The Glossary
Condé Nast, global media company and publishing powerhouse, is responsible for bringing big ideas, innovation and unique storytelling to life through its many brands, including Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest and more. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Condé Nast leads the way in the movement for sustainable change within the fashion industry. Operating across 31 global markets, Condé Nast intends to utilize its wide-ranging influence to “raise awareness, contribute to the global debate and to point to solutions that ensure that our industry, readers and viewers are actively engaged in protecting our most precious resources” (“Sustainability Statement,” 2020, para. 5). Just last week, Condé Nast launched The Sustainable Fashion Glossary – “the authoritative global resource on sustainable fashion and the fashion industry’s role in the climate emergency” (“The Sustainable Fashion Glossary,” 2020, para. 3). Partnered with Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF), The Sustainable Fashion Glossary is a reference tool to help not only those within the fashion industry, but the consumer marketplace at large to understand a new era of fashion that has its focus on sustainability.
As we have discussed on “Is Green the New Black” before, the topic of sustainability is a far-reaching umbrella – it covers a wide variety of subjects. From the climate crisis to the social, cultural and economic impacts of fashion and the fashion industry, a move towards sustainability can be discussed in many different ways, and even further, in many different terms. This conversation can quickly become very confusing even for those who are well-versed in the topic. In my opinion, the Glossary is a groundbreaking and essential step forward in developing and streamlining sustainability literacy in the fashion industry. As stated in “How to use the Sustainable Fashion Glossary” (2020), “The Glossary sets out a common language with consistent definitions of key fashion and sustainability concepts, supported by fact-based explanations and references to provide further clarity” (para. 2). Building on that, the Glossary is broken down into easy-to-understand categories that are further explained by an introduction within which terms are separated alphabetically.
Illustration done for the Glossary by Condé Nast.
Nowadays, fashion media is flooded with debates surrounding sustainability. For a student like myself, the reason I find Condé Nast’s Glossary so essential is because it provides me a resource I can use when diving into this complex and uncharted territory. If I can better understand and comprehend the material I’m reading, I can better talk about it with you all. Then, you all can take that information and talk about it within your own community. Developing a common and well-understood language allows us to better educate, speak and disseminate the dire need for progress within the sustainability space. If you have a minute, explore the Glossary – it’s easy-to-use, clearly expressed and well-worth a thorough read. In fact, make it a bookmark so that you can refer back to it when you need it, that’s what I’ll be doing!
Bye for now,
McGee