Goals for our students:• Understand global citizenship as consumers
of fashion• Empower ways of change• Offer STEM lesson plans and other learning
activities• See the environmental issues related to fast fashion• Understand health risks from clothing
manufacturing
Historic Highlights of Fashion in America
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
From home sewing to global manufacturing
Fiber to Clothing Complex Process• Seeds (cotton)• Spun, combed• Shipped• Dyed and made into fabric• Printed• Shipped• Designed, cut,
and sewn• Shipped• Sold
Fast FashionWHO? Retailers with rapid turnaround of runway styles at low prices to “create” a consumer demand.WHAT? Trendy styles at low cost.WHERE?Online and shopping centers.WHEN? Frequent (sometimes daily) clothing, shoes, and accessory purchases. WHY? More disposable income and new trends to enjoy!
Fast Fashion Brands
• Zara• H&M• Topshop• Forever 21• Urban Outfitters• United Colors of Benetton
• Rue21• Shasa• Mango• GAP• Wet Seal• Charlotte Russe
Fast Fashion• Term used by retailers to describe designs
that move from the runway to the clothing stores quickly in order to capture current fashion trends.
• Designed and manufactured quickly and cheaply to allow consumers to buy trendy styles at a lower price.
Fast Fashion = Disposable?
• Fast fashion is associated with disposable fashion Delivers designed product to a mass market at
relatively low pricesFabric and construction quality is low and
often doesn’t withstand washing
Issues with Fast Fashion:
• CAUSESSweatshops opposed in US and moved to
second and third world countries• PROBLEMS
Companies pay cheapest wageCreates unsafe working conditions
Explore Lives of Garment Workers
Li Na – China
Sadia – Bangladesh
Ledye – Honduras
Mary – United States
Environmental Impact• Every step in clothing production harms
different parts of the ecosystem Pollution and destruction of terrestrial and
aquatic habitatsRelease of toxic and greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere
Claudio, Luz (2007). “Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry”. Environmental Health Perspective: A449-A454.
Environmental Damages:• CAUSES
Fast fashion demands cause exhaust and chemical outputs to rise
Shipping for cheapest manufacturing
Pesticides, bleach, formaldehyde to prevent bugs and preserve fabric
• PROBLEMSPollution from
increased exhaust
Oil usageHigh water usage
http://www.patagonia.com/us/footprint
Health Risks
• PROBLEMSCarcinogens in
dye and fabricFlammableSkin and lung
sensitivities
• CAUSESFibers made from oilCheaper dyesChemicals added
Slow Fashion Movement
• The slow fashion movement has arisen in opposition to fast fashion, blaming it for:Pollution (both in the production of clothes
and in the decay of synthetic fabrics)Shoddy workmanshipEmphasizing very brief trends over classic style
Benefits of Buying Fair TradeSustainable Fashion
• Environmental Decrease pollutants and water use
• Social Help communities where goods are made
• Economic Workers earn fair wages Consumers understand processes with transparency
Best known for certification in coffee, Fair Trade is a market-based approach to improving the lives of farmers and workers, protecting the environment, and delivering quality and safety. At its core, Fair Trade puts people at the center of sustainability.
Ethical Fashion Brands• American Apparel• amour vert• Artisans du Monde• CommonThreadz• Everlane• Fair Indigo• Global Girlfriend• Global Mamas• green 3• Handwork of India• HAE Now• IOWEYOU
• Indigenous Designs• Maggie’s Organics• Mata Traders• Nally & Millie• Neon Buddha• Oak73• Oliberté• Osmium• PACT• Patagonia• People Tree• prAna
• Rodale’s• Splendid• Synergy Organic
Clothing• Threads 4 Thought• Tompkins Point
Apparel
Embrace Global Citizenship• What can we do?
Source from same countryPay living wage/buy
fair tradeSign onto safety
agreementsFind solutions to reuse
clothingFind solutions for
environmental damage
Curriculum can…
• Raise awareness of unethical practices• Inform consumers• Offer solutions to the problem• Change the future, change the world!
Empower Students in Ways of Change!• Consumer voice• Giving voice to workers, fair wages
and safe workplace accommodations
• Locally made• Water reduction• Knowledge is power:
understand ethical issuesof fast fashion
• Alternative materials: organic cotton, banana fibers, water bottles, or recycling
Overwhelmed? Start with one thing.• Read a label, research a company• Choose your leading cause• Communicate with concerns to companies• Recycle and reduce current
clothing consumption• Swap, reuse,
shop resale• Support Fair Trade
companies that aid your cause
• Spread the word!
Learn More
www.fairtradeusa.orgLearn how Fair Trade improves lives
www.triplepundit.com5 Things You May Not Know About Fair Trade Apparel
www.matatraders.comMata Traders: Fair Trade Fashion
Inspire STEM Lessons
1. How could you help lower chemical outputs?2. How could you decrease water usage?3. What organic materials could we use to cut
chemicals in dyes?4. What technology might help cut down on
shipping inefficiency?
Free Resources from Learning ZoneXpress
• Global Justice: Ethical Fashion PowerPoint• Learning Activities
Consumer Cares ActivityBehind the Label ActivityWhere Does the Money Go ActivityTextile lab: Experimenting with Fibers
and PrintsAll available for download on our blog: facsalive.com