We spoke to Charo Izquierdo, author of the book Fashion (R)evolution. La gran oportunidad de la moda, an essay on the history of this industry and the challenges it faces.
Trying to fit Charo Izquierdo into a single subject is complex: her professional career has led her to draw synergies with fashion, sustainability, lifestyle, culture and gender issues. She is a multifaceted woman who brings vision and love to everything that catches her attention. Perhaps that is why she has achieved mentions such as the Women Together award at the United Nations or a recognition from the Ministry of Equality for her contribution to the elimination of violence against women. Today we talk to her about her latest project, the book Fashion (R)evolution. La gran oportunidad de la moda. An essay in which she reviews the history of this industry and analyses the challenges it faces in terms of sustainability, circularity and well-being for the planet.
In the chapter Green is the new black you provide revealing data: every year 100 billion garments are made in the world and 92 million tonnes of textiles end up in landfill. How did we get here? What have we done wrong, the ones and the others?
What we have done wrong is to fail to differentiate between value and price, between quality and quantity. We have disregarded the importance of clothing and turned it into a disposable utility. On the one hand. On the other hand, there has been an exorbitant production that has made processes and therefore prices cheaper, mainly due to offshoring. All of this has led us to consume fashion as if it were candy, despising its value.
Cover of the book by Charo Izquierdo.
You also talk about the role of the European Union in this scenario. What policies do you think are needed?
The policies being implemented by the European Union are aimed at greater responsibility: on the one hand for producers, and on the other hand for consumers. They do not only apply to fashion, but to more sectors of the industry that have to work to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals and the zero emissions to be achieved by 2050.
You talk about consumer irresponsibility when you refer to the tons of clothes that regularly arrive in the Atacama Desert in Chile. How can we change the consumer’s view to be more conscious and responsible? What does it depend on?
First of all, I like to make it clear that you should not put all the responsibility on the side of the consumer, because they don’t have all the responsibility. But if we apply this responsibility to citizens, I believe that a change of mentality that distinguishes value from price and where the quality of the garments is more important than quantity is fundamental.
Another of the concepts you mention is zero waste, in which not even 1mm of fabric is wasted in the pattern-making process. In what ways and by whom is it currently being implemented?
Pattern-making is a fundamental point in saving waste, and technology and especially Artificial Intelligence are great allies. However, it is also essential to work on the garment from the beginning, that is to say, to work on eco-design so that it favours less fabric waste.
What are the biggest monsters of fast fashion?
I wouldn’t talk about monsters but about those responsible, and I would say that we have all been responsible insofar as it has been and continues to be a consumer system.
How can we avoid greenwashing in the fashion industry?
The only way to avoid greenwashing is to work towards more sustainable production and a more circular system, to abide responsibly by the new regulations and especially those that call for honesty, clarity, transparency and traceability of messages. We cannot speak in terms that mislead the consumer.
Which brands do you think are doing a good job in terms of circularity?
We are in a period of generalised transformation, so I don’t dare to talk about specific brands, but rather about a trend that affects each and every brand and in which the big ones are doing very important work in terms of circularity, sustainability and setting an example for others.
You talk about materials such as vegan cashmere or orange fiber. Which are the most innovative in terms of sustainability?
I say the same as in the previous question, and that is that there is a change in the system in which work is being done to find materials that have a lower environmental impact. I think the most interesting thing is the work that is being done on the recovery of materials that are recycled into other materials. This is the case of recycled polyester.
Another of the aspects you deal with is sustainability from a social point of view. In this sense, what measures should companies implement?
It is essential to work so that those who produce our garments have a decent life, with a decent job and a decent salary.
Here it is very important to know that when a garment is very cheap something is going wrong in the production chain and the value chain. Usually it is workers’ rights that are at fault. That is why it is very important to talk about the traceability of garments, to know that in each link of the production chain everything that has to do with the environment is being respected.
What role will Artificial Intelligence play in the future of sustainable fashion?
Artificial Intelligence not only has a future: it already has a present. The technology is playing a very important role, for example in pattern making and other aspects of production. Also in distribution, and of course in retail.
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The more personal side…
What fashion style do you like the most?
I like the style that allows me to show myself as I am, without artifice. And that’s very eclectic, because I’m not just one way: I depend on circumstances, moments, moods?
A specific designer
I don’t have a specific designer, but I do have many designers who have their own style, who make women feel good and who are faithful to their principles.
Do you collect anything?
I don’t collect anything; it bores me.
A country you would go back to 100 times
Cuba.
A pending trip
Japan.
A daily habit
Reading before going to sleep. If I don’t, I sleep worse.
A hobby
Dancing.
A colour
Red.
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Charo Izquierdo is Director of the Enclave ODS vertical at El Español and Editorial Advisor at El Español, in its Magas verticals. She is also an independent advisor, journalist, writer, entrepreneur and member of various advisory boards. She specialises in fashion, sustainability, lifestyle, culture and gender issues.
She has been general director of magazines at Prensa Ibérica, director of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid catwalk show and of the fashion and lifestyle fairs at IFEMA, as well as founder and director of Yo Dona magazine.
Honorary Top 100, she has received several awards, including the 8 March award from the Community of Madrid, the Directive of the Year award from ASEME, recognition from the Ministry of Equality for her contribution to the elimination of violence against women and a Women Together award from the United Nations.
She is Vice-President of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, member of the Board of Directors of Women Action Sustainability (WAS), Member of the International Women Forum Spain and Womenalia, Merit Academician of the Academy of Perfume and founding academician of the Academy of Fashion.
She has published the books Puta no soy (Lid Editorial), Socorro, soy abuela (Plaza&Janés), Soy yo o es que aquí hace mucho calor (Planeta), co-written with Laura Ruiz de Galarreta, and Fashion (R)Evolution (Lid Editorial).
