Black Lives Matter: Why an understanding of "Intersectional Environmentalism" is vital in the fashion industry
By Camilla Rydzek
Reformation, the sustainable darling of the fashion industry, has been in the headlines recently following accusations from a former employee about the rampant racism which is present in the company. She also says she experienced racism directly from the Reformation founder and CEO Yael Aflalo. After profusely apologising publicly on social media with a post entitled “I’ve failed”, the CEO announced yesterday that she was resigning with immediate effect.
"Our mission is to bring sustainability to everyone, and part of sustainability is treating everyone equally," Aflalo continued. "I realized that I have failed all of you in that regard — especially the Black community. Unfortunately, the way we have practiced diversity in the past has been through a 'white gaze' that falls too close to ignorance. After asking and listening to our team members, especially those who identify as BIPOC — I see that now. I am so angry at myself for not seeing it sooner. As a company, we have not leveraged our platform, our voice, and our content to combat the racism and injustice that pervades our country, and that will change, starting now."
As a starting point, the now-former CEO outlined how Reformation will be adding new metrics and goals to its quarterly sustainability reports, reporting on diversity and inclusion in order to “put more emphasis on working with Black creators throughout the creative process.” These will be featured alongside their environmental targets which outline for example how much CO2, water and waste the brand has saved using their sustainable practices compared to conventional methods (in the first quarter of this year, Reformation has saved 42% of CO2, 48% of Waste and 72% of water).
Reformation is not the only brand that is re-defining how it is approaching sustainability in the face of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has rallied thousands across the world physically as well as digitally to raise awareness on police brutality, oppression and systemic racism. Yet, it’s exemplary of a larger awareness and shift that’s occurring in respect to sustainability and the environment. Environmental advocates in the US are making themselves heard, “asserting that the movement for a transition to a decarbonized economy cannot succeed until there are structural changes in society to redress centuries of systemic racism.”
In a Vogue feature last week Leah Thomas, a Black environmentalist and activist, reflects on the deep connection between climate change and social justice. “The systems of oppression that have led to the deaths of so many Black people were the same systems that perpetuated environmental injustice”, she wrote, going on to describe a new term in the environmental and climate change discussions– Intersectional Environmentalism. She describes this as “an inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet. It identifies the ways in which injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected. It brings injustices done to the most vulnerable communities, and the earth, to the forefront and does not minimize or silence social inequality.”
On Instagram Leah Thomas shared her vision and definition of Intersectional Environmentalism under the tag @greengirlleah, which has as of the writing of this article been re-posted dozens of times and counts 45.9k likes.
The fashion industry has a long history of racism, starting in its colonial exploitation of garment workers. In a recent Eco-Age article Ayesha Barenblat and Aditi Mayer argued the case that fashion brands are today’s colonial masters. “Looking at the history of commodities, and later manufacturing, for the fashion industry, it is clear to see that it is built on a core truth — the oppression of black and brown bodies based on an institutional form of racism inherited from a colonial past,” the authors write. Social Responsibility has long had the aim to improve the sweatshop like working conditions of garment workers in countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam, but also Los Angeles and Leicester in England. How far the industry has come is illustrated by the recent failure of brands to pay for their cancelled orders once the coronavirus pandemic was in full effect. “After decades of profiting from the labor of garment makers, they have turned their backs on these black and brown women when they need them most, leaving millions without severance, medical care, or food security,” write Barenblat and Mayer.
Systemic racism has also been reported in other facets of the industry - at catwalk shows where hair stylists are unable to style black hair or have the right skin-colour foundation. In fashion media, where Anna Wintour was recently is accused of failing her black employees at Vogue US, or when publications such as Elle Germany created a “back to black” themed issue with a white model on the cover, and additionally mis-identified the black models in its spotlight feature.
These are all issues that the fashion industry collectively and brands individually need to educate themselves on, reassess and build better. Clearly, the racist practices of the industry need to be tackled if fashion wants to make true progress towards its environmental and sustainability goals. While Reformation reactively re-assessed their sustainability reporting system, and clearly has a long way still to go, it is representative of a new wave of sustainability, one which understands the necessity of addressing inclusivity and diversity alongside environmental protection efforts.
Gucci has arguably also started on this journey, putting Intersectional Environmentalism in action. Since Alessandro Michelle took the helm as Creative Director at the luxury brand, Gucci has created clear sustainability goals which it unites under the vision of Equilibrium which was launched in 2018. In a new addition to the platform, the brand has created a scholarship program for young creatives of diverse backgrounds in the US. Called the Gucci North America Changemakers Scholarship program 2020 it will award 20 participants with up to $20,000 towards an undergraduate degree, as well as mentorship and virtual internship opportunities at the company. While the company’s diversity goals were re-focused after the balaclava blackface scandal, by creating a diversity driven initiative Gucci is actively contributing to the black community and other minorities, gibing them access to education and future positions in fashion companies which they may otherwise never have the opportunity to access. Arguably, this could also be a form of Intersectional Environmentalism.
As of yet, there is no clear way to define how Intersectional Environmentalism applies to the practice of fashion companies. The newly published Condé Nast Sustainable Fashion Glossary, which aims to define common terms and phrases in an effort to create a more uniform understanding across the industry, does not include the term Intersectional Environmentalism, which illustrates its limited exploration in the context of fashion. In the future however, hopefully our awareness of the term, and the importance of its implication for the fashion industry, will grow with discussions and continued pressure by the public.