Sophie Woodward’s “Accidentally Sustainable?” delves into the how important consumer behaviour and tendencies are in relation to sustainable practices, and how ethnological research is the key into understanding such trends.
When reading the paper, something that stood out to me the most was the “Accidentally Sustainable” example, specifically the jeans. Woodward describes how, “Specifically in relationship to jeans, people were found to have highly personalised and long-term relationships to particular pairs, therefore not always falling in synch with the rhythms of rapidly changing fashions.” I resonated very strongly with the quote, as in the past years, I had gained quite a strong interest in the denim industry, and specifically the denim fanatics which took the garments very seriously.
The denim jean’s allure, as alluded by Woodward, is due to it’s longevity, and its personalization. As the wearer continues to wear the same garment over the period of several years, the jeans themselves become personalized and custom to their owner. Additionally, the denim jean has gained quite the cult status within fashion, where denim fanatics age their pairs of jeans for years before washing them, all in order to personalize their own pairs.
I specifically think this strong personalization and customization should continue to spread in other types of clothing, and are one of the key methods to promote sustainability. By targeting certain consumer tendencies and human behaviour, we can drastically change the presence of sustainability within the fashion industry.