The fashion industry has received high attention in the last years, whether Burberry was accused of burning clothing worth millions or documentaries exposing the ‘dirty secrets’ of the industry (Mukendi et al. 2020, 2973). The fashion sector is one of the most traditional sectors worldwide with an estimated turnout value of $1.44 trillion (Mukherjee 2015, 22). Its supply chains stretch all across the globe, with almost each manufacturing step practiced in a different part of the world (ibid., 23). Increased consumption and better logistics have led to the emerge of the so-called fast fashion, which relies on short life cycles, fast trend changes and higher consumption rates (ibid.). However, higher production rates and greater waste amounts entail large threats to the environment (Niinimäki et al. 2020, 189f). The intense environmental impact of the fashion industry pushed the emerge of the countermovement called ethical or sustainable fashion (Mukherjee 2015, 31). Exploring the issue from a futures’ perspective, the environmental degradation and the emerge of sustainable fashion pressure the question: how could an image of a preferred future for the fashion industry look? To design an image of the future, the essay will start with unpacking ethics and values in my own research and discover my personal values and biases. It further will engage with the present state of the fast fashion sector and its environmental impacts, and then move towards my image of the future. Within the research conducted, it became clear that I could not conduct value-free research when examining the possible futures of fashion – hence, in the last chapter, I will act in the role of a futures activist and promote my personal preferred image of the future.
The Sustainable Future of Fashion – An Exploration of Personal Values and an Image of a Preferred Future
Attribution: Art Hunter