The Business of Fashion
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LONDON, United Kingdom — "There's something about this moment that feels like a reckoning… [a] much needed transition from fashion conscious to conscious fashion," declared award-winning actor, writer, producer, rapper and activist Riz Ahmed in the latest episode of the BoF Podcast.
This global humanitarian crisis is “causing us to think about the way we live, the inequalities and the failings of our society,” he told BoF Editor-in-Chief Imran Amed, adding that the global pandemic is both a “terrifying and awful” human tragedy, but also an opportunity for the world to reflect on the way it operates — particularly the fashion industry’s consumption problem.
As some of fashion's biggest names mobilise to limit the spread of the virus, donating to relief funds, producing hand sanitiser and manufacturing surgical masks, Ahmed reflects on a post Covid-19 climate, adding that designers and the industry at large should also reconsider the cadence of their collections, which contribute to 114 billion clothing items produced every year.
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The world won't ever fully go back to the way it was... I think this is a watershed moment.
“This is unsustainable. I think we were driving off a cliff with our eyes closed,” he said. “The world won’t ever fully go back to the way it was. I like to think we’ll move forwards, but I think this is a watershed moment… in the same way the financial crash was.”
Ahmed predicts that, during this time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, conversations that were rippling below the surface, like sustainability, will be accelerated.
“I’m wondering what that new world looks like. I’m wondering how we’ll play a part in shaping that new world,” Ahmed said.
Tune in to this episode of the BoF Podcast to find out why the rapper, actor and activist is trying to create a curated space for sustainable fashion and how he is promoting his latest album, “The Long Goodbye,” in the age of Covid-19.
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