Endangered Clothing
How climate change is changing fashion
As climate change ravages our planet, we get seasons that blend together much more than before. Winter may now have temperatures in the 50s, and as time goes on it will just get warmer. This makes it difficult for fashion designers who have to already adapt to changing tastes and trends, now have to factor in that the changes in weather mean changes in clothing types, cuts, and fabric types used.
The fashion industry relies on two major fashion weeks every year, but designers and industry experts are afraid that traditional seasonal collections and shows which have been the norm for centuries may become meaningless due to increasing unpredictability of the weather. Also, as the season’s blend together, you have less need for variety in clothing.
Liz Walker, executive fashion editor at Marie Claire said, "A winter fashion show may have no coats or sweaters, and the only thing that reminds you it's a summer show is if you see a girl in bikini. It's definitely to do with climate change. Ten years ago you knew you were going to have to shoot coats and sweaters in Russia or Iceland, but nobody wants those clothes anymore."
When you having warmer climates, you have less need for heavy winter coats and big bulky sweaters. If you live in an area that as climate change worsens will be affected by drought, your need for rain clothes goes out the window. The designer Narciso Rodriguez says that "The materials we used to work with aren't cutting it, so we try to find new ways to address the issue. People aren't really interested in heavy winter coats. They want year-round materials because the seasons have become so erratic. In the past, if I designed a collection for winter that had 20 wool fabrics, I now have 12 and many other different kinds of materials," said Rodriguez.