Green = Black?
When I started writing this blog, I never really explained why I chose to make the title, “Is Green the New Black?” Honestly, I initially chose this particular title because I simply like it – I thought it was catchy and unique. I remember tossing around title ideas with my parents in January and when I came up with this title, I thought, “YES! That’s it – that’s the one.”
On top of simply liking “Is Green the New Black” as a title, I feel like it’s very fitting to discuss sustainability as “the new black” within the fashion industry. Whenever you hear something referred to as potentially “the new black,” that means, for some reason or another, it’s the new “it” thing – it has come into fashion, it’s a popular topic of conversation. Black is iconic. It’s timeless. For centuries, black has been a staple within fashion. When in doubt, wear black. If something can compete with the timeless popularity of black than it must be really powerful, big, groundbreaking, potentially enduring. The question is – will it sustain?
“Women think of all colors except the absence of colors. I have said that black has it all. ”
As you may have already figured out, the green in “Is Green the New Black” refers to sustainability; and hopefully you’ve discovered through the posts so far that sustainability encompasses much more than just the use of sustainable materials. Sustainability refers to the overall ethical and sustainable production and consumption of goods. Think supply-chain transparency. Think ethical treatment of workers. Think environmental effects of production. Think turnover and what happens when something is no longer “in style.” Think circular fashion. There is so much that falls under the umbrella of sustainability.
While sustainability has been a major topic of conversation within the fashion industry over the last couple of years in particular, the global situation with the coronavirus has brought to light the many implications of unethical and unsustainable production and consumption. It makes me wonder – could a potential silver-lining to the global pandemic be a forced reassessment and reconstruction of the fashion industry and consumer behaviors towards sustainability? And like black, will sustainability sustain?
Is, in fact, green the new black?
I guess we will see.
Bye for now,
McGee