This year’s Fashion Revolution campaign inspired a number of events in London organised by the current sustainability movers and shakers. Wide-ranging topics aimed at increasing awareness and sharing information on how the fashion industry can embrace a new period of sustainability and slow fashion was brought to the forefront.

A highlight from the week was the thought-provoking study hall session organised by New York’s Slow Factory in collaboration with Fashion Revolution & Central Saint Martins on Sustainability and Cultures. You may at first question the importance of digging deeper into the connection behind these two important but seemingly separate entities, but the discussion opened minds to the real consequences of fast fashion around the world – and not just in developing countries but our very own cities.

After a spectacular four and half hours of panel discussions, presentations, poetry and question and answer sessions, I admittingly came away a little frazzled from the sheer amount of new information I needed to digest but was undoubtedly inspired by the progress, passion and collaboration that was shared by the speakers.

If you missed this session, here are the main take-aways that really resonated with me and that require greater analysis in order to pave the way forward for a new and improved industry.

Aja Barber shared her view on the nasty side of fast fashion and questioned who really benefited from manufacturing in this way. The answer clearly isn’t the garment workers (the majority of whom are people of colour), but actually a few people at the top of the food chain who happen to be male and white. This may seem a little controversial to some, but if you look at the boards for the biggest fashion companies across the world, there are no people of colour represented. The legacy of discrimination therefore continues under a new guise, in our modern world.

The negative impact of fast fashion undoubtedly hurts not only the planet, but the communities involved in making our clothes. Their skills are undervalued, many are underpaid and are working in dangerous environments. By giving workers and marginalised communities a platform to speak from or just connecting with them, would help to shape the industry into one that is more sustainable and fair for all.

The buzz word of the moment ‘sustainability’ itself was the subject of a lot of discussion as it genuinely seemed to mean different things to all of the speakers present. For some it meant social justice, for others it symbolised that every action had a consequence that we needed to be more conscious of. The scale of the issues relating to being sustainable is so great and needs careful consideration. In my view, organic cotton is a perfect example of this. While it’s great that no pesticides are being used to make this fabric, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the cotton farmers are being paid or treated fairly. It’s a constant balancing act that we need to be more mindful of.

A really positive take-out from the session was the emphasis placed on the need to share ideas to minimise further negative impact on the planet and to help improve the standard of living and working environments of garment workers and artisans. Rather than being secretive about design technologies and ways of working, designers and manufacturers across the world need to work together for the greater good.

With all this in mind, it feels like the fashion industry and consumers have come to a cross-road in how we choose to manufacture, market and buy. Being conscious of the various challenges is the first step, while actions will help us to define a new era of fashion culture and sustainability.