On March 26, Professor Thomas Brownlees led the Sustainable Fashion workshop as part of the Sustainability Initiatives promoted by ISI Florence.
The ten attendees, which we affectionately dubbed the ‘Green Team’, were enthusiastic about discovering ways to be more sustainable when it comes to fashion. Professor Brownlees gave an overview of this multifaceted subject, delving into the intricacies of the fashion industry and highlighting key considerations for achieving sustainability. He discussed aspects ranging from the supply chain to transportation, garment lifespan, designers’ role, and textile choice.
Thomas also provided useful tips for us to be conscientious consumers including where to purchase clothing, factors to consider when making choices, and how to strike a balance between sustainability and practicality. His advice even extended to practical matters like clothing care, addressing issues such as washing frequency!
The workshop undoubtedly added value to the participating students, hopefully leaving them with much food for thought and a deeper insight into this complex issue.
We spoke with Abigail Trautner from the University of Connecticut who reflected on the workshop.
“Firstly, I found the workshop extremely engaging. Professor Brownlees was super knowledgeable on the topic of fashion sustainability and provided us with tons of insights into how companies and brands navigate creating products that will eventually need to be disposed of. For some reason, I hadn’t thought about the disposal side of production and capitalism. So often our attention is flooded with advertisements for things to buy and consume that hearing someone talk about getting rid of our belongings was refreshing! It was interesting to learn about companies that thought about the disposal side of their product and displayed their knowledge through customer engagement. In particular, it was cool to see a jean brand that left a message on the tag stating it was unnecessary to wash the pants. Those types of labels and tags are super important because they take sustainability measures to the forefront of consumers’ minds. Sure we should enjoy the products we are buying, but it is essential to think about where all our stuff will go once they have served their purposes.”
