Lucie Brigham’s Post

🌍 Empowering Ambition through Collaboration 🌟 We are incredibly proud of our forward-thinking MA student, Prakriti Choubey, who embodies the spirit of innovation at London College of Fashion. As part of the Next Gen Manifesto group, she advocates for a unified, global approach to reshaping the fashion industry. In her own words: “Our collective represents an interdisciplinary and global understanding of the industry, from supply chains to material innovations and public communication.” Together, we're transforming ambitions into meaningful actions. Join the conversation and explore her insights in this feature on Just Style: https://ow.ly/w9vl50PX9rz

We have to support researchers, especially those like Katia Dayan Vladimirova, who are working on important topics such as post-growth fashion. Addressing the sufficiency of clothing production and consumption is the most effective action to reduce the carbon footprint of fashion, but if we can't prove it through continued meaningful research then there will be no motivation for the industry to change. "It is not the materials that are unsustainable; it’s the volumes. Efficiency gains are simply not going to get us where we need to go on time. We need sufficiency and we need to figure out SOON how to reduce material throughput of the fashion system. This inquiry cuts deep into the very fabric of capitalism and challenges the status quo. Figuring out how to implement sufficiency into policy and business is a difficult exercise for sure which is bound to produce results that will be inconvenient for the current fashion system." Worth a read!

Students of Fashion Marketing or Textile Production you may want to take advantage of this free webinar this hosted by the UN and dedicated to sustainable fashion communication.

PARIS FASHION WEEK: Y25 “Why are clothes still being stitched when we have the potential to explore so many other techniques?” asked Van Beirendonck. “This project is all about innovation, research, and pushing the conventions of fashion. ---------- There is a reason to disagree Van Beirendonck.. Threads are 1/1000th in Garments materials, but still without which you don't have Garments... Stitching doesn't stays with Thread alone, and replacing it with Other Techs is not an advancement ! but an Erosion of "Art".. Behind this Art there is the Global "workforces" Employed !! & Industries producing materials for "stitch works".. Fashion advancements shouldn't be mere "Radical Thinking" to "suppress the progress of survivals" .. Modernity shouldn't punish sustainability in other words, that's how i feel...

As degrowth and sufficiency are emerging as the way forward to support a sustainable transition, the implications for business are profound. Among highly polluting industries, the fashion sector has been driven by a highly unsustainable paradigm and must be radically transformed. But is it possible for a fashion company to adopt a sufficiency orientation while sustaining itself financially? In a market that fuels overconsumption and continual growth, how can a “less but better” approach endure? And how can this philosophy be operationalised in practice? These are questions I have sought to explore as part of my master's thesis on sufficiency and profitability in fashion. Through a study of seven sufficiency-oriented French fashion SMEs, I have investigated how these companies reconcile their commitment to sufficiency with their imperative for financial sustainability. I investigated how they have designed their business models, the ways in which they approach profit and growth, and what challenges and contradictions they face. The insights from my research hold relevance not just for the academic world and future research, but also provide insights for both existing and aspiring practitioners who seek to foster sufficiency in business. Conducting this research project has been such an exciting and rewarding journey. Although it feels like a drop in the ocean, it nonetheless represents a contribution to a cause I feel passionate about: building a fairer, more sustainable fashion industry. As such, writing this master's thesis has meant a great deal to me. I would like to thank The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) - Lund University for its supportive environment, as well as my supervisor, Oksana Mont, for her guidance and inspiration. I also feel extremely grateful to the companies who have taken part in my research and took the time to share, with great honesty, their perspectives, their learnings, and the numerous challenges they encounter. Engaging in such conversations has been incredibly inspiring but also very humbling, exposing me to the difficulties faced by businesses that promote alternatives to fast fashion. However, this heightened awareness has only reinforced my ambition to play a part. Looking ahead, I aspire to contribute further and aim to pursue a career within the fashion sector.

I spoke at the Columbia University Winter Symposium and two big things happened. 1. Most importantly, I learned. I was there to speak, but had the opportunity to listen, connect, and grow with the most incredible teachers, students, and advocates like Frank J. Oswald, David Grad, Jesse Scinto 2. I worked so hard to provide value to students and other participants, sharing: - that we can be both activists AND advocates -that fashion is one of THE most important industries to modernize as one of the commonalities across the globe is that every single person wears clothes (feel free to try and challenge that) - that learning and understanding frameworks are the best way to most effectively create solutions And even if one person left with a better understanding or a wider perspective of the industry and how they can participate, then it was totally worth it 💫 For the conference, Courageous Impact: Strategic Communication in a Changing World, I presented a workshop on Communicating Fashion Sustainability. I broke it out into four sections. 👥 Industry stakeholders and responsibilities - spoiler alert, there are more than we think. 👗 Garment lifecycle - expectations of how quickly clothes are being made vs. the reality of how that’s actually happening. 📝 Communicating Fashion Sustainability- from Burberry to Patagonia, Ganni, and more; case studies and strategies of what’s surprisingly worked, what unsurprisingly not worked, and what’s been swept under the rug. ⏰ What now - no presentation should ever end without tangible, tactical takeaways. Happy to send some pages from the deck if interested!

A great summary of the IMPACT+ Network, thanks texfash.com #environmentalimpact #sustainablefashion

‘Like most problems, things won’t change without collective action. So, how do we hold both our love for fashion and the need to drive change in the fashion industry?’ Michelle Gabriel A couple of weeks ago I posted about ‘what it means to be a citizen’. In my post, I tagged my friend Michelle Gabriel because she continually advocates for collective action and how our involvement can drive change. In her recent op-ed for Teen Vogue, she shares her ideas on how those attending fashion school can integrate sustainability into their education. From adding sustainability-focused courses to building a coalition of like-minded students, you have the agency to be an active participant in driving 'meaningful change in the fashion industry.' I thought sharing her article would help a couple of early professionals in my community know that 'Your love of fashion is a powerful tool for creating new shared futures, and your voice is crucial to creating a fashion education system that makes sustainable change possible.' I'd love to hear from senior leaders in the fashion industry, please share your thoughts and ideas about how you have integrated sustainability into your current role. Please share below 👇 https://lnkd.in/eBapTbW5 #CollectiveAction #Sustainability #Fashion #CitizensOfFashion #CitizensOfTheWorld #Education

It was very enlightening to have this case as part of our recent focus program at IESE last month. How important it is to have sustainability as part of your core values, so you can prioritise it above profit in the short term, only key to a successful industrial transformation

It was a great pleasure to participate in a panel discussion on sustainability in fashion with Omar Mansoor Olivia Pinnock and Shama Kun (instagram culturally_yours) organised by the Journalism department at the London Metropolitan University. It is clear that the growing prominence of sustainability discourse is reshaping the profession of fashion journalism, necessitating a broadening of skill sets and knowledge. Previously, aesthetic judgement was considered the most valuable skill for fashion journalists. In today's media landscape, journalists are expected to possess expertise across various disciplines, including consumption, policy, and environmental studies, as well as political economy. This breadth of knowledge is essential for comprehending the complexities of sustainability in fashion and for verifying sustainability claims made by companies regarding their supply chains, production processes, and emission reduction efforts. Moreover, it is crucial in avoiding being seduced by the gorgeous simplicity of accusations labelling fashion as the worst polluter without supporting evidence with reliable, clearly quantified data. Such attention-grabbing statements detract from focusing on precise problems and hinder efforts to address them, thereby contributing to the growth of anxiety rather than fostering a desire to participate in changing fashion. https://lnkd.in/ewiXbZ3j