Journalist and New York Times Bestselling Author
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Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes
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Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion
and the Future of Clothes
What should I wear? It’s one of the fundamental questions we ask ourselves every day. More than ever, we are told it should be something new. Today, the clothing industry churns out 80 billion garments a year and employs every sixth person on Earth. Historically, the apparel trade has exploited labor, the environment, and intellectual property—and in the last three decades, with the simultaneous unfurling of fast fashion, globalization, and the tech revolution, those abuses have multiplied exponentially, primarily out of view. We are in dire need of an entirely new human-scale model. Bestselling journalist Dana Thomas has traveled the globe to discover the visionary designers and companies who are propelling the industry toward that more positive future by reclaiming traditional craft and launching cutting-edge sustainable technologies to produce better fashion.
In Fashionopolis, Thomas sees renewal in a host of developments, including printing 3-D clothes, clean denim processing, smart manufacturing, hyperlocalism, fabric recycling—even lab-grown materials. From small-town makers and Silicon Valley whizzes to such household names as Stella McCartney, Levi’s, and Rent the Runway, Thomas highlights the companies big and small that are leading the crusade.
We all have been casual about our clothes. It's time to get dressed with intention. Fashionopolis is the first comprehensive look at how to start.
“Journalist Thomas offers a wide-ranging exposé of the fashion industry…[and] shows us sustainable alternatives for the future. Fascinating reading for anyone who wears clothing.”
–Library Journal
“A great resource for learning about the effects of fast fashion.”
–Reader's Digest
“Thoroughly reported and persuasively written, [Thomas's] clarion call for more responsible practices in fashion will speak to both industry professionals and socially conscious consumers.”
–Publishers Weekly