london fashion week

Protests against the fashion industry at the end of London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week has officially come to an end with a bang. This bang wasn’t very nice for the fashion industry itself, though. Where political statements were made on the runway, statements against the industry were made next to the catwalk.

Protests against London Fashion Week

As London Fashion Week has come to an end, a group of about 200 protesters saw their chance to start a battle against the fashion industry. During Victoria Beckham’s show, protestors outside held banners stating “Fashion = Ecocide“, while stating how the fashion industry plays a pivotal role in climate change.

On top of this, at the last day of fashion week, a group of 200 protestors went a little further. As they covered themselves in (fake) blood, they claimed: “The fashion industry is killing our planet. Every year, every month, every week you abuse this earth, to produce clothes for profit and pleasure, not for need. You choose profit over plant, profit over people, profit over our future.

And that wasn’t all. They also claimed “Settled deep in the hypocricy of it all you blame us. You say it’s what the people demand, put the people can’t see the forest for the trees.

Watch the entire video below.

We can’t deny that overconsumption, unsustainably and unethically developed materials and clothes are disastrous for our planet. Instead of wanting more and more, we should carefully select items based on their origin and level of sustainability. The fashion industry has a pivotal role in educating their customers. By being more transparent, people can choose more deliberately and hopefully more wisely.

Fashion designers with a mission

There are some designers, though, who have a clear vision on how the fashion industry should look like. Take for example Ronald van der Kemp – a Dutch designer who solely uses leftover fabrics from other fashion houses. When – for example – Burberry purchases thousands of meters of fabrics for a new collection, most of it won’t be used. Van der Kemp buys these kinds of leftovers and uses them for his collections. This makes every RVDK piece unique and special. Read a full conversation with Ronald van der Kemp here.

Another (Dutch) example is Duran Lantink: a young fashion designer who solely uses “dead stock” for his collections. He collects old stock from designer labels to make new garments out of it. He truly hopes to change the fashion industry, since we can’t go on like this any longer. With his collections, he shows the mass consumption and the overproduction we face.

london fashion week
Creation of Duran Lantink (own photography)

Hopefully these initiatives will lead to a better future, full of sustainable fashion and a happy planet.

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In conversation with sustainable fashion designer Ronald van der Kemp

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