The No New Clothes Challenge

The fashion industry has certain become a target in the wake of the Black Lives Matter resurgence in the last few weeks. Brands have been pressured to release official statements on their allegiance to the cause and have been put under fire for various racial injustices both in a corporate and retail setting. Many of these brands that have been called out for discriminatory actions have had their top executives forced to step down. 

Now, the fashion world is taking one step further into preventing further incidents, as seemingly baseless apologies are not enough. The community activists behind Remake launched a new campaign last month, titled the #NoNewClothes pledge, which focused on holding brands accountable for their ability to be sustainable. 

The 90-day pledge- which was recently extended until September 1, 2020, calls for consumers not to purchase any new clothing during the time frame. The pledge has nearly 500 signatures so far, and thanks to their auto-calculations, means people have saved a total of $108,850 and 9,721 pounds of waste. 

The pledge doesn’t necessarily mean don’t buy anything, it just promotes the use of conscious decision making when it comes to buying new clothing. Rather than buying a new dress from a fast-fashion retailer, instead research sustainable brands to try. This pledge should also ignite consumers to research the brands they’re buying from, especially what they’ve said and done about the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

Holding fashion brands accountable has certainly become more demonstrated in the last few months, thanks for covid-19 and the civil protests. If anything, the horrific disease and powerful protests have certainly sparked a shift in the fashion industry toward a more socially and economically-aware future. With this pledge, hopefully more brands will begin to shift their sustainability practices and provide more diversity in the workplace.

By: Staci Soslowitz

@stacisoslow