- Sustainable Fashion Champions
Sustainable fashion advocacy has seen well known people and recognisable personalities use their platforms for good, the greater side of social media. These are personalities who use their platforms to champion sustainable development and put their money where their mouth is. Many of these people are inspired by factors such as ethics, responsible consumption and using second-hand fashion to reduce the spread of fast fashion in influential spaces. This article will look at 5 influential champions, or celebrities as we like to call them, who understand that green is far more important than red.
These five personalities are responsible, mainly, for the awareness of sustainability in fashion. however, they’re also responsible for highlighting the benefits of choosing a more ethical lifestyle, advocating for workers’ rights and preserving the earth’s remaining resources.
1.Thabo Kopele
Thabo is a South African menswear designer with a strong minimalist aesthetic. Chosen as one of 2020s finalists for mens fashion week Thabo was already making a name for himself through his eponymous brand established in 2018, and more so with the younger generation. For most designers, aesthetics are prioritised over responsibility but not for Thabo. His designs are characterised by home grown fabrics, linen based and breathable. He also works with fabrics created from natural cotton around South Africa. This is a designer who is aware of his influence and with his brand born in the age of sustainable development, he understands that moving away from fast fashion is not an option but a necessity.
2. Greentea Peng (Aria Wells)
Greentea Peng is an amazing musician whose style jumps at you the moment you lay eyes on her. The tattoos on her body are one way to get anyone’s attention, including those on her face, but coupled with her unique style the look becomes complete. Her motivations for choosing slow and second-hand fashion come from an intentional move away from materialism. In an interview for Paper Sessions, she mentions that all her clothes are from charity shops not because she chose that path, but having learnt how materialism can cause anxiety by simply trying to fit in.
3. Emma Watson
It is widely known that Emma’s passion for sustainable fashion began with her concern for the fashion industry’s carbon impact. Through research and engagement she became even more involved with issues such as child labour and animal exploitation, with hopes to make a positive change. As a widely known personality, Emma decided to use her platform to bring awareness and change to these issues. One of her more widely documented forms of protest against exploitation and cruelty was through the “White Shirt Project” campaign. The aim of the project was aimed at fighting slavery and human trafficking across the world.
4. Masego Morgan
Masego is a sustainable fashion advocate, using second-hand clothing to bring awareness to the environmental and social crises caused by the fashion industry. It is also quite interesting to learn that her passion for conscious living was inspired by her parents who continue to inspire her choices today. Masego’s ability to use social media to share her ideas and African ways of tackling sustainability are the reasons she is one of the best champions for sustainable fashion. As Africans the time is now for us to contribute to the conversation and not just become observers anymore.
5. Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson, renowned actress, political activist and sustainable fashion designer. This woman is the whole package. She not only uses her platform to raise awareness for sustainable fashion, she has also co-founded a sustainable fashion brand called Voz. The brand represents the merging of different cultures and how those differences are building blocks to a sustainable future. Rosario is an example to her counterparts, proving that the more influence one has the better the inclination to make a positive impact in any shape or form.
