For centuries, the fashion industry has struggled to reconcile style with sustainability. In Historical Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion, you will be transported back in time to discover the historical dimensions of today's sustainable fashion movement. An array of success stories and cautionary tales provide both inspiration and warnings for the eco-conscious designer, encouraging an innovative approach that builds on predecessors' discoveries to move the practice of fashion forward. The 1st edition, Sustainable Fashion: Past, Present and Future, emerged from the Museum at FIT's groundbreaking exhibition 'Eco-Fashion: Going Green'. This revised edition broadens perspectives even further, incorporating eye-opening examples of designers, brands and activists working for change across the world today. Likewise, a new chapter examines the globalized mainstream fashion system and historical alternatives that provide compelling inspiration for reimagining the status quo.Fascinating and timely, Historical Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion examines progressive fashion through a historical lens, encouraging readers to question the state of the industry and demonstrating the value of historical insights in enabling and inspiring change.

Introduction1. Materials and processesMaterials and processes: how did we get here?The development of cottonWool and its competitorsSilk and rayonSynthetic fibersUnconventional materialsThe invention of synthetic dyesHuman impacts of dyeingEnvironmental impacts of dyeingMaterials and processes: inspiration for changeOrganic cottonThe resurgence of woolHemp and flaxLyocell and bambooLower impact dyesNatural dyesMaterials and processes: thinking criticallyMaterials and processes: further reading2. Design and ManufactureDesign and manufacture: how did we get here?Clothing production before mechanizationAdvancements in spinning and weavingThe sewing machine and ready-made clothingChoice and disposabilityDesign and manufacture: inspiration for changeWartime restrictions and qualityPost-war coutureArtisanal techniques and slow fashion5Design featuresDesign and manufacture: thinking criticallyDesign and manufacture: further reading3. Reuse and RecyclingReuse and recycling: how did we get here?Repurposing practicesShawls and scrapsThe Great Depression and the Second World WarShoddy recyclingReuse and recycling: inspiration for changePost-war repurposingThe rise of vintageRepurposing and upcycling in the 1990s and 2000A new era of fiber recyclingReuse and recycling: thinking criticallyReuse and recycling: further reading4. Labor PracticesLabor practices: how did we get here?Textile millsChild laborGarment factoriesGlobalization and sweatshopsSubcontracting and safetyLabor practices: inspiration for changeUnionizationLabelingDesigner-led actionLabor rights in a globalized industryCooperatives and fair tradeLabor practices: thinking criticallyLabor practices: further reading5. Treatment of AnimalsTreatment of animals: how did we get here?Feather adornmentsThe use of furTrapping and farmingTreatment of animals: inspiration for changeAnti-feather campaignsAnti-fur campaignsFake and "ethical" furTreatment of animals: thinking criticallyTreatment of animals: further reading6. Fashion systemsFashion systems: how did we get here?Enclosure, capitalism and modernityThe European fashion system and the Industrial RevolutionConsumerism and changeFashion systems: inspiration for changeHow clothes are usedNew approaches to dressing the bodyChallenging social normsDomestic and custom makingLocal production and local distinctivenessRestricting and managing productionFashion systems: thinking criticallyFashion systems: further readingConclusionNotesSelect bibliographyGlossaryIndex