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