As a society, we are trying to become more sustainable in many areas, but the globalized fashion industry is certainly not leading the way. Initiatives like clothing swaps can make us more aware of our consumption behavior. They are a great start to make the clothing industry more sustainable. But only if they go hand in hand with top-down initiatives to drastically reduce overproduction. 'It is as if we are pushing against a stranded supertanker,' says Anneke Smelik, professor of visual culture at Radboud University. "We produce and consume too much," Smelik argues. First of all, production is very polluting. Think, for example, of the water consumption of cotton and the shipping of all those clothes. In addition, the industry exploits people; child labor is still the order of the day in some producing countries. "Fast fashion is a relatively recent phenomenon: as fast as possible, as cheap as possible, and as much as possible. Clothing production has increased tremendously in recent decades." Increased production goes hand in hand with increased consumption. "Most notable are influencers unpacking bags and boxes at a time in their "haul" videos, but, in fact, we are almost all participating in it with our buying habits. Second-hand clothing sales may be popular, but that is a result of overproduction." Bottom prices or sustainable clothing line "You see large companies paying more attention to sustainability, for example by launching a sustainable clothing line. At the same time there are numerous Chinese online stores such as the infamous Shein where you can stock up on clothing at rock bottom prices." A practical problem for clothing companies is that recycling clothing is complicated. "Many garments are produced from a mix of yarns that you can't just take apart. Many recycled garments still require 50 percent new yarn." Still, Smelik sees many initiatives to make clothing more sustainable: from small studios like NEFFA to commercial brands like G-Star and high-end designers like Ronald van der Kemp. From a supertanker to small boats In terms of consumption, there are all kinds of small initiatives to change our behavior. From clothing swaps or vintage stores to clothing libraries and challenges to not buy new clothes for three months or more. 'Swapping clothes is fun, of course, but they also help us to become aware of our underlying consumption behavior. The clothes on websites like Vinted may be second-hand, but if people shop there as much as they do at other online stores, it makes little difference. Then nothing will change the underlying buying behavior. Smelik sees the clothing industry as a stranded supertanker that will only break free when these small initiatives start to coincide with policies from above to regulate clothing production. "Now it is as if we are pushing against that supertanker. The goal is to break down that tanker and turn it into small boats. A clothing swap is a nice first little boat, but there is still a lot of chipping to do." Clothing Swap and Vintage Pop-up Store On 23 & 24 November, HAN, ROC, and Radboud University are organizing a clothing exchange. More information https://www.ru.nl/english/greenoffice/clothing-swap-pop-up-store/clothing-swap-23-24-november/ Photo: Becca McHaffie via Unsplash