The fashion industry is experiencing a transformation, with designers and corporations at the top of ethical and environmentally friendly practices. This season, we all saw a lot of examples of brands that support animal rights and sustainability. Considering this remarkable progress, the runway has also witnessed protests, as activists boldly voice their ethical concerns, sending a powerful message to industry giants. This dynamic interplay between innovation, activism, and conscious creation highlights an important moment in the evolution of fashion, paving the way toward a more sustainable and compassionate future.
In this blog post, we will explore some examples of supporters, and then discuss the effect of runway crashers on the fashion industry.
Stella McCartney
For this season, the Marché Saxe-Breteuil in Paris was transformed into "Stella's Sustainable Market" for the Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2024 fashion show. The brand has been the pioneer of conscious and environmentalist fashion for years. They never used leather, feathers, fur, or skins since the beginning. Whenever possible, the brand purchases from farms dedicated to animal care and environmental responsibility, and also, they also use recycled and approved sustainable paper and packaging.
The SS24 collection is an exploration of the creative director's personal past, from her parents' shared wardrobes to their relationship with the environment. The presentation is made of "95% conscious materials, making it Stella McCartney's most responsible offering to date," according to the show notes. It is a great example of how brands can integrate conscious usage of raw materials into their designs, and also inspire people.
Image Source: Hypebeast
Duran Lantink
Another example of a designer who led the way in this season is Duran Lantink. His name label is based on sustainability, and he was awarded the ANDAM Special Prize for it in July. Lantink's Spring 2024 collection makes significant progress toward this goal, expanding on his visual identity as a designer while still making room for repurposed materials. Lantink is now employing deadstock for raw materials instead of leaving traces of the garments' previous existence. The Spring collection was made up of 95% repurposed materials, with the rest of it being hand-knitted from wool. The important point in this example is to find a balance between being ethically correct, but also not creating the brand’s image entirely on sustainability.
Image Source: Vogue Runway
Gabriela Hearst for Chloé
The collection is described in the show notes as a "celebration of (Hearst's) transformational time at Chloé," which has shown a lot of work and message around sustainability and climate campaigns, with each of her last three collections focused on a different climate solution. It was the last collection of Hearst’s for Chloé, and the goal for Spring 2024 was to investigate "the power of individual action as a form of environmental advocacy”, tying this concept to the floral theme.
It was a great way to end a chapter, and in other words, the show aimed to contribute to a more conscious and informed approach to fashion, encouraging consumers to consider the environmental and ethical implications of their choices while also celebrating the positive steps being taken within the industry. The real celebration came at the end of the show when dancers and musicians from Rio de Janeiro burst onto the runway for an unforgettable grand finale.
"If we look closely, there are sprigs of positive news all around that can spark a blossoming of essential ideas, and where better to look than the remarkable engineering of plants and flowers? These crucial oxygenators that we depend on are a radiant representation of life itself."
– Gabriela Hearst
Image Source: Vogue Runway
Eckhaus Latta
It can be said that the most innovative, technology-friendly, and sustainable runway show belonged to Eckhaus Latta! Latta put the Vega technology in the spotlight during New York Fashion Week, demonstrating the power of sustainable innovation in a large, exciting way. Vega is a ground-breaking circular machine that weaves fabric into tubes rather than flat sheets, eliminating waste in the cutting process. It also employs a sophisticated algorithm to rapidly adapt size as each tube is manufactured. The Vega team recognized that it would require a creative brand to introduce the technology to the high fashion industry in this collection.
The team was excited to show the versatility of what might be achieved, from a denim pant leg to the foil-woven pieces of the Eckhaus Latta collection, which would eventually end up on the NYFW. Isn’t it great to see people finding alternative solutions to make the world more sustainable since the textile sector is one of the non-environmentally friendly sectors? It is both great to see people exceeding their limit of imagination when designing innovative designs and show them at the NYFW.
Image Source: Vogue Runway
Since there are a lot of examples of supporting ethical and environmentally friendly fashion, there are also some brands who could not take a new step towards this current situation. When this is the case, PETA activists are on duty to crash infamous runway shows to create an impact and remind people that even if the designs are fabulous, materials are still not compatible with the future goals of activists. The second part of this blog piece will focus on runway crashers and their impact on the media.
Could not help but wonder, is crashing a runway with banners worth it?
How Effective Is Crashing a Runway Show?
Starting with one of New York Fashion Week's largest shows, a duo of protesters stopped Coach, one with a "Coach: Leather Kills" banner and the other in full body paint imitating the exposed muscles of a skinned animal expressing the same message. Crashers at Burberry and Gucci, both PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) activists, carried banners that said, "Burberry: Animals Are Not Clothing" and "Gucci: Ban Exotic Skins." One of PETA's activists came to the Hermès runway in Paris for the organization's final fashion month show, but this time fashion influencer Bryan Yambao (@bryanboy) stole the protester's sign mid-walk.
Source: @databutmakeitfashion
As mentioned before, we are aware that this year, there were more runway crashers than we all expected. However, the effect of PETA members is not as strong as we thought. The infamous Instagram page @databutmakeitfashion prepared a graph for us so that we can understand the impact on the industry. In this graph, @databutmakeitfashion analyzed press articles for each brand’s runway show and what % of them mentioned the crashers. In order to see what the objective impact runway crashers had on getting their message across in the fashion world, Coach leads the way.
This graph actually shows us how fashion professionals and media cover the problems of social issues that are affecting the fashion industry, and it may not be enough. Even the highest rate belongs to Coach, it is only 7%. This suggests that while the issue of ethical treatment of animals in fashion is being acknowledged, it may not be receiving the level of attention and consideration it deserves within the industry.
Image Source: Newsrdn
Image Source: Independent UK
In conclusion, SS24 Fashion Week showed an important shift in the fashion industry toward ethical and environmental practices. Visionaries such as Stella McCartney, Duran Lantink, Gabriela Hearst, and Eckhaus Latta have shown that conscious creation and innovation can live together. While the runway protests were powerful, they also revealed that there is more work to be done in raising awareness about the ethical treatment of animals in fashion. As consumers and creators, we have the ability to design a more compassionate and environmentally careful future.
Let us continue to push and support a fashion business that not only inspires but also leads with ethics. We can make a significant difference in the world of fashion and beyond if we work together!
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