
Sustainable Fashion encourages us to consume fashion in an environmentally responsible way and to ensure that it does not contribute to further exploitation of the environment.
This includes using eco-fibres like certified organic cotton, upcycled and recycled fabrics, reclaimed and fabric off cuts and fabrics made using eco-conscious and zero-waste methods.
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“Sustainability is ultimately about dignity and quality of life” - Rewoven, Twyg Mag 2019
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Sustainable fashion forms part of a larger concept: ethical fashion. Ethical fashion implores us to, in addition to using textiles made in the most eco-conscious way, also ensure that they were made in fair trade standards: standards that ensure people were treated with
dignity, empowered and paid enough to ensure basic standards of living.
What both terms have in common however is that they contrast and seek to change from the current mode of fashion which has proven to be harmful to our people and environment.
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#FashionRevolution [-the future of textiles]
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Fashion Revolution is a co-creation process between Swedish and South African entrepreneurs, designers and artists within the fashion industry. We focus on how we can open up for sustainable fashion production and a circular business system.
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In partnering with arteBOTANICA, we seek to unearth links between art-adornment-identity making; a sustainable way of creating and using fashion.
Swedish fashion brands rank high in sustainability awareness, and the Swedish fashion consumers have deep knowledge in the matter.
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In South Africa the sustainability concept is embraced by many young designers and entrepreneurs and often includes expertise and experience of working with social and environmental sustainability.
However, gaps in skills, access to training, financing, markets and eligible production chains are amongst several challenges.
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The overall project Fashion Revolution aims to use Sweden’s expertise and experience in collaboration with South African entrepreneurs, artists and designers to contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry in South Africa through exchange of knowledge and skills.
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South Africa, and most certainly, Africa at large has always understood how to live in harmony with nature. This year 3 Africans were chosen to participate in the Fashion Revolution Programme:
- Fashion designer Nadir Tati from Angola
- Fashion designer Ekta Kalan from South Africa and
- Rewoven from South Africa.
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The intention for the teams was to exchange and gain knowledge from Sweden companies like: Rekotex, FindSourcing, CommonCloset, Fjallraven and more, with our own local wisdom and perspective on sustainability and in our own context to create a more sustainable local fashion industry.
Rewoven’s first activation will happen at this year's arteBOTANICA event, where their 100% recycled fabric will be used on all the t-shirts worn by the arteBOTANICA team. The fabric is made using off-cut fabric, no water, toxic chemicals or dyes.
To find out about the three teams:
Rewoven: www.rewoven.africa │ Instagram: @rewoven_africa
Ekta: www.ekta.co.za │ Instagram: @ekta_official
Nadir Tati: Instagram: @nadirtatiofficial