Clean Fashion Summit 2023

The speakers at this event were, Lottie Sullwood, Christina Bull, Shanon Samuel, Kate and Fiona. This was an event that I went to, to learn more about sustainability and what we can do as designers as well as wanting to hear people who are making and impact and sharing their ways.

Lottie sullwood is a waste designer who has worked with LVMH as well as independently and additionally consults new fashion brands. Her brand is called Are You Mad and it's a shop built from Carnaby streets waste, the products were the waste. She says that she is redesigning the waste cycle and changing material and habits.

Christina bull who works is a consultant and builds business models for brands to follow. She particularly looks at the circular business model. Her thing is pairing the business model to the person.

Shanon Samuel a sustainable fashion designer, who accidentally became sustainable by using already used fabrics because she couldn't afford them new. She is the Co Founder of Bleak, which is a community of designers that are all purpose driven. Within this community they currently have 60 designers. They are intertwined with the music industry

Kate is an up cycling artist/ designer who works with fashion revolution and does workshops. She also works in sculpture and instillation. A messy chaotic aesthetic is what she goes by and and she's the co founder of trash club.

Fiona goes to London College of fashion and focuses on the history of fashion production on the African continent. She researches which policies they are implementing to help fashion designers. As well as looking at the trade and it locally and globally.

They spoke a lot about seeing to hold the carbon we emit and reducing the amount of clothes on the market. I think the main talking point was the circular business model. Which is what I am interested in implementing into my business plan.

Things the system does that doesn't help

1. We are always being fed what we need to buy

2. There is a disconnect from the councils, brands and consumers

3. Recycling centres don't make it clear

Things it can do to help

1. Digestible importance - I think I thought of this point whilst they were talking and will be embedded into my business plan

2. Teaching consumers what to do with their clothes

3. Being transparent influences people

4. Creating open mindedness - I appreciate this sentiment, however it's an idea not a physical step we can take

5. Ground level conversation - I really liked this point about talking in an open way to consumers so that they feel comfortable to learn and aren't ashamed, aka the step to open mindedness

They also spoke about legislation which I was excited to hear as I don't know much about it

1. They mentioned that policies are really important to help us function in a sustainable way instead of fighting the system

2. the Green King code and how that can help enforce systems

3. The British fashion council was brought up

4. In the UK we have a recycling system that the apparently others in Europe don't have as strict.

5. They say France doesn't reward good behaviour compared to the UK

6. They said the UK should incentivise us to manufacture here

Although after talking about legislation and how it can help the bigger picture they iterated that it takes years for these things to change and that we can't rely on it.

Talking about human connection they had a store in Soho on Carnaby street and spoke about how you don't realise how many different types of people you get to talk to when you have a physical store. This point was interesting to me and affirms me wanting to do Pop up shops internationally because imagine the different people you would meet and can connect with.

Going on to talk about their experience whilst they were there, they decided to collect waste from the local cafés and salons as well as working with bin collection. They said how a lot of places that say they're plastic free use it back of house. Talking about waste, many people don't do their waste management and dispose of it in the correct way.

Why is textile and clothing recycling so behind?

1. Everything is offshored

2. We push waste to other countries

3. Consuming

4. Human nature to want something new

5. Fashion is infiltrated into many other industries

How to shift to be circular and transparent

1. Connecting, meeting and communicating with people

2. What you wear is your biggest non verbal communicator of who you are and what you stand for

3. Consumers are people not just a habit

4. Having a repair program to build the relationship with the customer

Going to this summit was really interesting what peoples views and opinions are on the facts. There are a few tips that I will be taking from this to implement into my business plan and ethos.