Sustainable Fashion

Four Conversations is an annual signature programme by the National Library where thought leaders share new possibilities for the future, while inspiring lifelong learning and the creation of new knowledge.

This resource guide was produced in accompaniment with the conversation on Sustainable Fashion.

The speakers for this session are:

Therese Clarence Fernandez-Ruiz
President and founding partner, Rags2Riches Inc (Philippines)

Shen Xingyun
Country Coordinator, Fashion Revolution (Singapore)

This session was moderated by Raye Padit, Founder of Connected Threads Asia and Fashion Pulpit.

Sustainable fashion has been gaining traction in recent years with consumers shifting their purchasing decisions to create a cleaner environment through the garments they purchase and wear.¹ Consumers are now more aware of their purchases, caring not only about the quality and style of their clothing purchases but also the entire life cycle of the garment including the supply chain involved in producing the clothes and the afterlife of the clothing.²

A major opposing force to a sustainable fashion industry is the ‘fast fashion’ phenomena – clothes that are made cheaply and rapidly to meet demands for the ever-changing fashion trends around the world. Across the globe, companies and countries have been taking different approaches to reduce the impact of fashion on the environment and society.³

This guide provides supplementary resources for those who are keen to further explore this topic. You can also visit to search for more resources. If you would like to view other resource guides created by our librarians, please visit .

This resource guide was prepared in September 2021 by Zoe Yeo, an Associate Librarian at the National Library, Singapore.

Websites

Singapore, we need to talk about sustainability in fashion beyond face value
Shen, X. (2020, June 28). Singapore, we need to talk about sustainability in fashion beyond face value. Bettr. Retrieved 2021, September 1 from https://www.shopbettr.com/blogs/read-bettr/singapore-we-need-to-talk-about-sustainability-in-fashion-beyond-face-value/

Business as Resistance: What it Means to Do Better as a Fashion Brand
Shen, X. (2020, September 12). Business as Resistance: What it Means to Do Better as a Fashion Brand. Bettr. Retrieved 2021, September 1 from https://www.shopbettr.com/blogs/read-bettr/business-as-resistance-what-it-means-to-do-better-as-a-fashion-brand/

Can sustainable fashion be affordable? And should it be, when too many of us treat clothes as disposable?
La Torre, V. (2021, August 1). Can sustainable fashion be affordable? And should it be, when too many of us treat clothes as disposable? Experts weigh in. South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2021, September 1 from https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3143160/can-sustainable-fashion-be-affordable-and-should-it-be/

Videos

A future sustainable fashion system
A future sustainable fashion system. (2019, November 15). TEDx Talks. Retrieved 2021, September 1 from

Creating a circular economy for fashion
Creating a circular economy for fashion. (2020, January 29). Financial Times. Retrieved 2021, September 1 from

Our Love For Cheap Clothes: What’s The TRUE Cost?
Our Love For Cheap Clothes: What’s The TRUE Cost?. (2021, March 16). CNA Insider. Retrieved 2021, September 1 from

Journal Articles

Understanding fashion complexity through a systemic data approach
Marino, C., Remondino, C. L., & Tamborrini, P. M. Understanding fashion complexity through a systemic data approach. Strategic Design Research Journal. 2020, 13(2), 168-283. Retrieved from EBSCOhost research databases.

Doing Well While Doing Good: How the Hybrid Business Model Promotes Sustainability in the Fashion Industry
Joy, A., Pena, C., & Armano, L. Doing Well While Doing Good: How the Hybrid Business Model Promotes Sustainability in the Fashion Industry. Journal of Business Anthropology. 2020, 9(2), 381-406. Retrieved from EBSCOhost research databases.

Fashion Futuring in the Anthropocene: Sustainable Fashion as “Taming” and “Rewilding”
Payne, A. Fashion Futuring in the Anthropocene: Sustainable Fashion as “Taming” and “Rewilding”. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture. 2019, 23(1), 5-23. Retrieved from EBSCOhost research databases.

eBooks

Fixing Fashion: Rethinking the Way We Make, Market and Buy Our Clothes
Lavergne, M. (2015). Fixing Fashion: Rethinking the Way We Make, Market and Buy Our Clothes. Gabriola: New Society Publishers.

Fibershed
Burgess, R., White, C. & Rider, T. (2019). Fibershed. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Books

A practical guide to sustainable fashion
Gwilt, A. (2020). A practical guide to sustainable fashion. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. (Call no.: 746.92 GWI)

All Rights Reserved. National Library Board Singapore 2021.