In terms of who to blame for the buying behaviors that have resulted in shopping hauls turned Great Pacific Garbage Patch, tenured designer Mihara Yasuhiro has never shied away from sticking it to the man (or swine). The unofficial part-time factory worker turned menswear Maison owner, who fathered one of the first streetwear collaborations when he cold-called Puma in 1999, had choice words for La Fédération when asked what he sees as a constant in fashion: “Is it a question about the negative impact of the overweight, pig-like fashion industry on the environment and society? It is impossible to push everything into the word ‘fashion’.”
The No Buy Challenge
In order for sustainability trends to work, they functionally cannot exist, for “things that are popular will soon go out of fashion” says Yasuhiro in an interview with The Pink Prince, “It’s not about educating consumers about sustainability. What we can do to achieve this is to change the overarching system so that environmental responsibility is socially maintained.” Yasuhiro alludes to the capitalistic machine behind an industry that makes its living churning out trends for profit, and why it is programmed to do anything but encourage a culture of decreased spending.
Yasuhiro isn’t alone in his skepticism of the sustainable fashion industry. Consumers are not buying into lukewarm ad campaigns that appear to fail to reap tangible benefits to their daily lives. What do they have to do with Reformation’s sustainability reports, that come in conjunction with near weekly new design releases? In an article by The Irish Times, The Good Life Ireland 2030 project explores the relationship between current advertising trends and consumption, noting that “the response by advertising and marketing industries to the climate crisis remains slow.” The report suggests that consumers are put off by the idea of compromise and scarcity connoted by sustainability, even though the majority of them want to live sustainable, healthy lives. The project aims to shift ad messaging to show the benefits of taking a step away from consumption, like more time spent with family.
Advancements in sustainable design are not all for naught. Yasuhiro simply laughed when probed about his collection of biodegradable sneakers. “Of course, we also agree with ‘sustainable’” Yasuhiro affirms in an interview with Omote Sando Hills. “To put it in the extreme, if humanity and the environment collapse, madness cannot be expressed. While working seriously and sustainably rather than performing, he is willing to express the madness of art and fashion.”
