Sharifa Jamaldin The concept of Degrowth needs to be applied to fashion design. And Degrowth needs to be applied to World Economics. But how?
The idea came into being in the 1970s as a counter to the endless growth of the economy. It was coined by Andre Gorz, a Austrian-French philosopher. It has since become a buzzword stemming out of the early 2000s. French Economist Serge Latouche is key spokperson for Degrowth. 350.org held a summit where a panel discussion introduced it to the participants.
The surprising thing about Degrowth, as the antithesis of capitalism’s idea of Growth, means we need a system change.
Degrowth is a paradigm shift.
Degrowth emphasizes shrinking or reducing, and focuses on well-being as the end goal rather than profit. Endless growth is not sustainable. The Economic model needs to take into account the limits of the planetary boundaries and the limits to resources.
Grow your own food; use empty houses rather than building new ones. In fashion, degrowth would eliminate the fast fashion model. Degrowth requires innovative ecological business models not yet imagine.
For individuals and fashion freaks, shopping new is a last resort.
Instead, share and borrow clothing. If necessary, shop vintage, shop compostable. Buy only five or less new garments a year. Take a stop shopping challenge for a month or a year.
Big brands need to slow down production.
Maybe even halt production depending on how destructive their operations are to the environment. Luxury fashion house have started to work with secondary vintage lines. Small brands and designers can create seasonless collections, produce locally, practice circular design, offer repair services and textile waste collection to encourage returns.
Making degrowth trendy will stir up solutions. For instance, visible mending is degrowth in action.
We can make Degrowth fashionable.
If you need to learn more about Degrowth, follow the links here below:
Sources:
https://degrowth.info/en/degrowth
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/what-is-degrowth-economics-climate-change/
https://www.fashionrevolution.org/degrowth-in-the-fashion-industry/
https://degrowth.info/
BOOK Suggestions:
Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World https://bookshop.org/a/5731/9781786091215
