Sustainability is the new black!
Last Friday author and advocate for sustainable fashion Dana Thomas lead a conversation at New York Fashion Week on how to be more environmentally conscious in the world of clothing. Thomas was accompanied by three speakers; designer Phillip Lim, model Amber Valletta and Dean of Parsons School of Fashion Burak Cakmak. The four all sat perched atop a small platform in a luxurious cave-like room, which was adorned with red carpet and metallic geometric ceilings. Beautiful flowers were focal points throughout the room but the main attraction of the forty or so audience members was the speakers.
For an hour the four discussed a vast amount of ways that both businesses and consumers can do their part in creating a greener fashion industry. The speakers and the audience members alike appeared to be deeply interested in the conversation, which included talking about the behind the scenes aspects of creating fashion that consumers aren’t often privy to. The topics ranged from, “What are the greenest materials to create clothing from,” to “How to shop sustainably for lower-income consumers,” to the classic “what are you wearing today?” Not surprisingly each of the panelists were dressed in an eco-friendly outfit.
A brief Q & A held at the end of the talk gave audience members a chance to ask follow up questions to the information that they gained during the hour long talk. Each member of the panel offered thoughtful information but Cakmak said something particularly impacting. He explained that introducing sustainable methods of creating clothing at the very beginning of a designer’s career is a simple but crucial way to create a greener industry.
