There has been little cause for celebration in Downing Street this week. But on Wednesday night, the prime minister, accompanied by his wife, Carrie Johnson, and his children, hosted a champagne reception in honor of sustainable fashion.
Boris Johnson has pledged £80m in government funding for a structural change program that the British Fashion Council says can move UK industry towards a circular model.
Promising “the check is on the way,” Johnson spoke of London’s heritage as the birthplace of the suit, saying tailoring invented in the capital was used “by everyone from Mao Tse Tung to the men in gray suits who they showed up in my office the other day.” Johnson mentioned advances in fabric technologies, including mushroom leather, noting that he was reading “a wonderful book” about mushrooms. Carrie Johnson has raised the profile of clothing rental as a step towards sustainability, with high-profile hires including her wedding dress, her wardrobe for last year’s G7 summit and a Vampire’s Wife dress worn for last weekend’s Platinum Party at the Palace.
But as with other recent Downing Street parties, the legitimacy of this event was questioned. Attendees who questioned whether progress toward sustainability warranted a party included Orsola de Castro, co-founder of Fashion Revolution. “There is nothing to celebrate: we are facing a big problem and not enough is being done,” said de Castro, who called for a new model in which profits are reinvented in supply chain prosperity. “We will get nowhere until all brands commit to curbing overproduction and paying their workers properly. What I hope an event like this can do is honor practitioners of sustainability and perhaps show that this conversation is coming of age.” Designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi of independent brand Preen, which has pioneered the use of “dead” waste fabrics that are recycled into new collections, said small brands “try to do what they can” but “Real change requires legislation that holds big business to higher standards.”
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But Stephanie Phair, outgoing president of the British Fashion Council, struck a hopeful note. “Imagine a big city like Leeds reclaiming its heritage in this industry, but with reprocessing plants for reusing fabrics and clothing take-back centers on high streets,” she said. Justine Simons, London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, spoke of the continuing importance of London Fashion Week to the wider economy and culture. “There’s a real energy coming back after the pandemic, and it’s important that London has iconic moments that reinforce its position as a global capital.”
Source: www.theguardian.com