Abstract
This essay will review the idea of fashion (and by association textiles) sustainability to establish if it is a utopian ideal by looking at the triple bottom line in business relating to ‘people, profit, planet.’ To begin to answer this question, in the first instance, it is essential to define what sustainability is or is not in this clothing context. For the purpose of this discussion, sustainability will be explained in terms of its current principles relating to the social, economic and environmental consequences of our behavior as consumers. This essay seeks to explain the significance of the fashion and textiles sector and its importance in relation to our cultural and emotional connections to clothes. This will include historical and contemporary consumption patters (people), assessing the importance of the global industry driving macro and micro economics (profit), and outlining the physical impact the industry has, and is having, on the environment (planet).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Shaping Sustainable Fashion |
| Subtitle of host publication | Changing the Way We Make and Use Clothes |
| Editors | Alison Gwilt, Timo Rissanen |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Pages | 19-33 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781849712415 |
| Publication status | Published - 2011 |