While reading her article, I was struck by Alice Payne’s words, “All actors within the fashion system, from trend forecasters to buyers, designers and journalists, potentially have the ability (or responsibility) to effect change through not promoting aesthetic trends founded in unethical practices” (Payne 5). I found this comment encouraging, because it gives people at all points in the fashion cycle (designers, consumers, advertisers, etc) the power to affect change in a responsible way. I have never before considered that an unsustainable, environmentally polluting practices often only exist due to fashion trends, such as the worn jean look Payne discusses in her article. While I try to consider the sustainability of the fashion stores I shop at, I do not tend to think about the sustainability differences between different fashion trends within a company.
In her section on Garment Use, Payne discusses the current problem with closed-loop recycling. “Currently, the cost in energy to disassemble a garment, reprocess it to fibre and then into a textile may be higher than the energy used to produce virgin polyester…..However, C2C thinking in itself can influence change in the mass market, if consumers and designers alike recognised that their garments are resources to be valued. From here, a diverse range of end-of-life options could be explored to minimise the impacts of the garments” (12). Currently, closed-loop recycling is far from a sustainable method. However, in the long term, this strategy is an essential step in making the fashion cycle more sustainable. Payne argues that a cradle-to-cradle approach to fashion on all levels can help to minimize the environmental impacts of clothing. This means that is the responsibility of the consumer and producer to make responsible choices which encourage this cycle.