Sholto Harris Stuart

Today the world faces grave concerns surrounding the health of our planet and how we need to change our approach and give more respect to the biome we live in. We can do this by living more sustainable lives which entails moving forward in economic, social and environmental change with the future generations in mind, as without immediate change to the way we live our lives we will surpass a point of no return if global temperatures increase by 1.5 ̊ C. However, there is still a chance to have a positive outlook as steps have been set in place to create essential changes, The Sustainable Development Goals steps were formed by the cooperation of UN countries in which they have outlined 17 core Factors which need to be changed. These goals aim to be completed by 2030.

In the past the Fashion industry followed the idea of a linear economy, which is unsustainable. A pivotal idea to change the industry’s unsustainable supply chain is the idea of the circular economy. This concept aims to promote sustainability by reducing waste in consumption and production while maximising the use of resources. A visual representation of this cycle can be seen below.

In reference to a specific SDG goal which has relevance and impact on the fashion industry, to “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns” is relevant in current times due to population growth this is shown by a 400% increase of clothing being manufactured than 20 years ago, furthermore, due to the current trend of disposable fashion within the fast fashion concept which has been used by companies such as H&M, Zara etc. This push for more consumption is due to social media constantly displaying the latest high-demand trends. Causing such brands to produce a high volume of in-demand products. These fast changes in trends then leave a mass number of past products sitting or, in the case of consumption, People leave them lying dormant or may dispose of them. Due to the low-price they are paying they may not have much care for the product. For example, Zara can make the process from conceptual design to ready-to-wear on high street shelves in just 15 days. This gives an idea of how much leftover volume there is, which adds up to around 80 billion garments being produced annually.

To add to the impacts that the fashion world has within the production process it’s clear to see that there is a lack of ethical sustainability. Due to low working costs in Low-income Countries, corporations in this fast fashion world will produce in these countries low labour costs but within this production, it means all products must be shipped around the world which adds up air miles and therefore causes increased fossil fuel emissions which is greatly unsustainable. One of the few benefits that can be seen is the multiplier effect in these areas as more jobs are created which helps these places gain economic growth, only to a certain point though as parallel to this the workers are often in unethical environments largely due to chemicals used in the production of garments, which leaves workers susceptible to hazardous toxic fumes as well as the surrounding areas as this waste can be released into rivers affecting water sources and surrounding natural habitats.

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Grose, V. and Mansfield, N. (2023) Fashion Supply Chain Management: Integrating sustainability through the fashion supply chain. London: Routledge.

Gueye, S.G. (2021) The trends and trailblazers creating a circular economy for fashion, Circular Economy in the Fashion Industry. Available at: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/articles/the-trends-and-trailblazers-creating-a-circular-economy-for-fashion (Accessed: 08 October 2023).

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Mitterfellner, O. (2023) Luxury Fashion Brand Management: Unifying fashion with Sustainability. London: Routledge.

Sillanpää, M. and Ncibi, C. (2019) The circular economy: Case studies about the transition from the linear economy. London: Academic Press.

(S&D, D.B. (2023) The impact of textile production and waste on the environment (infographics): News: European parliament, The impact of textile production and waste on the environment (infographics) | News | European Parliament. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20201208STO93327/the-impact-of-textile-production-and-waste-on-the- environment-infographics (Accessed: 08 October 2023).

Maharishi

Maharishi is a brand with diverse influence, with a dual representation of both Western and Eastern cultures, stemming from the founder Hardy Blechman’s Eastern roots and his time growing up in England. The brand can stand out due to the Japanese style Yōkai drawings of mythical creatures often embroidered into pieces, often used with colours reflecting or opposing the material they are sewn upon.

 

Regarding material, Maharishi uses high-quality fabrics such as nylon and organic cotton. Therefore, some can be unsustainable, yet due to the constant blending of materials such as recycled polycotton, the brand can sustain the identity that they are moving forward with the planet in mind, which is essential today.

Due to this cultural influence, the brand’s shapes have a wide variety, allowing it to be more open to different styles and body types. For example, in terms of trousers, the brand has multiple shapes ranging from straight fit around the ankles to wide-leg snow pants, which can be adjusted as much as one could want. This is interesting because some of their pieces can be worn in multiple ways depending on your shoes, for example, and how you would like the trousers to fall over the shoe. Aside from the clothing, the aesthetic within the headquarters shop of Maharishi in Soho is a piece of art itself; the mezzanine style of floors allows for more space and, therefore, allows more to be visible and with a core view of military colours of khaki the store blends nicely together with the occasional pop of bright colours making it visually stimulating. The store itself has created a space that very accurately sets the stage for the clothing. 

Any Brand needs to be able to have recognisable features which Maharishi does through its embroidery and camouflage. However it also needs to get across its point with graphics and Typography, which it does by using simplistic bold font; this works well with its military theme as it wastes no time on getting information across. This simplistic font is necessary, though, as the brand stems from its pacifist military view, keeping the font relaxed and straightforward tones down what people could look at as aggressive. The pacifist Military use is one of the most interesting aspects of the brand as they use camo without the interest in the fighting of war, but from the idea that most modern-day pieces of clothing were made In war times, such as the first t-shirt made in the Spanish-American war. This reflection into the past and gratitude for it makes the brand so interesting as it gives an ode to the past and uses it to create a new future.