The commitment for a sustainable approach to fashion is starting to be more resonant. Indeed, an interactive exhibition has been presented in Milan, organized by Mani Tese ONG Onlus Association, in partnership with Ass. of labour policies, trade, fashion and design of the Municipality of Milan Cristina Tajani and financed by the Italian Agency of Development Cooperation. The goal of this initiative was to inform the public about the impact of the Fast Fashion system from social, cultural and environmental perspectives.
Concerning this important exhibition, Director of Association Barbara Cerizza has stated:
“Mani Tese has always understood that the injustices endured by the so-called peripheries of the world are caused by an unfair social and economic global system that we all keep nourishing and that we all can change. The installation we open to the public today is contextualized in this scenario”.
The exhibition was developed around three installations located in Piazza XXIV Maggio, where visitors took an interactive and multimedia path, exploring different social, cultural and environmental contexts where Fast Fashion had a negative impact on.
The first path was about the textile industries and the noxious effect that this system is having on the environment. The exhibition explained how to make a pair of jeans typically requires 3,800 liters of water, 12 m2 of space and 18,3 kw/h of electricity. It is a huge waste of resources if one thinks about the fact that approximately three and half billion of jeans are produced each year.
The second path was concerned on social sustainability, making a point on the exploitation of child labour in textile industries. An augmented reality video showed how a life of a child should be, and how it actually is in many places of the world.
The last installation was more interactive; the public could follow the journey of two pieces of clothing, a hat and a pair of shoes, from cotton fields to the shelves where they are exhibited and then sold. It was a comparison between an ethic industry and a non-sustainable one. Furthermore, visitors had the chance to use the Good news- Si può fare platform to see the successes of many industries which made of sustainability their motto. Finally, the public could also send an email to their favourite brands to ask them for a more sustainable approach.
At the end of the exhibition, visitors received a brochure with further information and
advice on how to buy more consciously.
words Ludovica Mucci