The fashion industry is one of the largest consumer industries in the world. Worth $1.3 trillion globally, employing more than 300 million people (mostly women) along its supply chains, and still grossly unregulated, it remains a leading industry in the use of exploited, forced and child labor and it is responsible for around four percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
As the climate crisis looms, there is a growing realization that fashion needs to work both to mitigate its negative environmental impact and to increase its operational resilience in the face of increasing climate risk. Operating according to business as usual is not an option. Fortunately there is a growing number of businesspeople, designers, garment workers, scientists, farmers, academics, policymakers, and consumer activists that are working in a variety of creative ways to reshape the current fashion system and ensure a just transition towards a sustainable fashion future.
The Impact Fashion club’s mission is to raise awareness about these solutions, inspire new thinking and provide students with opportunities to learn from and connect with leading industry experts and organizations. By intersecting fashion, sustainability and environmental justice through thought-provoking discussions and events, we aim to promote conversations that question and challenge the current system, and encourage active participation in reshaping of how we create and consume.