We are used to more central or northern European perspectives on sustainability issues, especially when Fashion and Luxury are concerned. But sustainability is not just a matter of primary resources or eco-friendly design, it is also a matter of a product life-cycle and, last but not least, a matter of lifestyle, for each one of us.
I am happy to share, Aleksandra Maric’s point of view from the top of her role as Country Coordinator for Serbia, for Fashion Revolution: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/about/
The price we are paying VS
The price our planet is paying
Interview with Aleksandra Marić
Q: What comes to your mind when you think about the concept of sustainability?
To me sustainability is about thinking of the future generations, and in which state are we going to leave this planet, for them. We have immersed ourselves so deep into consumption, that we forget the cost our planet is paying for our preferences. All we are concerned about, is the price WE are paying. On the brighter note, each year we can see more people turning towards sustainability, when it comes to their purchasing and consumption patterns. It is simply important to continue talking about these issues, because you never know how that might change someone’s attitude. There is another way in which we can enjoy the world of luxury and fashion: and it can be a more responsible one. Sustainability to me, today, is all about changing our traditional behavioral patterns.
Q: You are an entrepreneur and a lecturer for different Fashion Academies around Europe: what do you think companies still lack, in terms of managing sustainability?
Knowledge! They do not know how their company unfortunately contributes to the CO2 emissions, pollution, depletion of resources…and consequently they do not know how to become more sustainable.
Sustainability is everyone’s favorite buzzword right now, and many companies use it without completely understanding what it encompasses. It should not just be an item on the yearly agenda: from now on, it should be of utmost importance. We all know, by now, how polluting the fashion industry is, and how many clothing items are discarded each year. The industry we all love, produces 10% of all humankind's carbon emissions: it destroys our oceans and ecosystems with microplastics, and it is the second-largest consumer of the world's water supply.
When the numbers start to scare us, which they already are, we really need to admit how much of our attention was going solely towards generating profit, creating new trends and shortening the life cycle of clothes.
We will have to redefine the entire raison d'être of selling clothes and fashion design. Our value chains need to be organized in such a way that nobody, no creature and no part of our nature, has to suffer. As someone who teaches management in fashion, I comprehend how much change some business systems will have to endure to become sustainable, but I still insist that, they need to make new steps in that direction, each year. Maybe it should become mandatory, for companies, to introduce a new role – Chief Sustainability Officer.
Different countries deal with different sets of issues and problems concerning sustainability, in their own fashion industries. Through our local activities we touch on all the global issues Fashion Revolution is trying to battle. But we have different problems to deal with, compared to countries such as Bangladesh, or the US or France. We are working on identifying our own issues and trying to tackle them, in the most efficient way possible. It would be confusing, to say the least, if I was to push the issues that the people from my country do not relate to, while ignoring the ones that are important to them.
Many people in Serbia do not have the money to go and buy new clothes, while the rest of us are still discarding a lot of clothes that could make someone very happy. My mission is to try to solve this problem and decrease this gap.
Some solutions I have in mind, would actually be a great way of prolonging the life-cycle of clothes and promoting the circular economy on a state-level. If we manage to do this, even partly, no other issue will be as prevalent, when it comes to fashion sustainability.
Q: You have been a testimonial for Nike, awarding your commitment towards a more sustainable fashion industry: can you tell us more about this experience?
Nike has decided to move towards a zero-waste future and to implement various sustainability programs in the next years. I applaud these efforts because now, many other companies will follow their example. As the second largest fashion company in the world, they hold a big responsibility to dictate what the right way of doing business is. They have approached me, to ask me to develop a project which will promote sustainability and the zero-waste concept. We decided to create a new capsule collection of reinvented Nike models, made solely from parts of their previous collections. I have involved our fashion design students from „Accademia del Lusso” to come up with innovative new creations and the results were amazing. This just shows how much can be done, to improve the circular economy in the fashion industry and that the results can be a very pleasant surprise. Also, it is important to include fresh talents and to hear their perspective about what our future collections should look like. Their vision is completely “untainted“, and they are not afraid to challenge everything we have known, fashion to be, so far.
Q: You are the Country Coordinator in Serbia for Fashion Revolution: what are the main differences in terms of approach to sustainability in different countries?
Q: Special projects or Plans for the future?
Honestly, I have so many ideas and such little time to carry them all out. My biggest focus, right now, is the fashion & luxury consultancy agency I founded four years ago. People are starting to realize, how powerful and serious, the fashion industry actually is.
On one hand they see the potential in being a part of it, and on the other hand the more mature players are realizing that they need competent help, when it comes to managing their brands. In both cases we are here to help them. I am also working on a brand new online course, which will help anyone, who wants to start their own fashion brand.
A lot of things will change when it comes to education, many new opportunities are emerging in the online sphere. Apart from this, I have a team of really amazing people with whom I am working on various sustainability projects, including potential cooperation between us and other countries in the EU. When it comes to future plans and outlooks, I believe our own attitudes can surpass any external circumstances: I am excited about all the great things the future will bring!
Learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandramaric/