Black Friday in the age of conscious consumerism
As we approach the end of yet another manic Black Friday weekend, is it time we reevaluated this longstanding tradition of unnecessary spending and started striving to shop more consciously? Walking through London last November, weaving through the hordes of Christmas shoppers and Black Friday bargain hunters, I came across...
Current in Style
Opinion – Clothes should not be a legal issue in 2023
A new Wisconsin Bill marks a milestone for Indigenous students. But we should be questioning why legal intervention is necessary in the first place. Under new Assembly Bill 210, students in Wisconsin will now (legally) be allowed to wear tribal regalia – like beadwork and eagle feathers – to their...
Opinion – Consumers are becoming savvy to performative inclusivity
UK beauty brand Pink Honey has come under fire for a recent influencer trip. The backlash proves consumers won’t stand for vapid marketing. Brand controversies seem to be on the rise. Everywhere you look – particularly on social media – a company is facing ridicule for short-sighted campaigns or shallow marketing tactics. But...
New York’s cosmetology law is breaking beauty barriers
A new requirement – that students learn to style textured hair as part of their training – is signalling change for the global beauty industry. The beauty industry has always been somewhat of a minefield for the Black community, who often find themselves on the fringes of an ostensibly inclusive business. Despite...
Fashion giant Zara hit with boycott after poorly timed ad campaign
Millions of people have been boycotting brands that support the Israeli occupation of Gaza since the start of the bombardment more than two months ago. After posting a questionable ad campaign on its website, the latest brand to be hit with pushback is the fast fashion brand Zara. The Israeli...
Startup Sulapac develops microplastic-free packaging materials
Seeking to reduce our dependence on oil-based plastics, Sulapac is making bio-based packaging components using recycled and ‘side-streamed’ materials. It’s hoped to boost fashion’s circular economy. Anyone who is even slightly into skincare will be well aware that the environmental cost of beauty cosmetics is huge. Our buy, use, and bin...
Why are toxic chemicals still in our make-up and cosmetic products?
Along with ‘forever chemicals’ that will never break down in our natural environment, many beauty products still contain ingredients that disrupt our hormones and cause harm to our bodies over time. Which chemicals should we steer clear of and what is being done to make them disappear for good? You’d think that companies making products designed to be lathered, sprayed, and smeared on our bodies would make sure that their...
Fashion reseller Vestiaire Collective is dumping fast fashion
The luxury second-hand site has launched a striking campaign to announce they’re banning fast fashion giants Zara, Uniqlo, and H&M. Vestiaire Collective has been a solid advocate for the green-fashion market since its inception in 2009. At the time, it was one of the first online retailers that specialised solely in second-hand luxury brands, and today remains one of the biggest. Last week it announced it would be banning fast fashion giants...
Textile waste zombies visit fast fashion shops in the UK
The Or Foundation has teamed up with artist Jeremy Hutchison to create fast fashion zombies that haunt high-street clothing stores in the UK. The aim is to raise awareness about the environmental cost of the industry while demanding greater transparency from retailers. By now, most of us are well aware of the terrible environmental and social costs of fast fashion. The industry is one of the primary polluters of our planet’s...
Sophia Kianni launches ‘we wear oil’ campaign
Sophia Kianni is calling out fashion’s dependency on oil by educating others on production and manufacturing processes. Clothes are currently made from fossil fuel-derived synthetic fibres at an ‘absolutely horrific rate.’ With COP28 in full swing, phasing out fossil fuels to tackle skyrocketing greenhouse gas emissions is once again receiving mainstream attention. Transitioning away from coal, oil, and gas doesn’t appear to be happening any time soon, however. Rather than using the...
