Greta Thunberg on the cover of Vogue: the journey to sustainable fashion

As in a new version of “Alice in Wonderland”, wrapped in an overcoat made from recycled coats and with nearby Stockholm forests in the background, Greta Thunberg, the 18-year-old Swedish environmental activist, poses for the first issue of the Scandinavian edition of the magazine Vogue.

The stillness and silence of the images collide with the violence and the tragedy that he seeks to represent in his words. “The fashion industry is a major contributor to the climate and ecological emergency, not to mention its impact on countless workers and communities who are being exploited around the world for some to take advantage of. fast mode», He published in his accounts Twitter and Instagram with the news of the publication.

Quick mode Yes greenwashing: Greta Thunberg’s claims to the fashion industry

the fast mode is a business model based on the production of fashionable clothes, strongly influenced by trends, which are designed and manufactured quickly and at low cost. If these characteristics give it a certain power of democratization by allowing consumers to find original clothes at affordable prices, from an environmentalist point of view (and why not a philosophical one), The overconsumption and transformation of clothing into disposable items, such as toilet paper and disposable containers, shows the flip side. According to the World Economic Forum, the equivalent of a garbage truck of clothes is burned or dumped in landfills every second.

Talking about sustainability in fashion therefore seems to be an oxymoron. How is it possible that an industry that encourages excessive consumption can act responsibly? According to Greta, “you cannot mass produce fashion or consume ‘sustainably’ with today’s world.” In fact, many of the proposals of the big fashion houses are part of the greenwashing or ecobleaching, a marketing strategy to present brands and goods under a green veil without any real change in the product and / or its effects. “Many give the impression that the fashion industry is starting to take responsibility, spending fantastic sums on campaigns in which it markets itself as “sustainable”, “ethical”, “green”, “climate neutral” and “fair”. “. But let’s be clear: it’s almost never anything other than greenwashing ‘, sostiene Thunberg.

Consumption indiscriminately

In a book published in 1999, the philosopher and sociologist Zygmunt Bauman defines the current period as “Liquid currency” since it is a time marked by volatility and a marked absence of fixed values ​​and certainties. In this logic, the act of consuming, of taking possession, becomes a way of controlling oneself and of feeling safe in a scenario dominated by uncertainty. Consumption acquires such relevance that, according to thinker Gilles Lipovetsky, we find ourselves in a society of “hyperconsumption” in which life is marketed down to its most intimate aspects: pleasure, desire, enjoyment, even love as argued. the philosopher Byung-Chul. Han in his book The agony of Eros, acquire the category of goods.

The addictive nature of the consumer’s reward system, in which it must increase over time to obtain the same benefits as at the beginning, further complicates this behavior. Along with the constant need for renewal which encourages the use of social media, Fast fashion is no more than the culmination of a dynamic where desire is canceled out due to the absence of postponement of pleasure, the natural result of the conjunction of a way of producing and a way of to acquire. And it is because of this that fashion can face a wide variety of dilemmas in the future, such as, for example, the excessive consumption of second-hand clothes, a market which, according to Fashion Revolution Argentina, will have a size bigger than the current fast fashion in 10 years.

The Scandinavian model

The news of the publication of Vogue Scandinavia adapts almost perfectly to the start of a new edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week. With the Nordic countries at the forefront of global sustainability, it’s no surprise that the imprint of both realities places this issue at the center of its proposal. Clothing made from reclaimed genres, low impact performances, timeless designs, an emphasis on craftsmanship and Fair trade flood the Danish catwalks. In fact, being a part of the event requires complying with a set of sustainability standards that include reducing the environmental impact of the collections through taking digital samples and increasing quality and durability. products, also promoting the design of clothing and accessories that lend themselves to circularity, minimizing waste and offering inclusive sizes.

On the other hand, the publication inaugurated its Instagram account with a post on its stance on sustainability. He specifies that due to their “deep love for nature and the environment”, they will only sell the bimonthly physical magazine on the Internet and in limited quantities.. Indeed, Greta Thunberg, international symbol of the environmental fight, on the cover of its first issue is a statement of principle in itself. As if the fantasy of “Once Upon a Time”, a recreation of Lewis Carroll’s universe through the eye of Annie Leibovitz published in 2003 in Vogue USA, met the political imprint of “Water & Oil”, a Vogue Italia oil spill production photographed in 2010 by Steven Meisel, the rawness of the Nordic nature serves as a backdrop to the activist’s message.

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