Washing Our Hands of It: Greenwashing Global Fast Fashion
September 10, 2020, – September 14, 2020
Online
free
Greenwashing–an increasingly popular form of marketing that aims to deceive consumers into believing that a particular product or service is environmentally friendly. Many of these greenwashing practices are commonly seen in the fashion and garment industry, as fast fashion brands like Zara and H&M use symbols, imageries, and colours to communicate to their customers that they are ecologically mindful. They create the appearance of being part of the solution, without addressing that they are in fact the root of the problem.
Behind this harmful PR tactic is a toxic, exploitive, and devastating reality that emits more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire global airline industry combined, jeopardizes the health and safety of international workers, and feeds into a destructive global capitalist economy.
This unique digital exhibition takes a deeper look into the detrimental costs of the fast fashion industry, in particular, how it negatively impacts the livelihoods of workers in the global south, harms the environment, and perpetuates particular narratives about how consumers ought to look and behave.
With a guided video tour from Aynouk Tan, a journalist, curator, and art director who observes fashion from an anthropological point of view, this exhibition will take you through an assortment of short films from our 2020 programme that speak to issues regarding labour exploitation, waste, and representation. Along the way, it will dive into a critique of certain practices like clothing donations and upcycling, and discuss potential strategies for how to collectively ensure that fashion retains its status as an important means of expression, without taking a devastating toll on humans and the environment.