Last week was a sweet confirmation that UrbanMeisters is on the right path and is addressing the need of the hour – greener, healthier life and planet. On April 28th, our CEO & Founder, Mirela Orlovic, spoke at the Net Impact session of American University of Paris on Behind the Labels: Sustainability within the Fashion Industries.
The mission of Net Impact AUP is to inspire, educate, and equip individuals to use the power of business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world. To fulfill this mission, the University is committed to providing its members with an array of opportunities that will
- empower students to use their skills to positively impact their surroundings,
- help them put their beliefs into action through sustainability efforts, and
- enlarge their professional network with other like-minded individuals who have demonstrated their commitment to corporate social responsibility.
Sustainable fashion making a fashionable presence
Fashion is an omnipresent phenomenon and its impact on the environment can’t be ignored anymore. Even at the MetGala 2016, actress Emma Watson wore a dress made out of plastic. Every part of the dress was recycled and certain elements like zippers were made of sustainable materials. That’s not all. Watson said in her post, that MetGala was not going to be the outfit’s final outing, using the #30Wears hashtag « The trousers can be worn on their own, as can the bustier, the train can be used for a future red carpet look. (#30Wears hashtag coined by fashion activist Livia Firth, who challenges people buying new clothes to ask themselves « will I wear this 30 times? »).
Sustainable fashion in education
Just as the call for sustainability in fashion is becoming louder, it was heartening to know that educational institutions are up to date with this concern. The Student members and participants have an array of majors from Global Fashion Communications to International Sustainable Business Management. And with green concerns becoming mainstream, almost each stream had courses in green fashion. For example, for the MA in Global Fashion Communications, students take courses in ethical fashion; from cause-related marketing to sustainable consumption. They also take courses in NGO fashion and textile production for sustainable development. The MSc in International Management has a Sustainability track students can choose which focuses on sustainable business practices and sustainability management. Some were students in the International Sustainable Management graduate program.
Catch a short video here of the guest session
Our CEO explained why it’s important to go green in fashion – from use of sustainable materials to slow fashion. In many of our previous posts we have covered know fashion brands going green – from Armani saying no to fur here to G-Star Raw making jeans out of ocean trash here. We also explained in our in-depth article series here on how fashion impacts the environment and why we must ourselves go easy on buying more here.
To see the presentation, click here: http://www.slideshare.net/secret/IWC8lecC4x0ymu
It was an exciting session and we hope to see the students turn into eco-conscious green leaders making a change in the corporate world of fashion. Stay tuned on more green fashion trends till then.