Routledge Handbook of Sustainability and Fashion

Exploring the intersection of fashion and sustainable practices

Kate Fletcher editor Mathilda Tham editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:11th Oct '16

Should be back in stock very soon

This paperback is available in another edition too:

Routledge Handbook of Sustainability and Fashion cover

This handbook explores the intricate relationship between fashion and sustainability, addressing challenges and proposing innovative solutions for a more sustainable industry.

The clothing industry plays a crucial role in the global economy, employing 25 million people and significantly impacting livelihoods and community prosperity. It has been instrumental in promoting women's independence and establishing vital infrastructure in developing nations. However, this vibrant industry also has a darker side, contributing heavily to environmental degradation, with the ecological footprint of clothing being notably high compared to other products. This duality highlights the urgent need for sustainable practices within the fashion sector.

Routledge Handbook of Sustainability and Fashion delves into the complexities of merging fashion with sustainability. It examines the intricate relationship between fashion and sustainability across various levels, including products, processes, and overarching paradigms. The handbook adopts a multi-disciplinary approach, critically analyzing the challenges and proposing innovative solutions to pressing issues such as fashion's role in a post-growth society, the importance of diversity and equity, and the need for balance within natural, social, and economic systems.

This comprehensive resource serves as an invaluable tool for scholars and students in the social sciences, arts, and humanities who are passionate about the intersection of sustainability and fashion. By fostering a deeper understanding of these critical issues, the handbook encourages thoughtful dialogue and action towards a more sustainable future in the fashion industry.

'Containing the work of leading thinkers and activists, this Handbook is a much-needed volume, which broadens and deepens our understanding of the complexities of the conjoining of sustainability and fashion. A truly collaborative initiative, in its content and method it provides guidance, challenges, but also a positive way forward for sustainability and fashion to co-exist, despite what sometimes seem to be overwhelming odds.' –Hazel Clark, Parsons The New School for Design, USA

'Many books document, describe and perhaps even explain fashion. What this book adds is the desire to change it. No-one reading the extraordinarily diverse content is left with any doubt as to the complexity, but also the urgency, of that ambition. Starting with a movement from the study of systems to a concern with consequences.'–Daniel Miller, University College London, UK

'Fletcher and Tham have gathered together a stellar cast of academics, researchers, practitioners and activists who offer their perspectives on sustainability viewed through the lens of fashion. Through concise essays and case study snapshots the reader is challenged and guided to think more deeply about sustainability as a matter of personal, local and globally interconnected agency.'–Sandy Black, University of the Arts London, UK

'Fashion and sustainability can be hard to grasp due to its complexity. This seminal handbook offers a wide range of good suggestions and perspectives; from very hands on propositions to highly abstract theoretical inquiries, each and every chapter provide good examples for action and exploration of issues relevant for both scholars, students, and industry.'–Vibeke Riisberg, Kolding School of Design, Denmark

'Sustainable Fashion has in the past often seemed gestural, borrowing from the discourse of Sustainable Design to only ever slightly lessen a massive problem. This selection proves that Sustainable Fashion Design is now a conceptually mature field with much to teach other disciplines of design.'–Cameron Tonkinwise, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

'Throughout, this handbook strives to present an objective, future-oriented approach to sustainability in the fashion industry that takes into account the experiences of designers, manufacturers, the labor force, consumers, and the environment. This important and unique resource will appeal to a wide range of scholars, students, practitioners, and activists. Summing Up: Highly recommended.' - C. B. Cannon, Brand Library and Art Center, CHOICE April 2015

ISBN: 9781138232266

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 521g

324 pages