Elizabeth, Conscious Fashion Collective

“As the sustainable fashion movement grows, in many ways it’s becoming more difficult to navigate.”
Could you explain a little bit about why Conscious Fashion Collective chose to spotlight brands, creatives and ideas to promote circular, inclusive and conscious fashion?
For a bit of background, Conscious Fashion Collective was founded by Kaméa Chayne and I had worked for Conscious Fashion Collective for a little over a year before Kaméa handed off the platform to me so that she could focus on her other endeavors, such as Green Dreamer Podcast. Kameá had decided to use this platform as a way to spotlight other individuals and brands in this space, with a central focus on inclusivity.
At this point, it’s no secret that the fashion industry has a number of issues from ecological degradation and excessive waste to labour exploitation and systemic racism. The concept of sustainable conscious fashion aims to remedy the vast problems in the industry through ecologically sustainable and socially responsible practices.
It’s exciting to see this conscious fashion space grow so rapidly, particularly in the past couple of years. With so much happening so quickly, and with this space constantly evolving, there is a lot to learn — and so many to learn from.
The mission of Conscious Fashion Collective is to be a hub for individuals to discover brands, creatives, and ideas for a fashion industry that’s better for people and the planet. When people reach our Instagram page or directory, I want them to not only be informed but also excited about all the initiatives currently happening, ideas circulating, and thought-leaders offering valuable education.
This education piece is so important because, with the growth of the sustainable fashion/conscious fashion movements, there are numerous brands and organizations engaging in greenwashing.
In other words, as the sustainable fashion movement grows, in many ways it’s becoming more difficult to navigate. Individuals who genuinely care about sustainability may not always know how to get involved in a meaningful way, which is why Conscious Fashion Collective is dedicated to offering a trustworthy curation of organizations, ideas, and individuals that are working towards a more sustainable future for fashion. Conscious Fashion Collective’s approach is always evolving along with the progress of this industry, but currently, it focuses on circularity, inclusivity, and regeneration. I centred on these areas because, in my years of writing about ethical and eco-fashion on the website I founded, Conscious Life & Style, I found these concepts to be the most transformative, yet tangible (i.e. not vague or ambiguous) pathways for creating a more sustainable fashion industry.

“When shedding light on an issue, I think it is crucial to provide ways that people can take action.”
Image @consciousfashion
What are the best uses of social media to effect positive change in the future of fashion, rather than merely increasing awareness?
Sometimes, social media can get a bad reputation for promoting “slacktivism” (feeling like you’re getting involved with a movement or campaign while actually putting forth very little effort). When used effectively, though, social media can be a powerful tool for change in the fashion industry and in other areas.
One of the best examples is the recent #PayUp campaign from Remake which was launched when brands canceled billions of dollars worth of orders that were in process or already completed orders, leaving the most vulnerable in the supply chain behind. The nonprofit used social media as a tool to call out brands who were not paying up and encouraged others to speak out too. Remake’s #PayUp petition eventually garnered over a quarter of a million signatures and helped recoup at least $15 billion dollars for garment makers.
The key here was that while Remake certainly focused on awareness building, they didn’t stop there. Remake always provided specific calls to action for people to get involved.
This is also important for me with my posts on both of the accounts I run, @ConsciousFashion and @ConsciousStyle. When shedding light on an issue, I think it is crucial to provide ways that people can take action. If you leave people without action steps, you can risk leaving people discouraged or apathetic towards an issue.
These action steps can be easy and quick, medium and somewhat involved, or slightly more challenging and time-consuming.
Some simple steps may be signing a petition, following an organization/thought-leader, or checking out resources to learn more about the topic.
A few slightly more involved actions could include being mindful of what you purchase (or simply avoiding a purchase), making a lifestyle change/swap, or helping spread awareness on an issue online and offline.
More resource-intensive actions could include volunteering time with an organization, donating money to a cause, or engaging with corporate and political representatives.
How did you develop your social media style?
The @ConsciousFashion account is centered around education and inspiration so it was natural that the Instagram posts would feature a mix of text and images. While the text offers important educational information, the images celebrate the beauty and creativity of the conscious fashion individuals and organizations we are shining a light on.
These bite-sized text and image-based carousel posts are accessible ways for people to start learning about a project or a concept in an interesting way. What’s great about social media too is that the content can be interactive — people can comment their thoughts, share additional creatives or brands they love, and share the content with their friends to spark new conversations.
While writing long captions can promote engagement too, I have found that the text in the carousel graphics makes the post really easy to interact with and share out!