Why fashion?
A decision we must face every day is fashion. Our clothing choices are capable of telling so many stories, serving as one of the greatest ways of self-expression. However, the fashion industry also sits on a bed of corruption unbeknownst to many. The linkage between fashion and climate change is now more apparent than ever. According to the UN, the fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater and currently generates 1.26 billion tons of greenhouse emissions every year, more than some international airlines. If we keep on this trajectory, the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050.
It’s time we stop our wasteful fashion consumption habits in the Global North whilst exploiting the livelihoods of the Global South in the process.
Beyond the environmental implications of fashion, the human and social dimensions of fashion corruption are just as horrid. Our current fashion trajectory operates in a linear system where trends are mass-marketed in the Global North, while extracting cheap labour overseas from the Global South. Our consumption habits cause garment workers in China and Bangladesh to work around the clock, sometimes up to 16 hours a day, and 364 days a year, without breaks or any opportunities for career advancement. The global fashion industry is one of the lead contributors to modern-day slavery.
Threading Change is a youth-led, justice-oriented global organization created to address the systemic injustices and inequities that persist in the global fashion industry today.
Our Values
1. Uphold Intersectionality
Our mission and vision are rooted in intersectionality, through the belief that fashion is an extremely complex issue that must be examined from every angle. We value never looking at fashion through a singular lens. Instead, addressing problems with multi-sectoral and intersectional solutions.
2. Place People Before Profits
As a values-based organization that strongly condemns placing profits before people, we will do everything in our power to ensure that we give power back to people and their communities, by supporting their lived experiences, knowledge, and expertise in fashion and the circular economy.
3. Center Underrepresented Voices
The current wasteful and disastrous state of fashion is a result of gross capitalism and consumption, oftentimes at the expense of garment workers and women in the Global South. Our ultimate goal is to center disenfranchised voices and actors in the fashion value and supply chain, provide a platform for them to share their stories, and elevate ways to change this status quo.
4. Meaningful Collaboration
We know that it takes everyone on board to move our current linear model of production to a circular one. We value and strive to work with all actors in the space, regardless of their positionality. It’s important to us to meaningfully collaborate and understand those who hold different values than us, and support those who share similar values.
How We Began
To hear the full story and inspiration behind Threading Change, our podcast interview above with the Rising Youth team goes into more detail.
Threading Change was born after Founder & Executive Director Sophia Yang attended the United Nations Climate Negotiations (COP25) in Madrid, Spain, co-hosted with the Chilean government. As an audience member at the one-year anniversary signing of the United Nations Sustainable Fashion Charter event, Sophia noticed a severe lack of representation from the Global South on the fashion world stage, with no mention of garment workers, or the human dimensions of fashion. Furthermore, Sophia noticed that most of the brands represented at these global conferences are large fashion conglomerates and luxury brands, the exact ones who have contributed the most to fashion’s environmental and humanitarian problems.
That day onward, the great disparity and strong inequity within the fashion industry became more and more apparent to Sophia, who was determined to spread change in any way possible. Seeing that there was no youth representation regarding fashion at United Nations conferences, or in Canada, Sophia set out to create it. And so, the idea for Threading Change was born in May 2020, officially launching in October 2020 with the first episode of Textile Talks kicking things off.
Our Tri-Impact Model
Education
We strongly believe in intersectional and equity-based fashion education. We excel in bringing together intergenerational and multicultural communities to build capacity, educate, and engage in collective action.
Innovation
We help connect innovative ethical brands and organizations with potential investment funding, networking opportunities, and global exposure through visualization, storytelling, and knowledge-sharing.
Consultation
We engage with diverse and multi-level stakeholders to represent youth and BIPOC communities at the decision-making table, collaboratively advocating for a just fashion future and circular economy.
Threading Change is an ambitious and fully youth-led international organization.
We need industries to step up, polluters to pay up, and all hands on deck.