Style with Ethics: My new year reading list

My first ethical fashion read was Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion by Tansy Hoskins. After hearing the author speak in 2015 about the politics of fashion (as a talk organised by the ever inspirational Amber Butchart), I took my signed copy home and proceeded to read it faster than I’d read any book in a long time. I’d started to learn about how the fashion industry is far from ethical or sustainable in its practices whilst studying for my MA at London College of Fashion, and also from the many amazing Fashion Revolution online resources, but this book brought it all together.

Last year, inspired by studying the highly recommended Fashion Revolution online course, I finally got around to finishing Lucy Siegle’s 2011 book To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World? (which is scandalous really, as it should have been the first book on my list seeing as it was published almost seven years ago!). So, I have decided to start the new year by compiling an ethical/sustainable fashion reading list to keep up this momentum.

LCF’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, so I thought I’d begin by taking a look at books published by its researchers. I plan on dipping back into my copy of Sandy Black’s Sustainable Fashion Handbook (an excellent reference book) and then will get Kate Fletcher’s Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys and Craft of Use: Post-Growth Fashion out of the library.

One of my MA course mates, Erin, is currently reading Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth Cline, which looks like it needs to be next on my list. After that, I think I’m going to try and work my way through Trusted Clothes’ recommendations of 8 must-read books on sustainability and fashion. I’ll let you know how I get on, but do let me know if you have any additional titles to suggest.

Main image via sustainable-fashion.com. Second image via Fashion Revolution.