THIS ARGUMENT SHOULD HAVE FALLEN OUT OF FASHION A DECADE AGO…
Whilst the climate is changing thick and fast, it’s a good time to ask, is the conversation on fashion keeping pace?
Credit: EarthFest 2026
Last week, as part of London Climate Week, we went to the "Future of Sustainable Fashion" conference held by EarthFest.
The first thing to say is how apt it was to be attending events as part of London Climate Week whilst being in the middle of such an insane heatwave. It felt so deeply alarming to be sat cool, in an air-conditioned room in central London talking about sustainability, whilst the world outside was literally melting. It’s becoming increasingly common for the climate to be smacking us in the face (sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally) and asking us to wake up, be that through heatwaves, storms, flooding, drought or other extreme weather events. So, whilst the climate is changing thick and fast, it’s a good time to ask, is the conversation on fashion keeping pace?
The EarthFest event was full of great speakers, engaged attendees and great ideas, but… after a full day of talks and networking, here are the things we took away from the day:
WE WERE INSPIRED, BUT…
There is inspiring work happening all over the sustainable fashion sector, and it’s valuable to all be in a room together, inspiring each other and sharing ideas. But, it has to be more than this. What struck me is that, despite all being in a room together, our work is way too siloed to be making the impact it should be.
2. GRASSROOTS WAS MISSING
It felt like there wasn’t quite enough focus on the consumer and grassroots organisations that are working from the bottom up, and we want to see more of this on the agendas of events like this in 2027. We had great speakers talking about so many things, but it felt the work at that level was almost missed from the agenda altogether.
If we’re talking about funding for sustainable fashion initiatives, we NEED to be talking about access to grants and partnerships as much as access to venture capital.
3. FASHION & POLICY AREN’T TALKING
Fashion just isn't on the UK policy agenda in any big way right now. It left me wondering what impact a joined-up, collective movement could have on regulation if we all sang from the same song sheet instead of 50 different ones.
4. CIRCULARITY AND UPCYCLING AREN’T ANYTHING NEW
There was a major focus on circularity and upcycling at this year's conference, which is great. But it’s important to remember, as we all were reminded, that communities in places like Kantamanto Market in Accra have been using these practices for decades to deal with ‘waste’ from the West.
What these organisations need now is the opportunity to scale their work and truly reap the benefits of the circular economies they've built.
5. WHAT DO WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY SUSTAINABLE?
The disparity in what people, even within our own industry, define as ‘sustainable’ is huge. We might all have noble goals, but how can we still have people sitting on a panel of industry leaders suggesting that “Shein and Zara, purchased new, can be sustainable if we just take care of them”?!
We are in a position so fuelled by overconsumption, that the very business models underpinning companies like Shein and Zara are fundamentally unsustainable.
For us, there is no argument otherwise. Yes, we all need clothes, and we should all have equal access to the self-expression and joy that these clothes can bring. But, with the advent of resale platforms and the strength of the UK charity shop sector, there has never been better access to sustainable, affordable clothing for everyone across the UK, without the need for new fast-fashion.
Our key takeaway (we can’t believe we’re still saying this in 2026)? To be consuming new products from fast-fashion giants must be recognised as a fundamentally unsustainable move, and everything else comes next.
Did you go to EarthFest this year? Let us know what you thought over on Instagram.
