There is an environmental crisis caused by “fast fashion,” a term referring to clothes produced for bringing to market quickly. Buying clothes from some discount online sites may appear to be a good deal, but that purchase may adversely impact quality of life.
“BE HEARD,” the Black Public Media (BPM) series, has launched a social awareness campaign called “#Shop Like Nana” to encourage re-thinking excellent clothing deals beyond the low purchase price. One aspect of this campaign reintroduces consumers to time-honored, culturally sustainable practices like seeing what is in grandma’s closet, evaluating one’s wardrobe, or browsing through local thrift stores.
The campaign also promotes the advantages of up-styling used and vintage clothing, a process taught in fashion design classes.
“Fast fashion is the mass production of clothing as quickly as possible to keep up with ever-changing trends. The process sometimes relies on slave labor and goes down in countries lacking environmental legislation,” said comedian Katrina Davis in a video for the “BE HEARD: #ShopLikeNana” campaign.
Davis, whose credits include Comedy Central and “ America’s Got Talent.” introduces this environmental issue in a satirical late-night talk show called “Unraveled: An Unserious Serious Segment,” which can be seen on YouTube and TikTok.
This media video’s emphasis for the “BE HEARD: #Shop Like Nana” campaign shows that the fashion industry, the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply, is already producing 10% of global carbon emissions and polluting our oceans with microplastics. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, left unchecked, the explosion of clothing production could see the fashion industry accounting for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“We look forward to working with Big Couch Entertainment to elevate the voices of those working to combat climate change through creative and sustainable fashion choices,” said Denise A. Greene, BPM director of programs.
BPM, the Harlem-based national media arts nonprofit, commissioned Big Couch Entertainment to focus on this environmental crisis. This is BPM’s third entry in its award-winning series. The campaign and accompanying video launched last month during Fashion Week in partnership with Paramount+. “BE HEARD: #ShopLikeNana” is designed to activate millennial and Gen Z shoppers, who are more engaged than older generations in addressing climate change.
Big Couch Entertainment’s Sophia Clark, a New York Emmy-nominated content creator, directs the “BE HEARD: #ShopLikeNana” campaign.
Inuka Bacote-Capiga is producing original content featuring comedian Davis, who emphasizes some of the adverse impacts of fast fashion on the community.
“Low-price retail therapy is not without its consequences,” continued Davis in the video. “Many Black communities are located near industrial areas where waste from fast fashion is often disposed. This leads to higher exposure to pollutants contributing to health issues such as asthma, cancer and other chronic illnesses.”