The final event I attended during @fash_revusa week was a panel hosted by @reformation .
I admire how the brand team at Reformation works to humanize sustainable practices by making them more accessible to customers. If you go on their website, you can see how clearly the small sustainable details are communicated, in a branded way. The Ref Scale is smart. The repetition of ownable phrase, recurring visual language, and site functionality really train the shopper to not only look for, but understand what the signals mean and how it relates back to a grander idea of sustainability.
The event left me pretty unsettled - mostly because it dawned on me that I'd only begin to scratch the surface of how I can participate in making my day-to-day more sustainable as a whole. The panel was focused more on the practical (and political) business of sustainability than on making sustainable (and innovative) product - a stark contrast to the night before. I was unsure if that was the original intent of the event, or if the event morphed into more of that because of the audience. Let's just say, it was not very diverse... Sustainability is for everybody, why isn't everybody here? I was grateful for the person who during the QA session asked, "What if you can't afford sustainable materials, or clothes made in ethically sound conditions?" I didn't find the answers to be that satisfying, but at least people are thinking about it.*
It made me think about the catalysts for change I've been hearing a lot more about since moving to San Francisco: 1) Voting Power and 2) Money Power, and how the two are intertwined.
*Disclaimer: I am a not an expert on any of this stuff, but trying to learn more.