Growing up in a small Italian town, Mariangela Lavanga experienced an upbringing that was a world away from today’s fast fashion frenzy. 'In my childhood, we didn’t know the term "fast fashion." Clothes were cherished and mended, not discarded', she reflects. Without an abundance of new clothes, she and her sisters became creative. 'The thrill of our weekly market days, finding treasures among secondhand clothes, and the excitement of breathing new life into them fueled our creativity.' This early exposure to sustainable living profoundly influenced Lavanga, steering her from economics to the intersection of culture, creativity, and fashion.
'When I first encountered a fast fashion store in my late teens, it was a revelation', Lavanga says. 'The sheer volume of affordable clothes was astounding, yet it also sparked questions about sustainability and consumer culture.' These experiences led her to delve into the under-researched niche the sustainability transition of fashion and textile within academia. Now, as an Associate Professor of Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship at Erasmus University, Lavanga focuses on the urgent need for sustainable practices in fashion, highlighting the role of cultural and creative industries in driving systemic change.
The Dark Side of Fashion
Today’s fashion industry is at a critical juncture, urgently needing to address the detrimental effects of its overproduction and overconsumption practices. Trendy new clothes are churning out at lightning speed and rock-bottom costs and prices. This led to massive increases in volumes, resulting in the industry’s most pressing issue: their colossal carbon footprint. 'The environmental impact of fast fashion is staggering', Lavanga explains. 'From water-intensive cotton farming to the use of toxic dyes and the sheer volume of clothing that ends up in landfills, the industry desperately needs a transformation.'
Planet and people are suffering for fashion
But it’s not just the planet that’s suffering. Behind those bargain prices are garment workers enduring harsh conditions. 'The human cost of the fashion and textile industry cannot be ignored', Lavanga emphasizes. 'Many workers face long hours, meager pay, and unsafe environments.' The relentless push for cheaper clothes keeps these unfair practices in place, showing a clear and urgent need for sweeping change. By addressing these urgent challenges head-on, Lavanga’s work aims to bring the fashion industry and consumers into a greener future.
'Our creativity was fueled by our enthusiasm to give second-hand clothes a new life'
Mariangela Lavanga
Associate Professor of Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship (ESHCC)
Transformation time
Lavanga is on a mission to accelerate the sustainability transition of the fashion and textile industry. Her research dives deep into the industry’s challenges and proposes transformative solutions. From combating environmental unsustainability and overproduction to improving poor labour conditions, Lavanga emphasizes the need for substantial and systemic changes. What happens now is that many initiatives propose incremental changes like improving transparency and labelling, substituting recycled fibres, take-back schemes, and textile recycling. However, we need more: 'We need to reduce the absolute volume of garments and textiles consumed and find a new orientation for the industry', she argues.
Moving away from growth towards human and ecological well-being
This new orientation demands that we redefine our priorities, moving away from growth towards human and ecological well-being. Lavanga and her colleagues from the Institute of SustainableFutures (University of Technology Sydney) and Lund University have developed the concept of the "Wellbeing Wardrobe", as a tool to champion fairness, establish limits, create new indicators, ensure just governance, and initiate equitable exchange systems. 'Our goal is to challenge the fast fashion paradigm and promote practices that are not only sustainable but also socially just', Lavanga asserts. Imagine the implementation of eco-conscious design mandates, the halt of textile waste exports, the assurance of fair wages, and the promotion of clothing exchanges and repair services.
Challenge the fast fashion paradigm
Emphasizing the importance of local production and sustainable materials, Lavanga states: 'Textile ecosystems need to be local and regenerative, reducing the carbon footprint and promoting sustainability from the ground up', she states. Through the Horizon Europe project "FABRIX", Lavanga and the consortium partners wish to strengthen local, regenerative textile ecosystems by mapping textile and garment producers in cities like Rotterdam and Athens. 'We are creating a digital platform to foster collaborations and accelerate circular fashion production', Lavanga explains. This approach calls for robust collaboration between various stakeholders to transform the industry.
Lavanga champions a transformative approach to fashion production and consumption by bridging the gap between academia and industry. Her work goes beyond theory, offering tangible solutions that embed sustainability and ethics into the industry’s core. 'The future of fashion lies in our ability to innovate sustainably and equitably', she asserts, envisioning a fashion world that values both people and the planet.
Collaborating for real change
Lavanga stresses the power of collaboration: 'The industry is highly fragmented in terms of knowledge, expertise, and geography. To drive real change, we must foster collaboration.' She acknowledges that while it’s easy to talk about working together, true collaboration demands trust and a willingness to share resources. 'It’s about having the humility to recognize that we can’t keep reinventing the wheel. We need a coordinated effort, with open-source expertise and shared innovations', she explains, inspiring hope for a united industry working towards a common goal.
'The role of a fashion designers is evolving'
Mariangela Lavanga
Associate Professor of Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship (ESHCC)
According to Lavanga, academia has a vital role to play in the industry’s transformation due to its independence. 'For a genuine transition, education, research, and industry must work hand in hand', she emphasizes. This philosophy is evident in her various initiatives designed to boost collaboration across the textile and clothing production sectors. For example, in the FABRIX project, 'We’re mapping local producers, supporting them in making different production choices and offering funding to small and medium enterprises to spur sustainable collaborations. It’s all about accelerating circular fashion in these urban centres', Lavanga elaborates.
A testbed for circular fashion practices
She is now developing the Just Fashion Transition Lab. In this physical space, academia, policy, and industry understand each other’s roles and power of influences, and work together on accelerating the transition. This dynamic space encourages collaboration by allowing the sector and policymakers to present challenges for academia and education to tackle head-on. Her initiatives serve as testbeds for circular fashion practices, promoting the reuse, recycling, and upcycling of materials to minimize waste. Lavanga’s vision of a collaborative, open-source approach is vital to driving the systemic changes needed for a sustainable and just fashion industry. To achieve this transformation, we must also focus on educating the next generation of professionals in the fashion and textile industry.
Educating tomorrow’s professionals
The future of fashion rests on the shoulders of transformative education. According to Mariangela Lavanga, the key is to start by educating our professionals. In Rotterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam leads the change by running several courses around fashion in its Masters programs at Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, as well the first academic Minor Fashion Industry in the Netherlands. The Minor is interdisciplinary and open to students of any faculty at Erasmus University, TU Delft and Leiden University. Lavanga keenly observes, 'Over the years, we noticed a shift among our students in the minor, they are increasingly considering the environmental and social impacts of the fashion and textile industry.'
In the Minor, students are learning about cultural, economic, business history, and media perspectives in fashion; they dive into crucial issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and social justice. The minor teaches students to balance social and environmental impacts in fashion, seeking holistic solutions. Alumna Jana van den Bergen reflects, 'Sustainability is about innovation and a mindset change. We need new processes and an openness to adopt these technologies.'
'Students are trained to support designers in accelerating the sustainability transition of their practices'
Mariangela Lavanga
Associate Professor of Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship (ESHCC)
'The role of a fashion designer is evolving', Lavanga notes. 'Designers today need to advocate for sustainable practices within large companies. Our students are trained to support designers in accelerating the sustainability transition of their practices. This comprehensive approach equips students to challenge traditional practices and pioneer non-exploitative methods of fashion production, distribution and consumption. Good practices are emerging, but we must amplify these efforts and ensure they’re not overshadowed.' That’s why the Municipality of Rotterdam, in particular, Rotterdam Circulair, is a crucial collaborator in both their education and research programs, further embedding these values within the community. The last crucial step is to persuade the consumer to choose what is best for the planet.
Your power in fashion
Imagine if every time you shopped, you were making a difference. Mariangela Lavanga emphasizes that consumers too hold power to drive the fashion industry toward sustainability. 'Consumers need to be aware of the full lifecycle of their clothes', Lavanga asserts. Your choices may also push brands to adopt greener practices and promote ethical standards. Currently, the fashion industry lacks stringent regulations, allowing brands to produce and sell harmful products with minimal repercussions. Lavanga advocates for robust guidelines that ensure more brands and consumers adhere to sustainable practices. Stricter rules could help you make more informed, eco-friendly choices. The path is long and complex, but it is an exciting time of transfomative and innovative change, in both production and consumption.
Social media, too, is a powerful tool. While platforms like Instagram and TikTok often promote fast fashion, they can also be harnessed to spread awareness about sustainable fashion. Lavanga believes social media can inform users about better materials, ethical brands, and the environmental impact of their choices. 'We must harness the power of social media to educate and inspire consumers towards sustainable fashion', she emphasizes.
Your conscious choices and support for sustainable brands can drive the industry towards more ethical and environmentally friendly practices. 'Every purchase is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in', Lavanga concludes, highlighting your power to foster meaningful change in the fashion industry. By being informed and mindful, you can lead the way to a more sustainable and just fashion world.
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Mariangela Lavanga is Associate Professor of Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship at the Arts and Culture Studies department at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She is the Academic Lead on Fashion Sustainability Transition at the Design Impact Transition (DIT) platform. Next to this, she is the Academic Coordinator of the MA in Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship as well as co-founder and coordinator of the Minor Fashion Industry.
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