BLACK FRIDAY? THESE STUDENTS ADVOCATE SLOW FASHION

Black Friday means discounts everywhere. Fast fashion is already sold at rock-bottom prices, so all this overconsumption is at the expense of the environment and working conditions. These two students from Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) explain how things can be done differently.

MAKE YOUR OWN CLOTHES

"Before I started at AMFI, I was a student at a school for pre-university education and thought about studying law or doing another university programme. But during the coronavirus period, I tried using the sewing machine myself, and discovered how great it is to make your own clothes. My enthusiasm for design led me to AMFI. Meanwhile, I am doing the Management programme, because I want to start a business and make a difference with it. I am currently setting up my own clothing brand, Gobind, which is all about quality and sustainability.

MASS PRODUCTION DISADVANTAGES OTHERS

"Because you take a number of courses at AMFI in which all fields come together, you get to know the fashion industry behind the scenes. A huge amount of time, effort and money goes into the clothing industry. So it can't actually be that the products are cheap, because where do you recoup all this? In the case of mass production, you see very clearly that this disadvantages others.”

IJ-HALLEN ARE SUPER POPULAR

"I do feel hopeful that the clothing industry and fashion can change. Years ago, sustainability was mostly branded as something vague and spiritual. These days, people see more and more examples in all kinds of choices they make as consumers.

Research that I did for a case study for the Dyson brand showed that young people in particular are conscious about sustainability; that change has been around since the millennials. Vintage is hot, and the IJ-Hallen flea market is super popular among my generation. The more examples we see and the more we talk about it, the more people will join in.”

3D DESIGNS

"Technological developments help in fashion; for example, upcycling allows you to make more personalised clothes, and digital fashion helps in the production process. During the 3D Hypercraft minor, I learnt how to design in a 3D program, so you can see how your design will turn out in a particular fabric or size. This allows you to skip a number of prototypes to sample with in the production process ."

GOBIND

"For my own label Gobind, I am currently developing size charts and prototypes; there is already quite some demand from friends and acquaintances. With my brand, I want to convey that self-image and self-confidence are allowed to take centre stage; it is okay to stand out and wear what you want to wear. And if something suits you, it should last longer; that's why quality is very important."

HUMAN ASPECT

"I want to source my fabrics for Gobind in the Netherlands, and for now I will continue to make the garments myself. In my study programme, I also learned to look at how you want to market a brand and for whom. Fast fashion is all about profit; but I think that it's not just about sales, it's mainly about what you add to society. For my own business, I would want the people working there to be able to grow, but also the people outside. Your primary focus should not be on money, but on what people contribute. If you focus on that human aspect, the company will also be fine.”

'A 10-YEAR-OLD SHIRT OFFERS A DIFFERENT KIND OF HAPPINESS'

Oyunaa Kerssens (22) is a fourth-year student at the AMFI Fashion & Management programme and works at the Centre for Economic Transformation of AUAS. Oyunaa is hopeful that fashion can become more sustainable through partnerships within the industry. For example, through so-called 'multi-stakeholder' initiatives; where brands, suppliers and experts come together to reinforce each other.

"In my view, sustainability is very much about context. Suppose you develop a new artificial leather. That sounds nice, but what is this artificial leather made of? And if you then turn it into 10,000 bags, can it still be called sustainable?”

CONSUMER HAS IMPACT

"It's not just the material that matters; how consumers use their clothes is important too. This is not just about what the product is made of, but how sparingly you use it. For example, you can have 1 or 2 T-shirts of good quality and wear them for years - that will make a lot of difference.

MONITORING GARMENTS

That impact is hard to study, though, not in the least because you can't take a look into people's closets. It is also proving very difficult to research the lifespan of garments; AUAS is going to monitor this for the first time from start to finish, together with Saxion and others.”

DIFFICULT, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE

"Change is difficult, but not impossible. It is also tricky that views on sustainability vary - between cultures, for example. In Europe, we talk about sufficiency wardrobes: wardrobes that fit within the climate targets. For example, a report by the Hot or Cool Institute states that we should buy no more than five items of clothing a year if we want to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees. But if you look at China or the US, you'll find that different ideals and priorities prevail there. It sometimes feels like beating your head against a brick wall, but I think the principle of continuing to question the bigger picture is important. And that is already happening.

My interest now lies in partnerships between suppliers, such as cotton farmers, fabric weavers and factories. The making itself has moved from the clothing brands to them, so they have to deal with working conditions and material use. In fact, haute couture brands are the only brands that still do their own 'making'. Clothing brands now focus mainly on communication and logistics."

EXCHANGE

"As a student, I participate in the events of Transformersfoundation. I also organise lectures and company visits with our study association, The New Mode Collective. To name some examples: we organised a visit to Byborre and a guest lecture by Sara Dubbeldam, a sustainable fashion activist. And at the Centre for Economic Transformation, we partner with Impacthub in bringing together 'regenerative' start-ups from the Netherlands for knowledge exchange.”

DIFFERENT KIND OF HAPPINESS

"Change is not always as easy as we think. This big industry can sometimes feel overwhelming. Ultimately, I think one of the solutions lies mainly in being happy with the clothes you already have. If you have had a shirt for 10 years, the kind of happiness that you experience is different from the short-lived happiness of 'oh, another new shirt.’ That temporary euphoria always calls for something new. In that sense, sustainability is certainly also related to your own sense of happiness.”