Sophie Woodward talks about the accidental sustainability that people practice through the purchase, wear, and storage of clothing items. She says that the practice of sustainability and fashion are inherently embedded in cultures and an ethnographic study of many different spheres in life can allow us to come to design practices that are applicable in our society.
I thought that her piece was quite relevant to the growing discussion among the proponents of slow fashion. Young designers in the fashion industry are slowly trying to step away from prioritizing mass production and economic gains by introducing more innovative methods to create high quality and price sensible clothing. Also, there are cultural practices like the ‘salaula’ in Zambia where people make use of second hand clothing or off the rack items from department stores. Many trends like vintage shopping are taking over in many parts of the world, all going against the traditional fast fashion practices in the 20th century.
I believe that with the need to pave the way for a sustainable future and to satiate a more ethically conscious consumer base, fashion designers should focus more attention on ethnographic research like Woodward suggests to induce buyers to practice purposeful sustainability. This research will not only benefit the consumer base by making them more aware of pressing issues related to the environment, but also build up brand reputation and status.