Okay, I don’t want to start a debate over why you should read Vogue before Newsweek, I just want to point out the enormous global influence fashion has everyday, and how designers do use that power for good.
One case where the fashion industry brought major attention to an important global issue was last summer when designer Anya Hindmarch (http://www.anyaabout_us/)
released her wildly successful “I’m not a plastic bag.”
When the first version of the tote sold out in London (in two hours), Hindmarch talked to the bloggers at bagsnob.com to explain her philosophy for creating the eco-friendly accessory. She told bagsnob that the project began two years earlier when she was approached by the operator of We Are What We Do (http://www.wearewhatwedo.org/), describing the site as "a fantastic movement who try to inspire people to use their everyday actions to change the world." Of the operator, Hindmarch says, "he is very much of the belief that if everyone makes a small change and does their bit it can actually amount to making a big difference. I just loved the simplicity of that and I agree with it.”
Well, Hindmarch may have been attracted to the simplicity of the bag, but for shoppers everywhere, getting your hands on the canvas tote was anything but simple. After being photographed on the arm of many celebrities, the stock of 3,000 bags sold out at Whole Foods in New York City in just 29 minutes (Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXaLdRdMK-M). The bag had to be banned in China after several women in Hong Kong were injured after being trampled while trying to buy it.
Even with it’s worldwide popularity, some fashion commentators questioned the bag’s appeal. But really, should we question why people want to be fashionable and save the world at the same time, especially when the bag retails for just $15?
So now the question is, how big an impact did the “I’m not a plastic bag” frenzy really have on the condition of the environment? According to thegothamist.com(http://www.thegothamist.com/), “over 380 billion plastic bags are consumed in the U.S. each year, they take about 500 years to degrade and less than 1% reuse them.”
Hindmarch puts the practicality of her tote into perspective, telling bagsnob.com, “I refused nine plastic bags as I could put things directly into my cotton one - and that’s amazing. If it makes people rethink their behavior and perhaps makes the supermarkets rethink their solutions then it’s achieved something as far as I’m concerned."
New this season, Dog Eared has a great selection of canvas totes on their website: http://www.dogeared.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGYMINI&Category_Code=shopping-bags
When the first version of the tote sold out in London (in two hours), Hindmarch talked to the bloggers at bagsnob.com to explain her philosophy for creating the eco-friendly accessory. She told bagsnob that the project began two years earlier when she was approached by the operator of We Are What We Do (http://www.wearewhatwedo.org/), describing the site as "a fantastic movement who try to inspire people to use their everyday actions to change the world." Of the operator, Hindmarch says, "he is very much of the belief that if everyone makes a small change and does their bit it can actually amount to making a big difference. I just loved the simplicity of that and I agree with it.”
Well, Hindmarch may have been attracted to the simplicity of the bag, but for shoppers everywhere, getting your hands on the canvas tote was anything but simple. After being photographed on the arm of many celebrities, the stock of 3,000 bags sold out at Whole Foods in New York City in just 29 minutes (Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXaLdRdMK-M). The bag had to be banned in China after several women in Hong Kong were injured after being trampled while trying to buy it.
Even with it’s worldwide popularity, some fashion commentators questioned the bag’s appeal. But really, should we question why people want to be fashionable and save the world at the same time, especially when the bag retails for just $15?
So now the question is, how big an impact did the “I’m not a plastic bag” frenzy really have on the condition of the environment? According to thegothamist.com(http://www.thegothamist.com/), “over 380 billion plastic bags are consumed in the U.S. each year, they take about 500 years to degrade and less than 1% reuse them.”
Hindmarch puts the practicality of her tote into perspective, telling bagsnob.com, “I refused nine plastic bags as I could put things directly into my cotton one - and that’s amazing. If it makes people rethink their behavior and perhaps makes the supermarkets rethink their solutions then it’s achieved something as far as I’m concerned."
New this season, Dog Eared has a great selection of canvas totes on their website: http://www.dogeared.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGYMINI&Category_Code=shopping-bags
3 comments:
So cool that fashion cares about the enviroment and our society as well...They are an industry as well and should care about CSR in regard to their customers well being and others around the world
Great post. I love how you incorporate fashion into the world of CSR. I work for Lululemon Athletica, a Canadian yoga clothing company. Our bags are sustainable, so I definitely support the "anti-plastic bag" movement. And if they're fashionably in check, that just makes them more likely to sell, and more likely to do good.
Good subject for looking at CSR. Nice job of explaining the fashion world's involvement. Try to reduce some of the extraneous wording and get rid of some of the "to be" verbs (like "is") and replace those with strong active verbs. Good links here.
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