Fashion, nature, society and psychology

 In The Three Ecologies, Felix Guattari argues that “it is quite wrong to make a distinction between action on the psyche, the socius and the environment… We need to kick the habit of sedative discourse… in order to apprehend the world through the interchangeable lenses of the three ecologies”.

so how to start?

for example, something small - the choice of cotton in the design of a t-shirt, and its relationship with nature, society and psychology. We can explain the choice of cotton in the design process in some simple ways by looking at some of the influences on the choice. For example:

• T-shirts are always made of cotton (society: social norms)

• Cotton is ‘cheap’ (society: economics)

• Cotton keeps us cool (nature: human physiology, climate)

• Cotton grows well in many parts of the world (nature: climate, soil)

• Cotton feels nice on our bodies (psychology: wellbeing)

• Too many cotton t-shirts are sold (society: economics)

• Cotton workers are exposed to high levels of pesticides (society: health)

• High levels of water are used on many cotton farms (nature: pollution)

• Intensive cotton farming results in exhaustion of soil (nature: climate, soil)

• Cotton t-shirts help us fit into society by wearing clothes similar to other people (psychology: identity)

what are some of the other influences on the choice of cotton from nature, society and psychology? 

natural or a blend? (nature: natural or man made?) is it ethically grown and produced? (nature & society: the conditions of the workers) how does the production affect the environment? (nature: the pollution and the environment)

we can start to see how nature, society and psychology influence design choices in fashion. however there are consequences of the cotton choice. For example:

other consequences for the choice of cotton from nature, society and psychology could include: price (society and economics) location/producer (society: economics and sometimes politics) 

from this it is very easy to see that fashion is entwined with nature, society and psychology.  

there are lots of questions we should ask ourselves that help us make choices and question the choices we make or have made before, why is cotton cheap or does cotton feel nice on our bodies? what are the reasons behind our choice/preference? perhaps its eco-friendly, a recycled fibre blend, there are social justice reasons such as ethical fair pay and living standards for garment workers’ rather than low pay and long working hours in harsh condition. Other reasons may include how often we have wash our clothes;  or when we discard our clothes - quality

we chose our clothes, brands and our fabrics for a variety of reasons, perhaps humanitarian reasons, we are vegan, we support eco, the price, the style, the availability, that it's a fashionable brand etc, This is a selection made not just by the designer/manufacture, but also the buyer, the store, the customer and you the wearer on a specific day/occasion. A simple design; a simple cotton tshirt for example, has a lot of thought gone into it pre and post production right down to the choice by  the wearer on when and where to wear it, and when to give it away/stop using it. 

UNFORTUNATELY 

There is a current limitation overall in the approach to looking at influences and consequences of fashion in general is that we miss the specifics, the small details that we take for granted and overlook. 

These include where the fashion practices are taking place, who the people affected are, what the specific fashion culture under discussion is, and when it is taking place. The picture will change when these aspects are taken into account. For example, the environmental harm from rain-fed cotton will be different to irrigated cotton. Climate change will affect garment workers in Bangladesh differently to how it will affect garment workers in the US. In the future, technology will undoubtedly be created to meet some of the challenges that fashion raises, and social norms will have changed too.

Trying to create, in our minds, this entangled picture of the relationship between fashion, nature, society and psychology can feel overwhelming. The point isn’t to create a full picture. The aim is to keep fashion, nature and society in our minds when we are thinking about fashion and sustainability and also fashion, social justice and injustice.

keeping this in mind will help us to keep open to possibilities and perhaps opportunities for change. Seeing the complex picture of how fashion is entangled with nature, society and psychology can be humbling. It can also help us to understand that we cannot always know what the best way is to bring about change, since complex situations do not have simple solutions. It can release us into knowing that there is no right answer; it can free us to play, explore, experiment and learn.

By acknowledging the complexities and keeping a reflective approach, our energies might be averted from maintaining the status quo, or making matters worse. This can also help us avoid unintended consequences.

Therefore, you are invited not only to keep this entanglement of nature, society and psychology in mind as we move to looking at social justice and injustice, but also to keep a reflective and experimental mindset.

https://supplycompass.com/sustainable-fashion-blog/systems-thinking/

https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9780203519943.ch2