Is Sustainability the Newest Trend in NYFW?

Sustainability is a rising cause within the fashion industry. With overproduction and hyperconsumerism, clothes hardly ever get used to their full capacity. The trend of wearing an item once, taking a picture in it for social media, then getting rid of it, is not a new phenomenon. The quality of garments produced has drastically decreased, and with the rise of social media, it’s less common to even consider keeping the same article of clothing throughout the years (because why would you wear the outfit again if you already posted it on instagram…ew.) Manufacturers are continuously producing textile waste throughout the process of clothing production. Earth.org states “over fifteen percent of fabric used in garment production is wasted. Sixty percent of approximately 150 million garments produced were discarded just a few years post production.” With all of this waste, what is the fashion industry doing to prevent it?

Industry leaders such as The Council of Fashion Designers of America (or CFDA) created a call to action for the designers of New York Fashion week. They expressed “as we approach the new season, we’d like to remind all stakeholders —fashion brands, production houses, event planners, PR agencies, and others—to approach the week with a more conscious awareness of the environment.” NYFW is one of the biggest fashion weeks in the world yet, this official memo doesn’t seem specific enough. This statement, while more than likely overlooked by most brands participating, raises so many questions for me. What does their definition of “a more conscious awareness” look like? How are brands responding to this statement? And will this reminder actually be enforced, or is it just a way of greenwashing fashion week.

“Greenwashing” basically means to lie about how environmentally friendly a good or service really is. With the recent rise in the “eco-friendly consumer” big brands and retailers are starting to market their “sustainable practices.” These practices include using eco-friendly packaging, or “recycled fabrics.” This environmental consciousness is a fairly new focus amongst the fashion industry and has become the forefront of fashion brands' missions, however, it truly seems as if it is just another promotion to draw in an additional demographic of consumers. With fashion month kicking off at New York Fashion Week last week, I'm curious to see what brands actually took this statement into consideration.

Chan Chit Lo by Venus Lo was the first brand on my radar as a newcomer to NYFW. Chan Chit Lo presented its first installation on September 10th. The brand was founded by Venus Lo in 2019 after studying at Parsons the New School and Nottingham Trent University. Chan Chit Lo designs with the slow production of fashion as the forefront of each collection. (Slow production basically means they think about the people making the clothes, as well as the planet while developing their products.) All of the garments produced by Chan Chit Lo are created by hand knitting and machine knitting second hand garments, bringing the fabrics and fibers a new purpose. Chan Chit Lo gives the upcycled look a whole new demeanor, adding an avant garde flare throughout her designs, creating eye-catching, intriguing, high-fashion garments.

The next brand I noticed is Collina Strada. From the website itself, the brand really sets itself apart with its bold color scheme and fun fonts, the branding almost reminds me of an upgraded Limited Too (for all my Y2K babies, I know you’re probably just as excited as me.) The nostalgic flair of the branding aligns perfectly with the aesthetic of the modern day sustainable consumer. Collina Strada truly exemplifies the idea of sustainability being at the forefront of a brand’s identity. The S/S 24 Collection presented on September 8th and is pictured to the right.

The mission of the Collina Strada states, “Collina Strada Is A Platform For Climate Awareness, Social Awareness, Change And Self Expression. Sustainability Is A Journey.” After reviewing their website, I believe this mission to be 100% true. They have a clear list of their sustainability practices under the about section of their website. Rose sylk is one of their featured fibers. Made from rose bushes and stems, this fabric is both eco-friendly and biodegradable, but has a very similar appearance to silk. They also use deadstock fabric and recycled cotton for their designs. Deadstock fabric is basically excess fabric that was previously commissioned by retailers that is no longer in use. The use of recycled cotton reduces the depletion of water sources from the most water-consuming crop, cotton. I wish every brand would take notes. While these two brands that were featured at NYFW are beautiful examples of what fashion week should look like, it is not necessarily what the mass media sees.

The mass media is overwhelmingly saturated with influencers going to events for fashion week, doing various “get ready with me” videos all showcasing brand new products being sent to them from PR companies to use for content and promotion. From these videos comes great profit to brands, consistently selling out products for months, time and time again. The issue with this marketing success is the tragic aftermath for the planet. These sold out products, as stated in the beginning of this article, are only worn until the microtrend is over, and the next influencer posts the next “must-have” item for your wardrobe. Because of this successful selling out of products, the landfills are over filled with textile waste due to the overconsumption produced by these influencers. 

While some influencers are sent items from the brand as a loan, others are sent multiple looks to choose from for one event and are able to keep all options, leaving them with overstuffed closets with clothes that will probably be worn once for an instagram photo or TikTok video. By no means am I hating on the creators for running their business, if anything I'm a little jealous, (being sent free clothes HELLOOOO…who could say no to that?). However, the social awareness of how much waste this is being created is certainly limited. These influencers becoming a part of the fashion scene and attending such elite shows is not helping the “more conscious awareness of the environment” that the CFDA is trying to promote. 

I completely understand the point of influencer marketing, it’s not by any means a new concept (think of the early TV commercials from when you were growing up… practically every single ad was using celebrity endorsements). But I truly don’t think that NYFW is the best place for the influencer marketing industry, unless they are a part of the conversation of  “conscious awareness of the environment” that the CFDA is trying to promote.