Historical Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion

Succeeds in bringing together many of the themes and ideas around ethical fashion. (1st edition) -- Costume
I have really valued this book since it was first published. It is well-written and accessible, but most importantly, through giving the historical perspectives, it shows the antecedents of the issues plaguing fashion now. -- Alice Payne, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
The book is aimed at fashion students – its layout, photographs and pitch make it a successful academic text. It is a springboard from which they are invited to delve deeper into the subject. (1st edition) -- Hayley Mildren * Resource *
The ecological issues of the present day are pressing and we do not have all the answers. By looking to the lessons of history, fashion designers, manufacturers, consumers and resistors can each gain a deeper understanding of how we got to where we are today, and how we might use past practices as a departure point for radical change and as a sourcebook of inspirational methods to refresh present-day thinking. Through a clear structure, covering Materials and Process, Design and Manufacture, Reuse and Recycling, Labour Practices, and Treatment of Animals, the authors construct a usable past of origin stories and contemporary parallels in the production and consumption of clothing. The historical research sits alongside museum examples of surviving garments, while the contemporary debates engage with the latest arguments and the freshest responses to the urgent need to do fashion differently. By the close of the final chapter, which looks at fashion systems in the round, and encourages imaginative and speculative thinking, readers will be inspired to take up history's gauntlet and find new solutions to fashion's enduring problems. - Annebella Pollen, Professor of Visual and Material Culture, University of Brighton, UK