Hubbub gets Down To Earth with fashion
By Alex Robinson 4th May, 2023
We live in a world of micro-trends, fast fashion and free returns: it’s never been cheaper or easier to buy clothing, and the environmental cost has never been higher. Fashion accounts for up to 10% of global emissions, yet action and supporting policy across the fashion industry lags behind many sectors. There is low awareness of the environmental impact of fashion amongst the public.
There are, however, signs of change. From eBay’s sponsorship of Love Island to celebrities re-wearing outfits on the red carpet to the popularity of apps such as Vinted and Depop, could fast fashion be going out of, well, fashion? While there are reasons to be optimistic, there’s still a huge amount of confusion about what buying sustainably means, and overwhelming pressure on people to keep buying more. There’s an array of reasons for this, including the promotion of ‘bargain’ fast fashion brands, social media amplifying anxieties around self-image, and easy access to ‘buy now pay later’ apps.
How to move the needle from buying new as a default?
We have been passionate about fashion since Hubbub started in 2014. We’ve launched a whole raft of projects looking to shift habits around our clothes, including encouraging people to buy less, swap and share clothing they no longer wear, raising awareness of the impact of plastic microfibres and teaching sewing and repair skills. In 2020 we supported the release of a report on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion which explored ways in which government can support innovation within the fashion industry, and this year we put some of those ideas into action, partnering with eBay on the Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund, which offered funding for circular fashion businesses. But there’s a long way to go on the journey to a more sustainable fashion industry.
Hubbub is committed to promoting sustainable fashion choices. We want to support the public in making more informed choices about the clothes they wear and ensure the life of clothes across UK wardrobes are extended as much as possible. The cost-of-living crisis is forcing most of us to reassess our habits, and fashion is an area where lots of us could make better choices for the environment and save money too. But fashion is a complex topic, and many people don’t know where to start. Which is where our next project comes in…
The Down to Earth fashion podcast
Our Down to Earth podcast series is back, and this time we’re talking about our clothes and the industry that makes them. Along with our expert guests, we take a step back to explore why we’re buying so much, how it affects the world around us, and what is needed to shift to a world where our clothing habits and industry have less of an impact on the environment and people too. Meet the activists, designers and experts who unpick why our wardrobes aren't working for us or the planet. The first episode with author and activist Mikaela Loach who speaks about her new book It’s Not That Radical, why we should keep hopeful and how wearing pink helps keep her wardrobe sustainable.
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