Article Contributed by Dr Rimi Khan, Senior Lecturer, Department of Communications And New Media, Faculty of Arts and Social Science

The fashion industry is in a time of huge contradiction. Globally, we are consuming fashion in greater quantities and more cheaply than ever before, but there is also increasing concern with the sustainability of fashion. It is an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars, employing 94 million people around the world, who are mostly women.[1] Many of the world’s major apparel brands rely on overproduction and overconsumption, producing enormous volumes of waste that go to landfill or are burned or dumped in poor countries. Dyeing and processing of both natural and synthetic textiles is causing major ecological damage, and raw-material-sourcing, manufacturing and distribution are generating up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.[2]

These negative environmental impacts have intensified with the emergence of ‘fast fashion’ at the turn of the millennium. Brands like H&M, Zara and Forever21, aimed at young women, have pioneered an accelerated cycle of fashion production and consumption where designer looks are reproduced for mass consumption. The fashion system has shifted from producing two, or perhaps four, fashion seasons a year, to a never-ending cycle of ‘micro trends’. The sharp growth of ecommerce in the last decade has amplified these shifts. Data-driven platforms combined with increasingly agile production systems are now giving rise to ‘ultra fast’ or ‘super fast’ fashion. Despite suggestions that the Covid-19 pandemic would result in more mindful and less consumerist lifestyles, these forecasts have been proven wrong, and the fashion industry has seen robust growth since 2021.[3]
Shein is the new behemoth of online fashion retail, said to release up to 6,000 new styles a day. Despite (or perhaps due to) scandals relating to their labour standards and wasteful production systems, they were 2023’s most-Googled fashion brand. An entrepreneurial success story, Shein is both heralded and condemned as ‘the future of fast fashion’.

However, even Shein is talking about sustainability, recently stating that they will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 and announcing a number of other initiatives intended to reduce their environmental impact. Shein recently relocated its headquarters from China to Singapore, a city state that boasts a ‘green’ image, but also a place where shopping in air-conditioned malls is celebrated as a national past-time.[4]

So how do we navigate these contradictions? Part of the problem lies with the concept of sustainability itself. The term is often used loosely—it encompasses general ideas of wellbeing, simplicity, a connection to nature, a return to the past and longevity into the future. There is a diverse body of academic scholarship on sustainable fashion that illustrates the breadth and flexibility of the term. Sustainable fashion can include practices of use, re-use, making, and mending; sustainable design innovations; supply chains, materials, and technologies; and sustainability marketing.

Of course, when the concept of sustainability is used so widely, it leads to greenwashing. Sustainability is no longer just an academic concept or a policy framework, but an industry trend and media buzzword. Brands from H&M to Louis Vuitton now have sustainability roadmaps and commitments, but show little progress towards their goals, and make claims that have been called out as ”misleading” and ”bogus”[5].
More problematically, these brands’ business models are reliant on a system of over production and consumption that is inherently unsustainable. Fashion as a concept is connected to the idea of novelty. Fashion markets involve a constant churn of trends where consuming the latest style is tied to social status and distinction. If sustainable fashion is another such trend, it arguably forms part of the “neoliberal green order”,[6] where ideals of capitalist growth and continued consumption are left unchallenged. 
So, is there such a thing as sustainable fashion? And for those looking to enter the industry, what opportunities are there for sustainable or ethical entrepreneurship?

My research explores these questions. I have found that across Asia entrepreneurs are building new kinds of markets, production structures and supply chains. The Vietnamese fashion brand Kilomet109 is developing innovative approaches to textile-making that are aimed at durability, minimising waste and the use of synthetic materials and chemicals. They engage in long-term collaborations with indigenous communities across Vietnam, who share their approaches to natural dyeing and weaving. Kilomet109’s slower production cycles mean they are more resilient than conventional brands against the market disruptions caused by Covid-19. They also work closely with artists, academics and design festivals, becoming leaders in Vietnam’s emerging creative ecology.
For students learning about the creative industries, the brand is an inspiring example of the positive social, cultural and environmental impacts of creative entrepreneurship. In NUS’ Masters of Arts (Arts and Cultural Entrepreneurship) students learn about these approaches to creative enterprise and cultural leadership. We broaden our view of what entrepreneurial impact can look like beyond traditional ideas of success, and ask how creative entrepreneurship can tackle the complex challenges of the world today.

For more information please visit: https://masters.nus.edu.sg/programmes/master-of-arts-(arts-and-cultural-entrepreneurship)

REFERENCES

[1] International Labor Organisation 2023. How to achieve gender equality in global garment supply chains. Infostories.
https://www.ilo.org/infostories/en-GB/Stories/discrimination/garment-gender#introduction Accessed 19 July 2023.

[2] Baptist World Aid 2021. Ethical Fashion Guide. Baptist World Aid. 
https://baptistworldaid.org.au/resources/ethical-fashion-guide/ Accessed 12 July 2023.

[3] McKinsey & Company 2022. ‘The State of Fashion 2023: Holding onto growth as global clouds gather’. McKinsey.com https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion Accessed 19 July 2023.

[4] Singapore Tourism Board 2023. ‘Our way of life’. Visit Singapore. 
https://www.visitsingapore.com/travel-guide-tips/about-singapore/singapore-culture-way-of-life/ Accessed 19 July 2023.

[5] Shendruk, A. 2022. Quartz investigation: H&M showed bogus environmental scores for its clothing. Quartz 
https://qz.com/2180075/hm-showed-bogus-environmental-higg-index-scores-for-its-clothing Accessed 12 July 2023.

[6] Littler, J., 2008. Radical consumption: shopping for change in contemporary culture: shopping for change in contemporary culture. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

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