Conscious clothing

By Josh Walker 13 : 01 : 2017 Selfridges : Material World : Sustainability

UK – Material World is a new campaign by Selfridges that aims to promote sustainable fashion.

The campaign is designed to contribute to the global dialogue on sustainable fashion design and retail practice
Material World is part of Selfridges’ Bright series – an annual retail platform that supports new creative talent

Comprising a series of window displays, a retail experience and capsule collection, the campaign examines sustainable innovation and will run until March 2017.

Featuring works by some of the fashion industry’s most renowned designers, the exhibition highlights the properties and processes behind eight materials including leather, luxury fibres, cotton, linen, plastic, wool, denim and viscose.

Denim is represented by Californian brand Tortoise Denim, which uses a manufacturing process that requires up to 90% less water than a typical denim washhouse to produce its products. According to the World Wildlife Fund, it takes around 11,000 litres of water to produce one pair of jeans using traditional methods.

‘We are a shop selling stuff, so let’s take a closer look at the materiality that makes it,’ says Linda Hewson, creative director at Selfridges. ‘Material World examines sustainable textile development with a focus on social, local and global production stories.’

The Big Picture

Consumers are increasingly aware of the social and environmental impact of their shopping habits, and brands are responding with projects that push sustainability to the fore. For more, read our Sustainability Market report.