http://www.greenmatters.com/news/2018/03/29/Z1yaU1T/adidas-yoga
The merging of sustainability and fashion is becoming an increasingly important topic for designers and people who care about the environment at all. The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry right after the oil industry, and it is something everyone participates directly in nearly every day. Fast fashion has created a cycle of waste, from the manufacturing to the disposal. Because of such fast paced trends, cheap clothes are being bought and thrown away within the year, creating incredible amounts of textile waste which not only takes up space in landfills, but releases toxic gases which harms the ozone layer. The manufacturing of many of these clothing items are harmful as well because synthetic fibers are made of plastic (oil) and require large amounts of energy. Even natural textiles like cotton are damaging due to the large amounts of water needed and the toxic dyes that are being dumped into natural waterways. However, all hope is not lost because designers and brands are working towards a greener fashion system by converting their materials to either being more sustainable or recycled. In this article, Adidas is collaborating with Parley Ocean Plastic to create a yoga line made from recycled ocean plastic. I think this is an incredible feat in terms of how a large brand is confronting the issue of waste, thereby making their customers more aware about certain effects their habits are having. This kind of innovation in fashion is needed because change must come fast. There are however flaws, in that the clothes, though recycled, are made of polyester (plastic). This is problematic because everytime the clothes are washed, they will release microfibers (little bits of plastic) into the ocean. However, this is still change and innovation. As designers, we must continue the thinking to advance to a place where clothing can be completely sustainable.
