LONDON – Direct action group, Extinction Rebellion, is continuing to call for the cancellation of September’s London fashion week. The group has delivered a letter to British Fashion Council demanding it “cancel September 2020 fashion week” and “ immediately start work on an emergency action plan that aids stakeholders through change.” It has also warned that planned disruptions will, “escalate further in September if demands are not met.”
Backing the group are Caryn Franklin MBE, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, Labour Behind The Label, Livia Firth of Eco-Age, Safia Minney MBE, UN officer, Simone Cipriani of Ethical Fashion Initiative, TRAID, and The Sustainable Angle.
Specifically, Extinction Rebellion is calling on the BFC to lobby for the Three Demands Bill and “propose the legislation needed to stop the fashion industry’s exploitation of planet, people and animals.”
The proposed bill would require the UK Prime Minister to declare a climate and ecological emergency and make commitments to ensure the UK achieves net zero emissions of greenhouse gases and halts the extinction of species in the UK.
Alice Wilby, sustainable fashion consultant and member of Extinction Rebellion’s Fashion Action team said: “It is now 2020, the year we must start to see meaningful reductions in emissions if we are to avoid irreversible breakdown, and yet we see no credible plan from industry leaders. We are back at London Fashion Week to deliver an ultimatum; the industry must address the core of the problem and also admit the change needed is not possible without governments stepping in.”
Extinction Rebellion has asked the British Fashion Council for a “reply to this letter before London Fashion Week that confirms your commitment” to the demands.
In 2019, Stockholm cancelled their fashion week, while Copenhagen Fashion Week introduced environmental and ethical standards for its participating brands, following the lead of Helsinki Fashion Week.
Caryn Franklin MBE said: “Creatives and visionaries are delivering radical solutions to tackle waste and toxic output. London Fashion Week as it stands, is no longer best practice. With this realisation, the UK fashion community looks to the British Fashion Council for a transformational leadership position on future imperatives.”
“It would be wonderful to see the BFC finally take a lead on sustainability and work with the industry to try and achieve true and measurable solutions to this urgent issue we all face,” added Livia Firth, Co-founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age.