All Talk and No Action? - New York Fashion Week

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This week, my Instagram feed was flooded with posts from New York Fashion Week 2022. For celebrities who are eager to seek out the latest trends and designers who want to showcase their creations, this semi-annual event was a highly anticipated one. Amidst this, I couldn't help but think about how designer pieces are often only worn once by a celebrity, in fear of being seen repeating their outfits. However, most designer brands are reportedly committing to reducing their carbon emissions. In 2020, fashion designer Gabriela Hearst held the first-ever Carbon Neutral Fashion Show during NYFW, which saw other renowned brands such as Gucci and Burberry joining in (Paton, 2021). Eco-conscious fashion is also increasingly being featured in the runways. So, what is the problem? 
Statement on a commitment to carbon neutrality on the official Gabriela Hearst website. 
Source: Gabrielahearst.com

While researching on issues of sustainability of NYFW, I came across this 'Executive Summary' by the Council of Fashion Designers America (CFDA) and Boston Consulting Group reviewing the environmental sustainability of the event and which provides guidelines for brands to follow. According to their analyses, NYFW contributes a significant amount (48,000 metric tonnes) of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. This was derived from their assumptions that 10,000 patrons had travelled by plane to get to this destination. Indeed, this is where the problem lies. The NYFW itself is an in-situ event that would not be the same were it held anywhere else. They also remarked that the pandemic resulted in a compromise between the economy (or profits) and the environment, where some designers could not meet the sustainability requirements due to budget constraints. Alongside this, they listed some measures they would take to ensure that businesses shift to more eco-friendly practices. 

However, I remain largely sceptical of their ability to corroborate the brands and enforce sustainable fashion practices. Firstly, the CFDA's calculations for carbon emissions were only taking into account air travel, and excluded other carbon-generating sources following the increased activity due to NYFW. Furthermore, this paper by Boykoff, et al. (2021) reviews the impacts of the fashion industry and reveals that the production processes themselves are the most problematic, especially when labour is outsourced to the Global South. For example, textile production requires a large amount of water (200 tons per 1 ton of cotton), and petrochemicals (microplastics) used pollute water bodies (Boykoff, et al. 2021). Transportation of these raw materials from the supplying countries to the Global North where demand is centred also contributes significantly to the carbon footprint. Thus, there are many aspects to tackle, and different designers have varying methods of producing their garments, so the corroboration and assurance of eco-conscious fashion would be an arduous task. Regardless, the issue of pollution from fashion is relatively under-addressed, and I feel that the NYFW is a good platform to begin raising awareness. 


Impact of garment manufacturing chain. 

References: 

Boykoff, M., Chandler, P., Church, P. and Osnes, B. (2021).Examining climate change and sustainable/fast fashion in the 21st century: ‘Trash the Runway’, Oxford Open Climate Change, Volume 1, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfclm/kgab003

Gabriela Hearst. (n.d.). Carbon Neutral Show. https://www.gabrielahearst.com/blogs/stories/carbon-neutral-show

Paton, E. (2021, November 17). Figuring Out Fashion Week’s Carbon Problem. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/fashion/figuring-out-fashion-weeks-carbon-problem.html

The Council of Fashion Designers America. (2020). Sustainability by Design: Rethinking New York Fashion Week. CFDA. https://s3.amazonaws.com/cfda.f.mrhenry.be/2020/10/Executive-SummaryFINAL-10.7.20.pdf

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