In this episode of But Why? A Design Podcast, Eugene and Stirling are joined by Emily Wills, designer, design educator and interdisciplinary researcher whose work explores the intersection of clothing, textiles, culture and sustainability.
Emily has spent more than two decades working across design practice and education, challenging many of the assumptions surrounding the clothing industry. Rather than viewing clothing through the lens of fashion, she advocates for a broader conversation about design responsibility, material value, human labour and environmental impact.
Together, we explore the provocative idea behind this episode’s title: Fashion Can’t Be Sustainable.
Emily believes that fashion depends on continual novelty and consumption, it cannot genuinely be sustained. Instead, she proposes we stop thinking about fashion altogether and start thinking about clothing as a responsible design discipline focused on longevity, repair, quality and genuine human need.
This episode touches on:
Why the word fashion has become incompatible with sustainability.
How trends and the pursuit of constant newness drive overconsumption.
The hidden environmental and social costs behind inexpensive clothing.
Why responsible clothing extends beyond environmental impacts to include fair labour and human wellbeing.
How the true value of clothing is disconnected from the price consumers pay.
Why quality, durability and longevity should replace quantity and convenience.
The challenges of recycled materials, microplastics and the complexity of choosing ‘better’ materials.
Why slowing consumption may ultimately be more important than improving recycling.
The role government policy, education and consumer behaviour can play in reshaping the future of clothing.
We hope you enjoy.
Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why?
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