November Editorial

There has never been so much talk about sustainable fashion as in this period. So much so that, I confess, the term sustainability has almost bored me. But to avoid that, like the blah blah blah denounced by Greta about the commitment to the climate, being sustainable remains an attractive but empty word, it is worth trying to explain it better.

Sustainable fashion is fashion that respects the environment and society in all its phases: from conception to production, passing through distribution to sale. An easy concept to say but a little less to put into practice. And do you know why?

Because the fashion sector is a sort of sprawling entity that includes textiles, manufacturing, leather goods but also the entire production and transport chain, up to retail, that is, shops. According to the latest estimates, it produces 2.4 trillion dollars, employs about 50 million people, and is considered the second most polluting industry in the world, after oil. How did it come to this point? It happened when mass consumerism was born and artisanal tailoring gave way to an unbridled rush to create, produce and buy more and more frequently. The rise of the great fashion houses in the 80s and then the explosion of the fast fashion giants gave birth to a system in which collections follow one another quickly and wear out just as quickly to stay up to date with new trends. Not only. In order to maintain these high production rates, production has been relocated to the countries of the so-called third world, employing millions of people without adequate guarantees. The inevitable consequence is that the amount of production destined for an almost “disposable” use has had an enormous cost in terms of pollution and waste of resources, especially water.

So you will understand that making fashion sustainable globally means making a huge, substantial difference in the economic and social system that directly involves a huge number of people, and indirectly all of us. But it is a fundamental goal to be achieved.

Let’s start with what companies should do: certainly work with less polluting raw materials, reduce waste in production such as water and electricity costs, use local production on the territory to prevent goods from traveling and create durable products, stimulating the conscious consumption. Obviously, this economic model also provides for a more limited production that benefits quality, and the protection of the human component of the fashion industry. The big fashion houses have obviously understood that this is an obligatory path in order not to lose credibility on the part of an increasingly attentive clientele, and are launching capsule collections with recycled materials and investing in new eco-friendly materials. After Stella Mc Cartney, who was a pioneer, Gucci in clothing and accessories and Chopard in jewelry received the Eco-Age Brandmark for their commitment to sustainability. Hermes announced by the end of the year that it will make a new version of its iconic Victoria bag in vegan leather made from mushrooms. But also the recovery and reuse of materials, more exploited by young designers and new brands, reveals a side that is attentive to the environmental impact of fashion.

Daniela and I were part of the jury of a beautiful award dedicated to green design and all the young students who participated proposed clothes and accessories made from natural materials ranging from orange peel, cork to broom up to recycled butts of cigarettes. But beyond the hope for the future that certainly comes from the new generations, I believe that we are all involved in this necessary revolution. Because each of us is, even in spite of himself, an actor and victim of this industry. The iconic Miranda Priestly in “The devil wears Prada” taught her to her naïve assistant, explaining the path taken in fashion to get her to buy the felted blue sweater she wore… remember? Changing the fashion system means being able to be part of a global change simply by buying a pullover.

So remember to think when you buy, to check the labels, the compositions of the fabrics and realize that your gesture, carried out with awareness and repeated by millions of people, could make a difference for the protection of the environment. Fashion, let’s not forget it, is not just frivolity and appearance, but economy, ethics and society.

P.S. Crida, we say it with pride, is a totally sustainable company. If you follow us and get to know us, you know that we only use natural fabrics, without synthetic fibers. We buy them in Italy and produce them in factories in the area between Bergamo and Milan. We know well that those who do business today cannot ignore attention to the environment. This is why the goal of our project was, from the very beginning, to focus on quality and Made in Italy and create clothes with the idea that they must remain in the closet for a long time, clothes to be loved and stored with care. This also means sustainability.