The fashion industry, built on the idea of regular rebirth and innovation, could be attempting its most dramatic makeover to date.
As the industry continues to reckon with its role in contributing to a global climate crisis, and consumers begin to ask more questions about how their clothing is made, many fashion houses, retailers, and manufacturers have been racing to develop ways to reduce their carbon emissions and improve their “green” credentials.
And then came the twist, while in the clutches of an unrelenting global pandemic, the $2.4 trillion global industry has been forced to slow down – at least temporarily. Begging the question, will things just go back to “normal,” or is there a better way forward?
Historically, September is one of the fashion industry’s busiest months – it’s when the four major fashion weeks take place, one after the other. But as New York, London, Milan and Paris continue to grapple with the
threat of another major coronavirus outbreak, these often elaborate events will be notably muted. Digital presentations will replace many physical shows and there will be significantly less travel. This is set to be a very different fashion season.
We wanted to take this unprecedented moment to focus our attention on the larger issues at play, particularly when it comes to the health of our planet and the people living on it.
And so, we present The September Issues, a sustainability focused special collection of facts, features, guides, profiles and opinion pieces. We partnered with Fashion Revolution, a non-profit organization dedicated to campaigning for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry, consulting with their experts on several stories.
Scroll on for what we hope is a thought-provoking hub for conversations about fashion and the climate crisis.
– Fiona Sinclair Scott
Global Editor, CNN Style
The fashion industry, built on the idea of regular rebirth and innovation, could be attempting its most dramatic makeover to date.
As the industry continues to reckon with its role in contributing to a global climate crisis, and consumers begin to ask more questions about how their clothing is made, many fashion houses, retailers, and manufacturers have been racing to develop ways to reduce their carbon emissions and improve their “green” credentials.
And then came the twist, while in the clutches of an unrelenting global pandemic, the $2.4 trillion global industry has been forced to slow down – at least temporarily. Begging the question, will things just go back to “normal,” or is there a better way forward?
Historically, September is one of the fashion industry’s busiest months – it’s when the four major fashion weeks take place, one after the other. But as New York, London, Milan and Paris continue to grapple with the threat of another major coronavirus outbreak, these often elaborate events will be notably muted. Digital presentations will replace many physical shows and there will be significantly less travel. This is set to be a very different fashion season.
We wanted to take this unprecedented moment to focus our attention on the larger issues at play, particularly when it comes to the health of our planet and the people living on it.
And so, we present The September Issues, a sustainability focused special collection of facts, features, guides, profiles and opinion pieces. We partnered with Fashion Revolution, a non-profit organization dedicated to campaigning for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry, consulting with their experts on several stories.
Scroll on for what we hope is a thought-provoking hub for conversations about fashion and the climate crisis.
– Fiona Sinclair Scott
Global Editor, CNN Style