Fashion Act Now, London Borough of Islington (2026)

06/09/2023

The regular ‘sustainability’ framework is failing to bring down CO2 emissions. ‘De-Fashion’ is a response to this urgent problem. Is there room on a finite planet for a Fashion system that produces ever more sacrifice zones for the sake of ever-larger profits? The answer is ‘no’.

De-Fashion calls for more than reductions in linear supply and production chains. It advocates for dismantling the Fashion system and replacing it with regenerative, local, fair and sufficient systems that meet the needs of communities. This is what ‘degrowth’ for the Fashion industry must look like.

How could you contribute to dismantling and replacing the industrial Fashion system? Only together can we create the change needed. Join us to do it together with others.

Fashion Act Now is proud to be contributing to Defashioning Education, an upcoming conference. Berlin & Hybrid. Provocations, learning papers, panel discussions, defashion films, workshops and more. Link in bio to register.

Slide 1: 2 images: Australian forest fires, 31 dec 2019, photo by Matthew Abbott, The New York Times; A ghanaian women models upcycled clothing by non-profit, The Revival. She stands on top of a mountain of fashion waste at a landfill. The Revival upcycle clothing waste from the global north that is sent to Kantamanto Market in Accra and run upcycling workshops. Much of the clothing gets sent to landfill as it can’t be sold, causing devastating pollution. An orange cross is superimposed atop the centre of the collage, and the words, “no more Fashion on a dead planet” are written atop that.

Slide 2: An image of Earth from the moon from Nasa, by Bill Anders with the text, “defashion to shift the paradigm” on top of it.

05/09/2023

The industrial Fashion system that began in the West fosters myths that serve its self-interest. For example, the myth of Western superiority is used to extend the long arm of the industry. ‘The globalisation of Fashion,’ is a case in point. It has been touted as proof of the ‘cultural development’ of Fashion adopters. Thus the industry crowds out the pluriverse of dress: the wonderful diversity of indigenous and local forms of dress that express specific histories, cultures and physical environments. A simple ratio appears to apply: when Fashion expands the pluriverse contracts. How can de-Fashion reverse this trend and encourage a renaissance of the pluriverse of dress?

Join us to help realise this ambition. Fashion Act Now is proud to be contributing to Defashioning Education, an upcoming conference. Berlin & Hybrid. Provocations, learning papers, panel discussions, de-Fashion films, workshops and more. Link in bio to register.

ID: Slide 1: “No more fashion mono-culture” is written over an orange cross and a series of photographs of men taken in Rotterdam on the same day. All are wearing almost the same outfit - a red anorak and straight down trousers. Image Credit: Hans Eijkelboom, People of the 21st Century, Rotterdam 2004.

ID: Slide 2: A collage of 4 photographs of people dressed in their local clothing traditions: Masai women from Kenya, Wang ZhiQiang via Wiki Commons; two girls in Ukrainian dress, Halyna Kuchmanych; A Kichma man from the Andes, photo by Sergio Carranza Basantes; Uli Panggabean, a Batak Weaver from North Sumatra, Indonesia. An orange heart is superimposed atop the centre of the collage, and the words, “Defashion to let the pluriverse thrive” are written atop that.

28/08/2023

The industrial, extractive, fossil-fuel and growth-based Fashion system produces sacrifice zones. These zones are predicated on a belief in cultural and racial superiority whereby the lives of ‘Others’ matter less. Only by recognizing and correcting systemic ethnic bias, and thereby eliminating the cultural sacrifice zones of fashion, can the Fashion industry achieve sustainability. Sustainability is not simply a matter of ecological footprint.

This kind of deep, radical fairness calls into question the future of the Fashion industry. How dependent is it on sacrifice zones? Can it continue to exist without them?

Join us to work on fashion systems that are decolonial. Fashion Act Now is proud to be contributing to the Defashioning Education conference, 15-16 September. Berlin & Hybrid. Provocations, learning papers, panel discussions, defashion films, workshops and more. Link in bio to register.

ID: Slide 1: 2 images. Left: Lakota children on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota wearing their indigenous dress. Right: The same children in their school photograph wearing school uniforms and the boys’ hair is cut. The US government sent Native American children to boarding schools to try to erase their traditional cultures and languages. They were given Anglicised names. The images are overwritten with an orange cross and the words, “No more cultural sacrifice zones”. Image Credit: Denver Museum of Nature & Science via Sapiens.org photo essay, by Chip Colwell and Lindsay Montgomery.

ID: Slide 2: “Defashion to decolonise fashion” is written on an orange swirl symbol.

15/06/2023

It is time to re-think the relationship between our clothing and the Fashion Industry. Clearly the latter no longer serves our needs. But coming to a better alternative means getting to the heart of what we want and need from our clothing. Activists, researchers, NGOs and others, are avidly trying to construct sustainable fashion systems, but indigenous cultural systems continue to be largely ignored. It’s time to shine a light on what they can offer to us — and why they need to be cherished — as we try to shape new alternatives.

Join us for a talk and discussion with Sandra Niessen, anthropologist and member of Fashion Act Now. Sandra, who was first to use the word ‘sacrifice zones’ in relation to the workings of the Fashion Industry, will share how her thinking has been shaped by many years working as an anthropologist in North Sumatra, Indonesia. In particular, it was the clothing system of the Batak people that revealed to her how the Fashion Industry makes us blind to many of its workings.
During this evening, we will tear off our Fashion-inspired blinkers and re-imagine a clothing culture that is fair and meets our needs, whilst staying within ecological boundaries.

Kairos, 1 Essex Street, London WC2R 3HY
Doors open at 6.30pm for drinks, talk and discussion starts at 7pm with a break for a one-pot vegan supper.
£5 members, £10 non-members. Includes food.

Click link in bio to book your place.

Slide 1: “The only way Fashion can separate from growth is to stop being Fashion” - Sandra Niessen, podcast episode 263.
Image - an orange swirl on top of a photograph by FotoFern of model Eliza Matiz at Paris Fashion Week.

slide 2: “Fashion is turning us (the consumer) into a sacrifice zone, it’s turning the cognitive aspects of other cultures into a sacrifice zone, so that we all become somehow entranced and begin to follow this strange mentality that’s associated with Fashion.” - Sandra Niessen episode 263. Background image - a copper mine Chuquicamata, Chile, photographed by Reinhard Jahn.

23/09/2022

Posted • Register via eventbrite - link in bio

Join Fashion Act Now tomorrow for a screening of the seminal new documentary .film about the use of animal skins - , , and more - in the industry.

After the screening, the Centre's co-founder will be in convo with about the issues raised and how we can challenge them.

Saturday, 24th at 6.30pm to 9pm.

Courtesy of

Posted • Is it acceptable to kill animals for fashion?

🌟Launching exclusively on WaterBear on September 8th, SLAY exposes the animal suffering behind the glitz and the glamor of the fashion industry.

🎥 Brought to you by by director Rebecca Cappelli () and Keegan Kuhn () award-winning co-director and producer of Cowspiracy and What the Health, this documentary uncovers an uncomfortable truth about the fashion industry, one that has been ignored for far too long. But, can we own up to it and stop this industry to harm the animals, the people and the planet?

👉 Subscribe for updates on www.slay.film and get ready for .film to launch exclusively on WaterBear on September 8th

22/07/2022

Introducing the Good Clothes, Fair Pay Campaign! EU Citizens, click the link in our bio to sign. Everyone else, please share with family and friends that live in the EU.

ID:
Slide one features an image of a person ironing a yellow shirt. The background is yellow and blue. On top of the background is black text that reads "Introducing... Good Clothes, Fair Pay. A campaign demanding living wage legislation in the global garment textile & footwear sector. Slide two is a white background with two individuals in the corner. Black text reads "Right now, the majority of textile and garment workers are not paid enough to meet their basic needs. A living wage is not a luxury, it is a fundamental human right." Slide three is a white and green background with a person protesting. Black text reads "We demand laws that protect the human right to fair pay. We want to see a living wage for the people who make our clothes around the world. The EU has the power to change this." Slide four is a white, blue and green background with two individuals in opposite corners. Black text reads "We need 1 million signatures from EU citizens to help us push for legislation that forces fashion companies to conduct living wage due diligence." Slide 5 is a white background with two individuals in the bottom right corner. Black text reads "For too long, fashion brands have promised to do the right thing. They haven't. We cannot wait for voluntary measures from individual brands. The industry needs to be regulated and held accountable." Slide 6 is a white and red background with black text reading "This legislation will require brands and retailers selling products in the EU to conduct due diligence on living wages across their global supply chains."

27/06/2022

Join us to discuss the importance of community on June 30th. Community, as a solution. Tune in at 10pm UK, 11pm Netherlands, 5pm New York to the 2022 State of Fashion Conference. Participation is free.

Images: Slide one: Uli, Slide two: Matiko by Veronica Pesantes, Slide three: Susan Dye

Slide one features an image of Uli moving through a field in a white shirt. Black text reads “Weaving is community. Design is ‘being together’. Weaving is ‘being together’. Weaving knowledge is ‘being together’. Where I live, community this is more important than material.” Slide two is an image of Matiko wearing a white cloth draped around her shoulders. Over the image is black text reading “We work with many single mothers, they work at home, so they can take care of their children and animals, and we meet here. This house Huarmi Maqui, is a refuge for them, it is like a municipality, where people are always coming in and out, it is a lot of work but for me this is a JOY, because this gives me the opportunity in my life to have peace and be in contact with my community.” Slide three is an image of Susan showing a range of dyed fabrics. Over the image in white text reads “As crafters we should be proud to “dig where we stand” and not be afraid to shout about our values and ideals. Without giving in to a pressure to conform to airbrushed social media archetypes, we can powerfully affect people who connect with what we make.” Slide four is an orange background with light purple text that reads “Community is the solution. Join us to discuss at The 2022 State of Fashion Conference. 30th, June, 5pm EST, 10pm BST. Link in bio to register.”

19/06/2022

Join us to listen to voices from the clothing pluriverse - the diverse local clothing traditions that are in-tune with the needs of people, cultures, and Planet. Tune in at 10pm UK, 11pm Netherlands, 5pm New York to the 2022 State of Fashion Conference on June 30th. Participation is free.

Image by: Devyn Leonor Briggs

ID:
Slide one is an image of multi-colored panels and patterns with orange text that reads “What is a pluriverse?” Slide two is a continuation of the multi-colored panels with a light purple background. On the light purple background is dark purple text that reads “In the world of the powerful there is room only for the big and their helpers. In the world we want, everybody ﬁts. The world we want is a world in which many worlds ﬁt. Fourth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle (1996)” Slide three is a light purple background with dark purple text that reads “The next big thing will be a lot of small things. Thomas Lommee.” There is a small purple symbol and below the symbol reads “In a clothing pluriverse, the monolithic Fashion system will have given way to a global diversity of local clothing systems. A diversity of concepts, practices, and views.” Slide four is a dark purple background with light purple text that reads “The globalized, monolithic Fashion system has eroded the sustainable and diverse clothing cultures that exist around the world. We must dismantle this growth-based Fashion system to the point that it is no longer dominant. In its place, a post-fashion pluriverse can flourish.” Slide five is a dark purple background with light purple text that reads “How do we nurture the clothing pluriverse? Join us to discuss at The 2022 State of Fashion Conference. 30th, June, 5pm EST, 10pm BST. Link in bio to register.”

10/06/2022

Join us to discuss Fashion and sacrifice zones at the 2022 State of Fashion Conference on June 30th! Our discussion will begin at 5pm EST/10pm BST, online at practicingsolidarity.nl. To cease creating sacrifice zones and to permit people to pursue their own lifestyles on their land, will involve respect and limiting the growth of industry and consumption.

ID:
Slide one is a tan background with a light pink X over it. In white font text reads “‘Fashion’ motivates and is motivated by growth, requiring ever-expanding cultural and environmental sacrifice zones.” Slide two is a tan background with white text reading “Sacrifice Zones: People, places, and cultures deemed disposable for the sake of growth. Fashion is a legacy of colonialism that creates, normalises and depends on sacrifice zones.” Below the text are two images. One of a building that collapsed with people surrounding it. The other is a dried up sea with two boats in the center. Slide three is a tan background with orange and white text that reads “Fashion utilizes the products from sacrifice zones. Examples are oil-based synthetic fibres and dyestuffs. It heavily depends on the oil industry for the extensive transportation of goods entailed in the production, marketing, and disposal of clothing.” Below the text are two images. One of piles of clothing. The other is of a river that has been stained red due to clothing waste.

03/05/2022

SAVE THE DATE

Fashion Act Now are incredibly excited to be one of the contributors of ‘WAYS OF CARING - PRACTICING SOLIDARITY’

International Fashion Conference
June 30 & July 1, 2022
Online + live in Arnhem, The Netherlands

Admission: free

Curious fashion professionals and creative practitioners are invited to develop a deeper knowledge on solidarity in the fashion industry - what is solidarity and how to apply it in your practice? Join the movement of creating a more solidary fashion system.

More information + sign up for updates: http://practicingsolidarity.nl

With workshops, demonstrations, lectures, discussions by Rio Ethical Fashion from Brazil, Fashion Revolution, the Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion, Ricarda Bigolin and Chantal Kirby from Australia, Bhaavya Goenka from India, Fashion Act Now, Amy Twigger Holroyd and the Research Collective for Decoloniality & Fashion, Anna Piroska Tóth, Louise Croff Blake, Caulfield-Sriklad, Ben Barry and Mila Burcikova & Monica Buchan amongst many others.

Organized by ArtEZ University of the Arts x State of Fashion
In collaboration with Fashion Revolution

25/04/2022

Last chance to register for our event on fashion and the commons. Link in bio to register.

Join us for Imagining Alternative Futures: can commoning help fashion?

Tuesday 26th April, 6pm BST, 1pm EST

Featuring Dave from One Army, commons expert, David Bollier and architect and urbanist, Ana Maria Duran Calisto. Moderated by

24/04/2022

What can fashion learn from indigenous, ancestral modes of resource management, agriculture and settlement?

In our upcoming talk, Ecuadorian architect, urbanist and researcher, Ana Maria Duran Calisto, who specialises in urbanisation in the amazon basin, will provide us with learnings we can apply to fashion.

We’re super excited about this talk. Are you coming? What questions do you have for Ana about architecture, fashion and the commons? Comment below.

Join Fashion Act Now, Dave from One Army, commons expert David Bollier and architect and urbanist, Ana Maria Duran Calisto to talk about fashion and the commons. Tuesday 26th April, 6pm BST, 1pm EST. Link in bio to register.

Fashion Act Now

06/09/2023

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