Scenarios
So what will the fast-and-slow-clothes future be like? Based on the data gathered as part of this project, we have developed a number of scenarios around fast and slow clothes and fast and slow rhythms of use. These scenarios are glimpses of the future and starting points for many other projects. They begin to show how we can approach issues of clothes, fashion and sustainability in a way which isn't dominated by organic cotton (or other populist) issues alone. We actively discourage you from thinking that these ideas are the only way of developing a more ecological approach to fashion and clothes. Not true! We like to see our ideas as being part of a 'rainbow evolution', an emerging, ever changing, complementary set of approaches in this vast and ever-changing sector. Explore the scenarios in this section and visit the Gallery to see views of the new rhythms in our wardrobes.

Welford (1995) suggests that there are five imagined user phases in the transition towards the ecological future:
  1. Purchase only to satisfy need of consumer, no attention to environment
  2. More observant of environmental activities, reluctantly comply with existing laws. Display negative attitudes towards environmental legislation restricting personal choice. Purchasing behaviour reflects only enforced actions.
  3. Consumers begin voluntarily to seek out products that are less damaging to the environment. They accommodate to environmental concerns.
  4. Consumers question the need for the product as a legitimate use of the world's resources. A decision to purchase a product or service must meet buyers' personal criteria for minimum environmental impact, resource and energy use. The purchasing behaviour would exhibit strong environmental demands of the manufacturer, focusing on impacts over the total product lifecycle and its respect for humanity and other living things.
  5. Consumers have strong values for all living things in the biosphere. Therefore all production and consumption must show deep respect for others in the eco-system. This translates to a reduced level of human consumption to ensure that the ecobalance is maintained.

Reference

Welford, R, (1995), Environmental Strategy and Sustainable Development, London: Routledge.

© Fletcher & Tham 2004