Following the 2014 discovery of a doorway (in plain sight) that led to a world – World 16 – where natural understanding infused every decision; preservation and regeneration of the biosphere is now the centre of every fashion activity. Moreover, clothes are now seen as a key conduit to interconnected living.
Human attempts to ‘put a price on’ and control nature and to exploit natural resources for short-term human benefit, have been consigned to the same category of shameful and unconscionable past practices as racism and genocide. A commission on fashion’s role in ecocide is currently underway. It is expected to find that fashion is at the service of Earth.
What if …
fashion’s primary purpose was as a ‘way in’ to nature and to diverse living with more-than-human species?
Issue targeted:
commodification, exploitation and human mastery of nature and natural resources; human exceptionalism
Inspiration:
two weeks on board the boat Lady of Avenel in the Western Isles of Scotland which ultimately gave rise to autobiographical writings on nature and clothing called Wild Dress
This World was contributed by Kate Fletcher (located in Bollington (Cheshire) and London, UK) using a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence which allows others to share and adapt the work in any medium and for any purpose, providing that they credit the author and share their material using the same Creative Commons licence.
Does this World remind you of something?
I am keen to hear about any historical or contemporary real-world examples – whether individual practices, subcultures or mainstream activities – that this fiction brings to mind.
Please share any such examples using this form. Thank you!