Sustainable Fashion - A Case study - Part 2

 

Despite the fast fashion movement, some brands are working to hero sustainable fashion. Brands which are making the effort to use sustainable and ethically sourced materials, monitor and review manufacturing processes to ensure welfare at all stages of production, and adopt the values which they build their brand upon by making sustainable strides in all areas of operations. I was interested to learn about the challenges of starting up in the sustainable industry, how the industry can grow and what the future looks like. I reached out to an organisation I believed was a leader in the sustainable fashion industry of Australia.

I sat down (virtually) with Adam Luangkhot, Head of People and Culture at Boody back in July. Boody is an Australian brand which are making international strides in the sustainable fashion industry, with a focus on underwear and inner layers. Their brand is built not only on sustainability and giving back, but also on health and wellbeing, and diversity and inclusion.

Starting up 10 years ago, Adam expressed that the initial challenges Boody faced were centred around sourcing, and the education of wearing something as foreign as bamboo undies to the everyday person. Having to prove their manufacturers provide a quality level of welfare for employees and adhere to environmental standards during the production process is also an ongoing piece of the sustainability puzzle they're having to continue to evolve. They have been doing remarkably over the past 10 years educating and expanding into 15 countries; now, in May this year, Boody partnered with Dr Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute as an ambassador to Boody and the ‘Official Underwear of the Entire Planet’. I believe this campaign will be a game changer for Boody and the environment, as a new way to level up global education, perhaps even inspire more brands to adopt sustainable practices. Thinking back 10 years ago, and where I stood regarding sustainable fashion; it was not a term or ideal which I new or comprehended. The challenge, but persistence of that education is paying of as more people are making the shift.

In developing the sustainable fashion industry, Adam believes that communication around sustainability and ethical fashion needs to have better focus and be movement driven. There is a necessity to push more brands towards sustainability. I agree and believe this could be consumer driven by global communities demanding more from our industries, or brand driven from organisations choosing to act. Either way, our environment benefits. As a public relation student, I believe there is a lot which can be done to communicate benefits to consumers and Boody’s campaign with Dr Jane Goodall is a great example. A significant factor which can change people’s behaviour is seeing or knowing another person is changing theirs who they hold in high regard. This is how movements begin.

So, what does Boodys’ future look like? Adam explained that they are not solely focussed on products, but instead programs and initiatives. It’s easy enough to recycle clothing with the help of Boody, with the exception of underwear. They are looking into unique ways we can dispose of our old undies such as being fed to and broken down by mushrooms. To me, this is such an innovative idea, and I look forward to seeing how it progresses. This was just one of the examples Adam talked about during our discussion. It was clear to me that Boody really is upholding the commitment to all-round sustainability.

There is a lot to be learnt from Boody as an organisation, and their journey so far. They are working on many levels to improve the environment, educating people on sustainable fashion practices, and giving back to community.

There are many sustainable fashion brands out there and individual organisations will approach sustainable fashion in different ways, making it confusing to some. However, there are resources available to help people who want to start making more sustainable choices. It really does seem that sustainable fashion is hot topic this year.

In part 3 of this blog, I will discuss how sustainable fashion is not just about brands making ethical clothes, but also our habits and values as consumers. There are many ways everyday people can also make smarter choices to combat fast fashion.