There is a change in the air at this season’s fashion month.
Once an afterthought or inconvenient truth, sustainability has taken
centre-stage for this round of sartorial celebrations, with fashion brands
engaging meaningfully in the climate conversation.
Fashion is no stranger to floral motifs and lush green
palettes, but this season attention is more than skin – or fabric – deep.
Autumn/Winter 2020 shows have ushered in a wave of recyclable materials,
natural dyes and eco initiatives. Copenhagen Fashion Week, first in the roster
of events, set a precedent for the season by rolling out an environmental
action plan that shows fashion is striving to shake off its frivolous
reputation.
Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, announced
an official Sustainability
Action Plan that reflects a panoramic spread of climate concerns, from
plastic pollution to clean air. In addition to banning single-use plastics at
shows and advocating for the use of electric cars, organisers have developed an
ambitious 3-year plan to achieve zero-waste status by 2022.
Environmental commitments continued to influence proceedings
throughout the fashion calendar, as Richard Malone’s London Fashion Week show
was accompanied by a mission
statement detailing the origins of the materials in the collection
(organic, plant-derived) and the rates of his tailors (£25 per hour).
Malone wasn’t the only designer to place sustainable
materials at the top of the agenda, as across the Channel John Galliano’s
Maison Margiela offering embraced similar sentiments. Galliano explored the
creative potential of ‘upcycling’, with an extravaganza of colour that spanned
repurposed wicker baskets and deadstock leather skirts. “It’s a return to worth
and slower fashion”, he observed,
“Invention with a conscience”.
Whilst eco-consciousness is newly-awakened in many of the
world’s most prestigious fashion houses, sustainability has been a driving
force behind the work of Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney long before the
phrase ‘climate crisis’ entered the mainstream. This season, Westwood’s
creative director and husband Andreas Kronthaler ensured that the entire
collection was sourced sustainably, whilst on McCartney’s catwalk, the designer
showed alternate looks of vegan leather and tongue-in-cheek animal suits.
In an industry known for its insatiable desire for newness,
it remains to be seen whether green will be the new black. As fashion takes its
first steps towards sustainable practices, these Autumn/Winter shows offer an
inspiring glimpse of what the future might hold.
Brand engagement agency R&T (Richmond & Towers) has been appointed by Brooklyn Brewery to oversee its social media presence in the UK. Following on from a successful year of leading UK PR for Brooklyn Brewery – which saw the launch of its new pilsner – R&T has won the brand’s… Read more
Are you ready to dive into the latest consumer behaviour trends? With the world around us continuing to evolve at pace, it’s more important than ever to keep up with what consumers are thinking, feeling and doing right now – and take a step back to consider the effect this… Read more
Get set to read up on the latest (and tastiest) goings on in the fast-evolving world of PR and social media. November has been a juicy month, so we recommend you grab yourself a snack and a cuppa (or suitable drink of choice depending on the time you’re reading this,… Read more
If 2018 was the year of the AI influencer, then 2019 has been the year this concept was embraced and diversified by fashion-forward brands. AI influencers – hyperreal digital characters created to drive brand engagement – have begun to emerge across Instagram and embed themselves into its culture. But far from becoming an existential threat to human influencers, this digital development could offer exciting new opportunities for brands to showcase their commitment to sustainability.
The ‘birth’ of 3D influencers like Lil’ Miquela, a digital
avatar created by robotics company Brud, have added a new dimension to fashion
marketing. This avatar, with her burgeoning follower count, airbrushed skin and
perfectly trimmed fringe, already boasts an impressive portfolio of work. Lil’
Miquela’s Instagram grid features a wealth of collaborations with esteemed
brands such as Gucci, where her pixelated clothing is rendered from real
pieces.
This step from tactile to digital clothing has been embraced
by online retailer YOOX, through its virtual styling feature that allows users
to dress an avatar with the store’s products. The virtual mannequin, Daisy, comes
with customisable skin tones, meaning consumers can create their own likeness
and ‘try on’ virtual clothing to find their best fit.
The potential of virtual influencers to lessen the need for
wasteful product hauls, shipping out physical samples or even consumer product
returns, cuts fashion’s carbon footprint and engages audiences through emerging
technologies.
In an age where sustainability is taking its rightful place
amongst corporate concerns, the fashion world can put its best foot forward by embracing
fresh approaches to influencer marketing (and to sustainability goals).
Brand engagement agency R&T (Richmond & Towers) has been appointed by Brooklyn Brewery to oversee its social media presence in the UK. Following on from a successful year of leading UK PR for Brooklyn Brewery – which saw the launch of its new pilsner – R&T has won the brand’s… Read more
Are you ready to dive into the latest consumer behaviour trends? With the world around us continuing to evolve at pace, it’s more important than ever to keep up with what consumers are thinking, feeling and doing right now – and take a step back to consider the effect this… Read more
Get set to read up on the latest (and tastiest) goings on in the fast-evolving world of PR and social media. November has been a juicy month, so we recommend you grab yourself a snack and a cuppa (or suitable drink of choice depending on the time you’re reading this,… Read more