Fashioned from Nature: Addressing Sustainable Fashion in a Museum of Art and Design

Fashioned from Nature Edwina Ehrman

Fashioned from Nature: addressing sustainable fashion in a museum of art and design

Edwina Ehrman Senior Curator, Victoria and Albert Museum, London [email protected]

Abstract: This article draws on the author’s experience of curating Fashioned from Nature, an award-winning fashion exhibition which argues that sustainability should be embedded in design practice. Spanning approximately 350 years the exhibition shows how fashion’s environmental impact has grown to become a cause of international concern and activism. It highlights individuals and organisations campaigning for change and the work of designers, scientists and educa- tors working within the field of sustainability. Its outcomes include an active network of contacts in academia, industry and politics and a deeper engagement with sustainable development within the host museum.

Keywords: Sustainable fashion; raw materials; nature; environment; activism

Resumen: El artículo presenta el trabajo de la autora como comisaria de la premiada exposición Fashioned from Nature, que defendía la necesidad de incorporar la sostenibilidad en el diseño de moda. La exposición partía de un enfoque histórico: empezaba 350 años antes para mostrar cómo había crecido el impacto ambiental de la moda hasta convertirse en causa de preocupación y activismo internacional. Además, ponía de relieve a las personas y organizaciones que luchan por este cambio y el trabajo de diseñadores, científicos y educadores en el campo de la sostenibilidad. Entre sus resultados, cabe destacar una activa red de contactos en el mundo académico, de la industria y la política, y un mayor compromiso con el desarrollo sostenible por parte del museo organizador.

Palabras claves: moda sostenible; materias primas; naturaleza; medio ambiente; activismo

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Figure 1. Fashioned from Nature at the V&A, London. Sustainable solutions for the twenty-first century. Copyright: Victoria and Albert Museum

Fashioned from Nature was exhibited in the Fashioned from Nature’s title, narrative and Victoria and Albert Museum’s (V&A) Fashion content emphasise the dependence of fashion Gallery from 21 April 2018 – 27 January 2019 on nature. They draw attention to the simple before travelling to the Natural History Museum but often overlooked fact that all the materials of Denmark (Figs.1 & 2)1. The exhibition ex- and energy consumed during a garment’s life plores the complex, uneasy and often unequal are drawn from the Earth, from the garment’s relationship between fashion and the environ- origin on a farm or in a factory to its eventual ment over a period of nearly 350 years. As well use in a wardrobe of many garments. Human as reviewing past and present-day practices, it behaviour and the ways in which humans in- looks forward, proposing a range of strategies teract with nature are integral to the exhibition to reduce the negative impact of the fashion in- story. The narrative never loses sight of our de- dustry on Earth’s fabric and species. The exhi- light and fascination with the natural world, bition champions creativity, innovation and the and our analogous but contradictory urge to benefits of collaboration and interdisciplinary control and manipulate nature through inter- research, while highlighting the critical role of vention and artifice, to suit our needs and our the textile and fashion designers who are pio- tastes (Carter, 1996). A series of displays fo- neering desirable, exciting, sustainable fashion. cussing specifically on fashions and textiles inspired by nature support this thread of the nar- 1 A modified version of Fashioned from Nature was exhibited rative. Elsewhere, materials and manufacturing at the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen take the lead. This enables a contrasting, darker from 11 April 2019 – 1 September 2019. The content was sup- plemented with natural history objects from the museum’s story which traces the significant environmen- scientific collections and garments created by sustainable tal damage that the industry caused as it was fashion designers working in Denmark. The exhibition, in its original form but with some object changes, will travel to oth- transformed by new technologies and grew in er international venues until approximately 2021. scale and ambition. Turning to the present day,

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the emphasis of the exhibition switches from environmental record. Statistics about the in- consequences to solutions. It argues for a more dustry’s impact are unreliable and sometimes ethical fashion industry in which sustainability is unproven2. Yet its significant contribution to a core principle of design. It also asks visitors to land, air and water pollution, profligate use of think about the impact of their choices. Sustain- non-renewable and scarce resources, genera- able development depends not only on govern- tion and encouragement of waste are undeni- ments, industry, business and civil society but able3. The industry is also implicit in the use also on the individual. The exhibition’s aim is to of slave and child labour. Workplace abuses raise awareness and to provide an open forum include unsafe working conditions, sexual ha- for discussion. Its engagement with contempo- rassment, denial of the opportunity to join a rary issues, support for the design community union and minimal pay rates (Williams, 2018). and creative industries, and ambition to reach It is standard practice for V&A curators out to the widest possible audience accord developing exhibitions to invite experts from with the V&A’s strategic plan and its founding outside the Museum to form an advisory pan- ideals. el. Fashioned from Nature benefitted greatly from the knowledge, enthusiasm and guidance of staff from two constituent colleges of the Sustainability and sustainable University of the Arts London (UAL): London development College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable At a time of rapidly increasing awareness of Fashion (CSF) and Centre for Circular Design the devastating effects that human activity has (CCD) (formerly the Textile, Environment, De- had on our planet, an exhibition focussing on sign (TED) research group) at Chelsea College the environmental damage caused by the fash- of Art. CSF became a special advisor to the ex- ion industry’s practices is opportune. Indeed, hibition and staff and students developed two during the four years between the exhibition’s thought-provoking, consumer facing interac- approval in 2014 by the Museum’s senior man- tive installations, Fashion Now and Fashion Fu- agement group to its realisation, ‘sustainability’ tures 2030. Professor Dilys Williams, Director has become part of mainstream conversations and founder of CSF, wrote the closing chapter about fashion. of the exhibition publication (Ehrman, 2018). This detailed survey spans thirty years starting Sustainability is difficult to define and prob- in 1988 when the United Nations set up the lematic to measure as each case depends on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change many variables. Herremans and Reid character- (IPCC) to assess the risk of human-induced cli- ise it as a state in which economic, social and en- mate change. Staff at CCD were equally gen- vironmental conditions are aligned in a harmo- erous, introducing me to their academic and nious balance which can endure over the long industry networks and enabling me to attend term (Herremans and Reid, 2002). The United workshops which were not open to the public. Nations World Commission on Environment They too contributed an exhibit: a prototype and Development’s description of sustainable of an industrially compostable paper t-shirt de- development emphasises the responsibilities of signed for the fast fashion industry (Mistra Fu- the present to the future. In their words, sustain- ture Fashion, 2017). Professor Kay Politowicz able development is ‘development that meets and Dr Kate Goldsworthy at CCD developed the needs of the present without compromising its fabric with colleagues at Research Institutes the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (United Nations, 1987). In a world 2 There are, for instance, no statistics which verify the fre- where today’s youth and their descendants face quently quoted statement that fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. the challenges of climate change, biodiversity 3 For reliable statistics and an overview of the fashion industry loss and resource scarcity fashion has a shabby in 2017 see: Ellen Macarthur Foundation, 2017

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planet. The recognition that the content and aims of Fashioned from Nature had areas of common interest for the NHM was established early in the exhibition’s development in conversations between Julie Harvey, Head of the NHM’s Arts and Humanities Research Centre and Professor Bill Sherman, then Director of Research and Collections at the V&A. This re- sulted in exceptional access to NHM curators and their collections as well as to staff from the public engagement team who joined the exhibition’s advisory group. The relationship led to loans of specimens, the identifications of species and an on-going exchange of knowledge between curatorial and conservation staff in the two institutions. NHM scientists also kindly agreed to take part in two short films about baleen and jewel beetles which were shot on-site in the NHM and V&A. These proved popular both within the exhibition and on its associated website (Victoria and Albert Museum, 2017). The Advisory Group met on two occasions, to brainstorm and critique the initial curatorial concept and subsequently to discuss the first Figure 2. Fashioned from Nature at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen. A display of nineteenth iteration of the exhibition’s content and organ- century feather fashions with a grebe (Podicipedidae sp.) in the isation. The latter takes a visual form with im- foreground. Copyright: Natural History Museum of Denmark ages of the objects proposed for each display case placed on boards which are arranged to Sweden (RISE) as part of the Mistra funded Mis- reflect the exhibition narrative. This enables the tra Future Fashion research programme (2011- curator to give a ‘guided tour’ of the proposed 2019). This cross-disciplinary project used a layout, object types and their interpretation in systemic approach to designing sustainable cir- an informal atmosphere which is conducive to cular economy models to significantly improve friendly discussion and debate. Mark Nesbitt, the environmental performance and strengthen an ethnobotanist and Curator of the Museum the global competitiveness of the stakeholders of Economic Botany at the Royal Botanic Gar- (Mistra Future Fashion, 2019). dens, Kew, which was also a generous lender, joined the second event. The curatorial pre- At London’s Natural History Museum (NHM) sentations provoked questions and recommen- creating a sustainable future is one of the three dations. Key issues included the balance be- ‘big’ narratives with which it is seeking to en- tween fashion and nature and whether equal gage the public through its expertise, collec- representation was possible in a fashion exhi- tions and programmes (Natural History Mu- bition; if, and how, today’s perceived discon- seum, 2015). Sustainability lies at the heart of nect between human populations and nature much of the research and project-based activity could be addressed (Natural History Museum, undertaken by the museum, from developing 2017); and the value for the visitor in placing sustainable strategies to meet the challenges today’s industry practices and environmental of raw material scarcity to studying the effects concerns in a historical context. As curator I of biodiversity loss and human activity on the was challenged about perpetuating traditional

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Figure 3. ‘Protest’, an open-display linking the twentieth century display to those addressing the present day. Copyright: Victoria and Albert Museum hierarchies of materials and elevating ‘natural’ by an exhibition which focussed solely on the fibres over man-made and synthetic materials. present. Others disagreed, pointing out that I was reminded that all fibres come from natu- museums are uniquely placed to contextualise ral sources and that their relative sustainability the present through their historical collections depends on how they are produced, processed, and that for some museum users, particularly used and disposed of. I was also asked how we students, this is an intrinsic part of their val- could represent the chaos of pollution, waste ue. Interrogating the collections to understand and dirt, and the harsh working lives of those the relationship of the past to the present rein- employed in the fashion industry, in a muse- forces their relevance and gives new meaning um known for the immaculate presentation to them. If museums do not remain relevant, of its collections and high design values. The they will not survive (Letelier, 2018). Taking a constructive criticism and sometimes differing long historical view in Fashioned from Nature opinions of the exhibition’s advisors were in- enabled us to ask if the past has any lessons valuable. They encouraged a more rigorous, for us. It also offered the opportunity to ex- thoughtful and ambitious approach to the plore the collections from a novel viewpoint, exhibition’s content and narrative than might through the lens of present-day environmental otherwise have been achieved and laid the preoccupations. foundation for relationships which continue to generate fruitful dialogues. Supported by the V&A’s collection and loans from other British museums, private col- lectors, designers and fashion houses, the ex- Narrative hibition focuses on the Euro-American fashion system, telling a chronological story roughly When the advisory group first met one partici- century by century. It uses Britain as a case pant argued that the urgent need to address to- study of a country with a once thriving tex- day’s environmental challenges was best served tile industry, which is known today for its in-

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Figure 4. A display about cotton and cotton manufacturing in nineteenth century Britain with an image of cotton pickers in Savannah, Georgia, USA, c.1890, on the object label in the foreground. Copyright: Victoria and Albert Museum novative fashion and design community. The has become global, linear and dispersed, pri- textile and fashion industries have had a neg- marily in the Global South in countries with ative environmental and social impact for cen- low wage economies and weak environmental turies. In Britain this increased dramatically in controls. At the same time the digital revolution the nineteenth century. Scientific and techno- and advent of the fast fashion model at the end logical innovation drove the industrialisation of the 1980s increased fashion production and which underpinned the country’s economy and consumption while simultaneously devaluing its ability to transform imported raw materials fashion and contributing to overproduction and into finished goods suitable for export to the waste. British Empire and beyond. This was accompa- nied by rapid urbanisation and a spike in the Public concern about pollution, its dam- population. The scale of industrialisation and aging effect on the environment and on the its dependence on coal and chemicals led to ability of humans and other species to thrive, significant land, air and water pollution in over- ran in parallel with these developments. Some crowded towns and cities with limited infra- individuals also held fashion to account for the structure. This affected public health, destroyed loss of species and cruelty to animals. In Brit- fish stocks and caused collateral environmental ain, this led to the formation of charities and damage such as flooding (Ehrman, 2018, pp. 88- pressure groups such as the Society for the Pro- 93). In the following century, the environmental tection of Birds (later Royal Society, founded impact of the industries lessened, particularly 1891), the Humanitarian League (1891-1919), after the Second World War (1939-1945), when which particularly targeted the trade in sealskin legislation became more effective and overseas and, in the twentieth century, the World Wildlife competition led to the industries’ decline. Inev- Fund (founded 1961) and Greenpeace (1971). itably this shift in the sites of manufacture re- As public disquiet about pollution increased sulted in environmental degradation elsewhere. in the 1970s and 1980s some textile manufac- The geographical area affected by pollution has turers, such as Courtaulds in Britain and Len- increased significantly as the fashion industry zing in Germany took note. In 1992 after many

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years of research and development Courtaulds on the rise. Alternative methods of acquiring launched Tencel®, a cellulosic fibre made from clothes, from rental and subscription schemes plantation-grown sustainable softwoods, whose to participating in the thriving second-hand manufacture drew on an innovative and envi- market, also are becoming increasingly popu- ronmentally friendly organic solvent spinning lar and, potentially, profitable (Orlean, 2019). process. Over 99 per cent of the solvent, which These developments are heartening but in re- is non-toxic, can be recovered. At the same time ality, the situation is more sombre. Fashion’s early pioneers of sustainable fashion, such as environmental impact is forecast to continue Katharine Hamnett and Sarah Ratty, were begin- to rise continue rise unless and until the indus- ning to emerge in Britain and the USA. Public try implements an accelerated programme of unease and activism are an important subtheme comprehensive and systemic change (Global in Fashioned from Nature. They are addressed Fashion Agenda, 2019). The exhibition’s core through the medium of objects and images in message, that sustainability must be embedded the period displays and an exhibit called ‘Pro- at every stage in a garment’s life cycle, remains test!’ which links the twentieth century section as relevant as when the exhibition was con- with the display cases addressing the present ceived. day (Fig.3). Comparing the global environmental challenge which we face today with the experience Content and Interpretation of one country at a very different period has obvious limitations. But Britain’s nineteenth and Balancing the representation of fashion and twentieth century experiences may have some nature in the exhibition was one of the most relevance in the context of the current political demanding challenges for the exhibition team. shift towards onshoring and the growth of lo- We endeavored to do this through the content, calism. The British experience shows that leg- which focusses on materials and in the exhibi- islation can be effective, provided it is rigorous tion design. The gallery’s layout and footprint and enforced by independent observers with limited the number of materials we could ad- the requisite powers, but even today abuses are dress in each section. Their selection depend- difficult to track down, prove and successful- ed on the importance of the material to fash- ly prosecute (O’Connor, 2018). The past also ion at the time. The composition of the V&A’s demonstrates that science and technology are collection, the prevalence of similar clusters of potent forces when a need is identified, and garments in other British collections and de- that in the long term education and activism can scriptions of fashion in writing of the time in- work. Perhaps one of the most salutary lessons formed our choice. The number of materials is how much our ancestors valued and cared available to fashion has increased substantially for their clothes. Large numbers of garments since the eighteenth century and only cotton in the exhibition have been altered, mended features in every section. and sometimes passed from one generation or The perception of materials has also wearer to the next, to live multiple lives. changed over time, with some raw materials During the eighteen months between the becoming controversial or their use regard- opening of Fashioned from Nature and writ- ed as unethical, such as ivory, turtle shell and ing this article climate change has become rec- fur. A warning about the inclusion of materi- ognised as one of the most critical issues of als from species which are now critically en- our time. The rapid international spread of the dangered or vulnerable, which explained that school strikes for climate campaign initiated by their manufacture predates the legislation that Greta Thunberg (b. 2003) in August 2018 and protects these animals today, was placed at the foundation of Extinction Revolution two the exhibition entrance. Case panels and ob- months later in Britain show that activism is ject labels described why such materials were

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teenth centuries. The exhibition opens with a case which explores the material origins of an ermine-trimmed court mantua made from Lyon silk in Britain in the 1760s. Nearby a display of male and female fashion accessories described the importation of prestigious and expensive materials such as ivory, turtle shell and ebo- ny to make walking sticks, parasols and fans. Some fans were imported ready-made from China while others were fashioned or assem- bled from imported materials in Europe. Sub- sequent cases address flax through the medium of lace; baleen (‘whalebone’), with objects chosen to show both its plastic qualities (a pair of stays) and its rigidity (an umbrella frame); fur in the context of felt hats; wool and cotton. The garments and accessories support a narrative which describes the origins of the materials from which they were made, how the materials were processed and the environmental impact of their production. Maps show the global networks of trade which underpinned the fashion industry from an early period and infographics explain life cycle and process, for instance in Figure 5. Reiko Sudo for NUNO, dress and coat, raw and the production of silk. kibiso silk, Japan 2017. Kibiso silk is made from the protective outer surface of silk cocoons. In the exhibition silk worm The section on the nineteenth century con- cocoons were displayed on the floor of the case alongside the outfit. Donated by the designer. V&A: T.29:1 to 2-2018. tinues the cotton story (Fig. 4). The display Copyright Victoria and Albert Museum (image); Copyright and its interpretation describe the effects of (symbol) NUNO Corporation industrialisation, urbanisation and the conse- quent rise in pollution setting the scene for valued, how they were obtained and if their the succeeding exhibits. They present the in- use was contentious at the time. Although the ternational trade in fur and feathers and the exhibition focussed on fashion’s environmental opposition to the trades from the natural his- record it was impossible to omit any mention tory community and sections of the public; the manufacture of organic and synthetic dye stuffs of slavery and the abuse of indigenous commu- and the exploitation of certain natural materi- nities. We did not highlight every instance but als, such as feathers and mother of pearl, for referred to slavery in the exhibition text and their colour and iridescence; experiments with with images in the context of nineteenth-centu- spun glass as a silk substitute; the use of rubber ry American grown cotton and the collection of in fashion and some of the more unusual im- latex for rubber in the Amazon rain forest. The ported materials like vegetable ivory (or tagua object label for a group of nineteenth century nut) from the genus Phytelephas. Vegetable ivo- mother-of-pearl buttons called attention to the ry was used principally to manufacture buttons callous exploitation and dangerous treatment and recommended in the 1920s as a vegetarian of the aborigines who worked in the pearl fish- alternative to elephant ivory. ing industry in Australia. Wherever possible we included unpro- The ground floor of the exhibition gallery cessed plant and animal fibres, such as silk- was divided between the eighteenth and nine- worm cocoons and a sheep’s fleece, and natural

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history specimens to remind visitors of the ori- Sourcing images that showed environmental gins of the materials utilised to create the fash- damage which was directly attributable to the ions in the exhibition (Fig. 5). The latter range fashion industry before the 1990s was surpris- from samples of plant materials employed in ingly difficult, but we did find relevant pho- the commercial dyeing industry to a taxidermy tographs of nineteenth- and twentieth-century specimen of a stoat (Mustela erminea) in its factories and mills whose size, chimney stacks white winter ‘ermine’ coat. This was displayed and black and white format implied the pol- alongside the ermine fur which decorates the lution which they generated. This thread was bodice of the eighteenth-century court mantua amplified by objects chosen to draw attention (Fig. 6). Images and short films of animals and to the occupational health hazards to which birds observed in their natural habitat introduce textile workers were exposed. These artefacts the sights and sounds of living nature into the include a nineteenth-century beaver top hat exhibition. They also serve as a reminder of which still contains traces of the mercuric ni- how much we lose when species are endan- trate used during the felting process. The hu- gered or lost. man body absorbs mercury easily and over time exposure to mercury affects the nervous The potential for using sound not only to system. When hazardous materials are found evoke nature but also to suggest the increas- in the V&A’s collections, they are enclosed in ing pressure placed on the environment by the sealed transparent packaging which is labelled demands of fashion was explored in a sound- ‘TOXIC’ to warn and protect staff and visitors scape commissioned from artists Rob St John (Martin and Kite, 2004). Presenting the hat in and Tommy Perman. Apart from the birdsong this way in the exhibition drew attention to at the entrance to the exhibition, all the crea- it, the length of time that toxins can remain tures whose calls make up the soundscape, dangerous and the museum’s health and safety from sheep to whales and wolves, contribut- procedures. ed in some way to the fashions displayed in the exhibition. Their cries are challenged by On the mezzanine level of the gallery, the the sounds of energy, industry and agriculture twentieth-century narrative moved from the which reflect the shift from wind and water- success of ready-to-wear and the dominance power to steam, and from manually operated of the British high street by chain stores to the tools to machines. The soundscape continued globalisation of the fashion industry and the in a more abstract, synthesised form on the impact of fast fashion. The display addresses stairs linking the ground floor of the gallery to the development and impact of man-made and the mezzanine level. The aim of the stair piec- synthetic fibres, and the opportunities they of- es was to excite the curiosity of visitors and fer designers, as well as the continuing use of draw them upstairs. Rob St John’s website fibres familiar from previous centuries. Info- documents the five soundmarks which consti- graphics explain the process of manufacturing tute the soundscape and their sources (St John, viscose (rayon), nylon and Tencel®. As on the 2018). The soundscape had a mixed reception ground floor, the mezzanine level included a case which explored what fashion can tell us and we introduced several sound free periods about our evolving human relationship with in response to complaints from visitors. These nature. The garments and accessories range times were advertised on the website. Criticism from designs directly inspired by nature to oth- of the use of sound in exhibitions is not unique ers created by designers who use their work to to Fashioned from Nature and suggests that its convey their ecological awareness. Christopher inclusion in any exhibition needs to be careful- Kane’s influential Spring Summer 2014 collec- ly considered. tion highlighted the debt we owe to nature and Our approach to addressing the pollution why we need to re-think our values. ‘We live caused by manufacturing was more successful. because of flowers and trees. They produce

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Figure 6. ‘A Dress of World Proportions’. Court mantua, with natural history specimens. The interpretation includes a map showing the source of the raw materials used to create the dress and an infographic explaining the life cycle of the silkworm. V&A: T.252-1959 (mantua) Copyright: Victoria and Albert Museum oxygen. But we take them for granted (Blanks, not an add-on or a special case – it is the ra- 2003). tionale behind the exhibition. Before choosing garments to represent the sustainable strategies This message was echoed in a thought- being practised and developed today, we list- provoking consumer-facing installation devel- ed the approaches which we wanted to repre- oped by students and staff at CSF. Fashion Now sent. They included up-cycling, using pre- and examines five ubiquitous contemporary gar- post-consumer waste and dead stock; the utili- ments, from a pair of suede trainers to a viscose sation of food waste to create textiles; recycled wrap dress, chosen to represent stages in the fibres, and fibres made from plastic waste; sus- life cycle of fashion from design to disposal. tainable alternatives to animal leather, fur and The aim of the five short films is to encourage feathers; fashions made with organically grown visitors to think about how their choices impact or ethically farmed fibres and textile materi- on nature and what they say about us as indi- als; garments related through their materials viduals and a society. The case studies show or manufacture to social action projects; com- that fashion’s, and therefore our interaction panies and designers who share information with the environment is frequently inequitable. about their supply chains with their custom- Each film finishes with suggestions of how we ers; companies committed to using low impact can make better choices for the benefit of all. dyes, reducing their water consumption and When I proposed Fashioned from Nature converting to low carbon power; and more for- I was determined to create an exhibition with ward facing technologies such as bio-design. high fashion values, desirable, exciting gar- Having established our criteria we contact- ments and a nuanced but informative narrative ed designers and worked with them to select just like other fashion exhibitions I have de- garments that would carry the narrative and veloped for the V&A. The only difference is its contribute visually to the overall display. De- subject matter. Sustainability is at its core. It is ciding whether to include companies who

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publicly espouse sustainability but whose busi- The exhibition closes with two future facing ness models are based on high volume sales displays. One utilises garments and accessories with a swift turnover of stock was problemat- to show prototypes and innovative process- ic. We did not want to promote ‘green wash- es that are either experimental or not yet fully ing’ but we were concerned to give due credit scaled for commercial production. The materials to companies with complex business models range from the traditional (paper) to fibres and who are genuinely committed to change. We processes created by designing living systems discussed this internally and externally with (bio-design), and the speculative, exemplified in a network of contacts who work to promote the magical root dress grown by the artist Diana sustainability from within the fashion industry. Scherer. The web of this dress is formed by the They urged us to look at the industry and fash- roots of cereal crops whose seeds are sown to ion system holistically and reminded us that grow through a mesh. As the roots spread the companies which are prepared to make public, mesh directs their path creating fabrics of vary- transparent commitments to shared targets, and ing patterns and textures (Fig. 7). who collaborate and invest in research, have This display paves the way for the second the potential to benefit the whole industry and installation curated by CSF, which explores drive change. Our final object selection includ- what fashion and nature might be like in 2030 ed many well-known brands but there are also in four global scenarios (Centre for Sustainable designers whose names and practices will be Fashion, 2018). The scenarios are based on unknown to most visitors. Together the gar- environmental, economic, social, cultural and ments and accessories offer a range of low and technological changes already taking place high-tech solutions to the challenge we face. across the globe. They are not predictions, but narratives of the ways in which the future might Visitors were particularly engaged by gar- unfold. Short films produced for the exhibition ments made from unusual and new materials, with scripts based on elements from each sce- especially those which utilized food waste. The nario imagine how these futures might influ- Italian fashion house Ferragamo kindly donat- ence our way of life, dress and feelings about ed an outfit made from silk blended with Or- nature. An interactive set of questions placed ange Fiber. Orange Fiber is a new cellulosic nearby enables visitors to share their opinions fibre made from by-products of the citrus juice about how fashion should be designed, made, industry. Nearby a mannequin wore a shoul- acquired, cared for and disposed of (or not) in der bag designed and donated by the Brazil- 2030. The resulting data will benefit on-going ian fashion brand Osklen which specializes in research at CSF. luxury products made from sustainable materials. The outside of the bag is created from the skin of the pirarucu fish (Arapaima gigas) Exhibition Design which is native to the lakes and rivers of the Amazon. As the pirarucu is a protected species, The layout, environment and atmosphere of the Osklen source the fish from government-reg- two floors in the fashion gallery are very dif- ulated farms which provide employment for ferent. The ground floor has a low ceiling, re- local communities and a sustainable source of stricted lighting and shop-window style cases. food, while maintaining fish stocks. Our orig- The mezzanine level is bright and airy, with a inal plans for the exhibition included an area high, domed ceiling. The design brief asked in- where visitors could feel and examine materials house designers Juri Nishi and Judith Brugger highlighted in the displays, but this was cut to to devise a scheme which metaphorically and allow more space for circulation. In retrospect, visually linked the two floors of the exhibition I think this was a mistake and several visitors gallery. It emphasised the desirability of using expressed disappointment there were no touch sustainable materials with life beyond the exhi- objects. bition and specified that the design should be

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inspired by and evoke nature in its concept and materials. Early confirmation of sponsorship of the exhibition by the European Confederation of Flax and Hemp (CELC) fed into the designers’ concept, with a field trip to the flax fields of Northern France organised by CELC proving a fruitful source of inspiration. Drawing on photographs taken during this trip and an image of Turnip Rock, a striking rock formation crowned with trees that rises from the sea off the coast of Michigan, USA, the team designed the ground floor to evoke rock and soil, the stairs to represent roots and sprouting shoots and the mezzanine, where the focus is on innovation, to suggest verdant growth (Brugger, 2018). The latter was realised in part by a display of living plants growing in the self-contained eco- systems that terrariums create. The terrariums were arranged at the head of the stairs around a mannequin dressed in the gown worn by the actor Emma Watson to the Metropolitan Muse- um of Art’s fundraising gala for the Costume Institute in 2016. Watson is an influential figure in the campaign for a sustainable fashion system and has many young followers (Watson, 2018). The gown, a dramatic black and white three-piece ensemble of a bustier, trousers and train was created by Calvin Klein and Eco Age to be as sustainable and versatile as possible. It made a bold statement and set the agenda for Figure 7. Diana Scherer, ‘Rootbound #2’ dress, oat roots, Netherlands, 2017. Lent by the artist. Copyright: Victoria and the mezzanine narrative. When Fashioned from Albert Museum Nature closed at the V&A the terrariums were donated to schools and the glass chips, gravel tinctoria, have a direct link with textiles being and resin screens used in the exhibition design a much-used source of a purplish dye. were utilised for a school landscaping project. The display tables which were made from recycled flax found a new home at a hemp farm. Public Programme Creating the title board for the exhibition was an important part of the design process Fashioned from Nature supported an active and (Fig.8). It was developed with set designers successful public programme which ranged Nick Sellek and Caroline Perry. The concept from high profile, income generating events was inspired by photographs of lichen grow- for the Museum’s members to opportunities for ing by the Thames estuary and in Eastbourne teachers, school students and young people. as well as lichen that Nishi found flourishing For the launch of the exhibition the Member- in inner city London. Lichens are very diverse. ship team invited Hannah Jones, then Nike’s They thrive in many different habitats and vary Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President in their colour, form and size. Some, like rocella of its Innovation Accelerator, to talk with the

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journalist Marion Hume. Securing Jones was a Fashioned from Nature hosted two art- coup and audience members queued to speak ists-in residence, Arianna Nicoletti and Brid- with her at the evening’s close. The exhibition get Harvey. Artists-in-residence hold open conference, organised by curator Connie Kar- studios, offer lunchtime talks and contribute ol-Burks, also had an industry focus. It explored to the Learning programme. Nicoletti applied the future of sustainable fashion and brought for the three-month Goethe V&A Sustainable together industry experts to discuss creative Fashion Residency which was supported by and practical ways to reduce the environmental the V&A’s near neighbour, the Goethe-Institut. impact of fashion, from small scale innovations She is a Berlin-based fashion designer and en- to new methods being introduced by global trepreneur with an interest in developing and brands. Speakers included Claire Bergkamp, mapping circular systems for manufacturing Worldwide Director of Sustainability and Inno- textiles. She used the residency and its links to vation at Stella McCartney; Nina Marenzi and the exhibition to interview some of the leading Amanda Johnson, founder and curator of the innovators in the field of sustainable textiles not-for- profit consultancy Sustainable Angle whose work was represented in the exhibi- and #FutureFabricsExpo; and Dr Orr Yarkoni tion or connected to it. Her aim was to cre- of Colorifix, a synthetic biology start-up which ate greater awareness about existing circular is developing a new, clean, sustainable method approaches while highlighting the synergies of commercial dyeing. The conference built on between them and outlining future evolutions. the exhibition content enabling more in-depth In the studio she visualised her findings in an analysis of its significance to the development analogue map which she used to explain her of a sustainable fashion industry than the exhi- research to visitors and students. bition text could provide. Bridget Harvey was (Fashion) Maker in Res- Fashioned from Nature was used as a re- idence at the V&A from October 2018 to June source for school students on the V&A’s Design- 2019. Harvey is a maker, curator, educator and Lab Nation programme. This national pro- activist whose work focusses on the politics gramme teaches students the skills which they of repair. She describes repair ‘once household need to study Design and Technology within practice, then chore outmoded by increased the British secondary school examination sys- consumption’ as being ‘in a third wave. It is be- tem. The exhibition also formed the focus of coming seen as a political and environmental the V&A’s 2018 Graphic Gathering Challenge. choice, and increasingly as an innovative and The competition is designed to give students a exciting creative space to work in… I believe taste of professional practice and help prepare clothing repair to be a route to personal em- them for higher or further education and work powerment – offering choice against pressure in the creative industries through answering a to buy new and a political stance against over- real life brief. In 2018, the museum partnered consumption and supply chain slavery (Quin- with the British charity Textile Re-use and In- lan, 2018). ternational Development (TRAID) Klymkiw, 2018. Participating students competed to de- During her residency she studied artefacts sign the artwork for a wrap for a TRAID clothes in the V&A’s fashion archive to understand recycling bank (Klymkiw, 2018).. A bank clad how garments and accessories were made, al- with the winning wrap was exhibited for a day tered and repaired in the past. She discussed at the V&A and then relocated onto the street the practice and processes of repair with cura- (Fig.9). For teachers, learning staff produced tors from a range of disciplines and explored a resource pack which addressed the exhibi- what repair, restoration and conservation mean tion’s narrative, themes and messages. This in the context of the museum. Visitors to her was available at no cost on the V&A’s website studio encountered objects made from many and 241 copies were downloaded. materials including textiles, leather, rubber,

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Figure 8. The exhibition title board and shop. Copyright: Victoria and Albert Museum ceramics and glass which she used to discuss Green Awards which celebrate the work of cul- repair-making and its meanings. At the end tural institutions who embed environmental ac- of her residency she produced a booklet, Re- tion within their work; Walpole’s ‘Sustainability pair-Making and the Museum, which includes with a Heart’ award which is ‘awarded to the contributions from Reino Leifkes, Senior Cu- luxury brand, institution or individual that has rator and Head of Ceramics and Glass at the consistently dedicated themselves to making V&A and Tan-dem, who are part of the editorial the world a better place, either through sus- 4 team at The Journal of Modern Craft . Harvey’s tainable or environmental initiatives, contribu- exploratory, interdisciplinary and collaborative tion to special causes, or in using the power approach and Nicoletti’s focus on circular sys- of their voice to speak out on behalf of others; tems complemented the narrative and themes and the UK Sponsorship Award for the Best of the exhibition. They contributed to its re- Use of Sponsorship to Encourage Sustainabili- search and learning outputs and offered visitors ty for the European Confederation of Flax and a unique way of engaging with sustainable de- Hemp’s (CELC’s) sponsorship of the exhibition. sign practices. The awards reflect the synergy between the exhibition team, members of the advisory panel Exhibition successes and CELC, and their commitment to the exhibition’s messages. Fashioned from Nature attracted 175,794 visi- A visitor profiling survey (Bentley, 2019) tors and won three awards: Best Creative Pro- carried out during the exhibition by the V&A’s gramming at Julie’s Bicycle’s 2018 Creative Visitor Research Officer found that Fashioned from Nature attracted a high proportion of 4 Copies of the booklet are available for consultation at the V&A in the National Art Library and the Textiles and Fashion young people, with over half the visitors (55%) Department. aged 16-34 years. The Future Starts Here (V&A,

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6 October 2018 – 4 November 2018), achieved a similar figure. LikeFashioned from Nature, this exhibition was future-facing and had a political dimension. It explored the power of design in shaping the future and argued that we can and should choose our futures. Visitors connected to the creative industries and students were a significant audience for both exhibitions, with the latter accounting for just under a third of the audience total. Only 15% of Fashioned from Nature’s audience was from the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) group compared to 17% of the V&A’s general audience in 2017-18 and most visitors (90%) were female. Both re- sults were disappointing, particularly the latter as we hoped that the exhibition’s focus on sustainability would attract more men. In general, visitors agreed that Fashioned from Nature was thought-provoking, with 92% of visitors strong- ly agreeing or agreeing with the statement, ‘the inclusion of animal and plant materials in the exhibition has made me think more about the materials used in fashion and how it depends on nature’. 83% agreed that ‘the exhibition has Figure 9. Wrap designed by Ellie Scorer at The Bedford Sixth prompted me to think differently about fash- Form for clothes reuse charity TRAID. Ellie (pictured) was the ion’ and 92% agreed that interpretation ‘helped winner of the V&A’s 2018 Graphic Gathering design challenge. their understanding of the subject’. The most frequently mentioned negative aspects were wants to learn more to come and join us’. The perceived missing content and the font size of committee chose the lecture theatre for the the object labels which some found difficult to event which made parliamentary history with read. the largest audience ever for a committee hear- The exhibition was notably successful in ing. The purpose of the session was to help strengthening existing networks and develop- inform recommendations that the Committee ing others, in government, academia, the fash- was to make to Government in a major report ion industry and among the many charities and published in 2019 (UK Parliament, 2018). The non-profit organisations working in the envi- event was a valuable advocacy exercise. It in- ronmental field. In November 2018 the cross creased the Museum’s visibility within parlia- party parliamentary Environmental Audit Com- ment and industry networks, drew attention to mittee investigating the sustainability of the the exhibition and the V&A’s fashion collection, British fashion industry accepted the Museum’s and aligned with the Museum’s sustainability invitation to hold an open hearing at the V&A. policy (Victoria and Albert Museum, 2019). Mary Creagh MP, the Committee Chair, said in a press release, ‘We have teamed up with the Following the success of this event, we in- V&A to explore some of the issues highlighted vited the campaign group Fashion Revolution in its Fashion from Nature exhibition and ex- to hold their annual Fashion Question Time at amine how the fashion sector can remodel it- the V&A. This event takes place during Fash- self to be more sustainable. I would encourage ion Revolution Week on or as near as possi- anyone who has a passion for this issue or just ble to the anniversary of the collapse of the

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Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Bibliography 24 April 2013. With Baroness Lola Young of Hackney in the chair, the panel debated ‘To- BLANKS, T. (2003) “Spring 2014 Ready-To-Wear: morrowland: how innovation and sustainabil- Christopher Kane”. In https://www.vogue. ity will change the fashion panorama’ before com/fashion-shows/spring-2014-ready-to- taking questions from the floor. Panel mem- wear/christopher-kane [26-10-2019] bers included Mary Creagh, MP and Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee; Laura Bal- BENTLEY, M., Fashioned from Nature Visitor Pro- filing Report 21 April 2018-27 January 2019 mond, Project Manager, Ellen MacArthur Foun- V&A, 2019, p. 2 dation; Mark Sumner, Lecturer in Sustainability, Fashion & Retail, University of Leeds; and Hen- BRUGGER, J. (2018) “Soil, roots & plants: the ex- drik Alpen, Sustainability Engagement Manag- hibition design of Fashioned from Nature”. In: er, H&M Group. The morning was attended by https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/projects/ high-level fashion industry representatives from soil-roots-plants-the-exhibition-design-of-fashioned-from-nature [26-10-2019] across the sector, global brands, retailers, press, MPs, influencers, NGOs and, for the first time, CARTER, M., Putting a Face on Things: Studies in the public. Encouraging debate and discussion Imaginary Materials, Sydney: Power Institute of around topical issues, and being a space for Fine Arts, 1996. pp.158-161 civic debate, is at the heart of the V&A’s pro- CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE FASHION (2018) gramming. “Fashioned from Nature”. In: https://sustainable-fashion.com/projects/fashionedfromna- Fashioned from Nature has given us an ture/ [26-10-2019] opportunity to think more deeply about how the V&A and museums and cultural organisa- EHRMAN, E. (ed.) Fashioned from Nature, London: tions world-wide can represent and contribute V&A Publishing, 2018 to debates around sustainability. The United ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION (2017) “A Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Devel- New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s opment, adopted by all UN Member States in Future”. In: https://www.ellenmacarthur- 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and foundation.org/assets/downloads/publica- prosperity for people and the planet now and tions/A-New-Textiles-Economy_Full-Report_ into the future. It incorporates 17 sustainable Updated_1-12-17.pdf [ 24-10-2019] development goals. Goal 4 is to ‘ensure inclu- GLOBAL FASHION AGENDA (2019) “Pulse of the sive and quality education for all and to pro- Fashion Industry 2019 Update”. In https:// mote life-long learning’. There are more than www.globalfashionagenda.com/pulse-2019-up- 55,000 museums in the world. They support date/ [26-10-2019] life-long, formal and informal learning and can HERREMANS, I.M. and REID, I.R. “Developing bring people together, from local communities awareness of the sustainability concept.” Jour- to industry and academia. In addition, as Fash- nal of Environmental Education, 34, 2002, pp. ioned from Nature has shown, many of their 16–20. Cited in NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM collections and core activities can support fo- (2015) “Sustainability: a public engagement cussed explorations of the environmental and literature review”. In: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/ social challenges which we urgently need to content/dam/nhmwww/about-us/visitor-re- address. The V&A was one of the first muse- search/Sustainability%20Lit%20review.pdf [26- ums to calculate its carbon footprint in 2007 10-2019] and it is committed to reducing its environmen- KLYMKIW, S. (2018) “Traid Partners with V&A Mu- tal impact as an organisation. Exhibitions like seum for Graphic Gathering”. In https://www. Fashioned from Nature reflect and reinforce the traid.org.uk/traid-partners-with-va-museum- MUseum´s intent. for-graphic-gathering/ [26-10-2019] LETELIER, L., “Loss of relevance is the biggest threat facing museums”. Museums Jour-

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