be other silver linings to how consumer habits have changed — like the fact that people have been shopping more locally, which is good for reducing emissions from shipping.
Like many changes that have come about as a result of the pandemic, this one isn't irreversible, which means plenty of brands will go back to creating all-new fabrics in the future. But the impact felt by the heavily upcycled Spring 2021 collections isn't likely to disappear totally. Now that everyone knows upcycling is possible even for larger brands, the benefits may entice some designers to keep it up.
We've all had to get comfortable with attending conferences on Zoom, watching collections debut through mini films rather than on the runway, and even exploring what it means to wear clothing in video games or via virtual reality. While all those digital experiences aren't likely to replace in-person events completely, they've proven that you can make some pretty magical things happen even without flying people to some remote location.
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