We are 'Wearing our water supply', was one of the compelling statements presented at a recent Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) panel on sustainability as it relates to the fashion industry. It takes 7,600 litres of water to produce one pair of jeans.
Kimberly Guthrie, the associate chair/fashion professor, visiting from the home campus in Richmond, Virginia, and also the former interim chair of the Fashion Department at VCUarts Qatar, shared the startling statistics of the impact that clothing consumption has on the earth in her opening remarks at the session.
According to Guthrie, the fashion industry and consumers need to do a fundamental rethink “There are more than 80 billion items of clothing produced each year. How much do we need? How much does this take away from food production, water supplies?” She spoke of how “fast fashion” retailers are beginning to respond to the demand for a more responsible and sustainable model, and how they will continue to respond if consumers demand this.
VCUarts Qatar Fashion Design alumna Nalia al-Thani joined Guthrie as a guest speaker. Naila recently won the sustainability prize for her work “Seam Unseam” at the Designing Future Techstyle symposium and competition in Hong Kong.
As a young Qatari fashion designer, Naila spoke of her belief that Qatar’s youth will step up and become involved in helping the planet through their choices.
“Buying 'fast fashion' is a choice we don’t have to make, and young people here in Qatar will become aware, and will make the right decisions. Mass production happened only recently here. We have had a culture of slow fashion; it is more accepted, and there is a focus here on quality,” she said. Al-Thani added that once fast fashion goes out of style here, a more sustainable approach to fashion will re-emerge.
The talk ended with a lively question and answer session and a call to action for everyone to consider where the clothing they are buying is produced, how it was made and how long it will last. In other words, to ‘pause before they purchase.’
According to Guthrie, the fashion industry and consumers need to do a fundamental rethink “There are more than 80 billion items of clothing produced each year. How much do we need? How much does this take away from food production, water supplies?” She spoke of how “fast fashion” retailers are beginning to respond to the demand for a more responsible and sustainable model, and how they will continue to respond if consumers demand this.
VCUarts Qatar Fashion Design alumna Nalia al-Thani joined Guthrie as a guest speaker. Naila recently won the sustainability prize for her work “Seam Unseam” at the Designing Future Techstyle symposium and competition in Hong Kong.
As a young Qatari fashion designer, Naila spoke of her belief that Qatar’s youth will step up and become involved in helping the planet through their choices.
“Buying 'fast fashion' is a choice we don’t have to make, and young people here in Qatar will become aware, and will make the right decisions. Mass production happened only recently here. We have had a culture of slow fashion; it is more accepted, and there is a focus here on quality,” she said. Al-Thani added that once fast fashion goes out of style here, a more sustainable approach to fashion will re-emerge.
The talk ended with a lively question and answer session and a call to action for everyone to consider where the clothing they are buying is produced, how it was made and how long it will last. In other words, to ‘pause before they purchase.’
