
From Holstee's blog : )
Last night, Dave joined a panel of amazing and inspirational champions of fashion and social change at the Be Social Change New York Meetup at Green Spaces.
The panel came together to discuss the question Can fashion be a catalyst for social change? And, if so, how can style and sustainable social impact merge to dictate a new future of fashion? This is a subject that is integral to the work that we do at Holstee, as we seek to create a more sustainable world through conscious design that makes a positive social impact. Here were some take aways of the goals in looking toward the future of fashion:
1. Raise awareness of what is happening in the fashion industry and where it is headed: We want to rethink why and how we are producing and work to create an environment of mindful consumerism. The goal is to use fashion as a tool to create awareness and social change. We want to create a conversation where our values extend from the aesthetics of fashion to the whole production circle and how our decisions contribute to the larger world around us.
2. Address the current efforts being made by brands: A significant number of big brands are showing more and more support for social change, which is an encouraging reflection on the shift in consumer demand for positive social impacts. The more authentically these efforts increase within the mainstream, the stronger it allows our impact to be.
3. Explain how people within the fashion industry are developing innovative ways to create sustainable impact: Accountability needs to increase on the production end throughout the fashion industry. The goal is to create awareness through education, dialogue, and visibility to the supply chain so that we are more conscious of our impact. The more this knowledge is conveyed to consumers, the more you can hold us (the producers) accountable. As designers our greatest challenge is to create products that enable people to consume less. We can do this by designing products that last longer, that can be "tuned up" and/or in other ways easily upcycled and reused.
4. Show how people’s responsible choices can create a positive impact: We vote with our money! Each decision that we make on an individual level has the ability to make an impact. It takes only one drop to cause a ripple in the ocean :)