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Sustainable Fashion in a Fast Fashion World: “The Hidden Cost” Showcases a Raw Reality In a world where low prices often mean more purchases, Shihui Fu has created a brand and mixed media exhibit displaying the unfortunate truth behind fast fashion industry. “Spiritual Happiness is Sustainable” Being that clothes are an obvious necessity, fast fashion has taken over modern society due to the financial barriers many experience. Fu’s fascination with sustainable clothing has grown from a childhood interest into a passionate, researched career where she brings light to the truths hidden in the fashion industry. “When it comes to fashionable clothes, the line becomes blurred, making it difficult for consumers to determine whether they’re pursuing material needs or spiritual needs,” Fu explains. “The happiness that material possessions bring is short-lived, while spiritual happiness is sustainable. So, I hope that consuming ethical fashion will bring people more lasting spiritual happiness.” Fu has created not only a line of products that accentuate her beliefs on sustainability, but also push boundaries when helping others see the truth. She doesn’t want the public to just know the negative realities behind fast fashion, she wants the public to feel that truth and exist with it. “People demand too much from nature because of greed, which inevitably yields catastrophic results,” Fu says of how society interprets sustainability withing the fashion realm. “We must make changes in order to reverse those results, which is why sustainable fashion, ethical fashion, and slow fashion will continue to trend over the next ten years.” Fu’s Exhibit Will “Cultivate Real Change” “The Hidden Cost” is a mixed media exhibit that will highlight the truth behind the fast fashion industry. The exhibit also presents a series of Shihui’s zero waste fashion project, which consists of 4 pieces of fashion design work. The tassels on the clothes are made of leftover fabrics. To reduce waste during production is a challenge that fashion designers should try in a sustainable era. From oversized price tags providing real, raw visuals of child labor, sweatshops, and pollution to a virtual experience on Fu’s website, viewers will become more knowledgeable of why becoming part of the sustainable sustainable clothing movement is critical to the environment and to humanity. “I hope audience members are able able to rethink the relationship between between humankind and nature, and gain some k d f k l d b h l kind of knowledge about how to live more sustainably,” says Fu. “I hope they’ll be able to feel the momentum of this trend and become inspired to think about what they can do in their careers to support sustainable fashion.” Jennifer Aline Graham On top of showcasing this eye-opening exhibit, Fu plans to return to China to begin an environmentally-friendly business as well as a recycling store. She hopes she can connect with Chinese consumers and entrepreneurs to “provide them with a platform where they can replace their unwanted clothes.” With the textile recycling rate in China being less than 1%, her worry regarding “the attitudes of Chinese consumers toward second-hand clothes and environmental protection” is high. “Overprodu Overproduction and overconsumption are big issues issue in the clothing market,” Fu explains. “Th The sharing method can ensure �� Between Fu’s Fu mixed media exhibit, her educated kn knowledge of the industry, and her dedication to the environment, there is no doubt she will conquer these goals �� dedicatio doubt �� as the tox From toxic industry it is. From Child to Entrepreneur: Fu Knew Ent Fas Gr clothin Fashion was her Calling Growing up with a mother who worked as a tailor, Fu learned a lot about clothing, the fashion industry, and work-ethic. entrepreneu where she pr She participated in a charity entrepreneurship competition in college prepared a project called “Old Clothes, Ne New Look.” This assignment stirred her the world o fast “A few years I saw the doc to keep diving deeper into of sustainable clothing and fast fashion. years into the rise of fast fashion, documentary The True Cost on a fashion panel, and I was shocked,” Fu explains. “I began researching the crimes of fast fashion and learned everything I could about pursuing fashion from an environmentally-sound viewpoint.” During she study at Parsons School of Design and attending intriguing panels regarding the real price of fashion, Fu felt that her heart was committed to spreading the hidden truth of this industry to others through creative media. Her art presents a deeper message than the truth behind fast fashion in a visual form that any audience can connect to. Her exhibits transmit pain and an emotional force any viewer can feel and learn from. What Can Be Done to Make Change Happen Fu’s exhibit is one way to spread awareness and increase knowledge of the negative impact fast fashion has brought forward, but there are other ways to promote the sustainable clothing movement – especially for those who many worry about their own �� to be environmentally friendly. They can make little changes to their own lifestyle over time to support Fu’s vision and bring it to life. “The simplest effort is to wash less frequently and wash with cool water, which helps reduce the microfiber pollution in our water,” says Fu of easy ways to support the movement. “We should try out best to purchase secondhand products, try to buy fewer items over time, and treasure our clothes as our grandmothers did. I encourage people who must buy fast fashion items to wear them longer and to recycle the items after they no longer need them. The key takeaway her is to reduce, reuse, and recycle.” nate,ght to ustry. othes,ng mine iness uming ne fs on daries .w n,she h and ature thing anges ich hion,trend pa b fashio about Schneps Media March 18, 2021 7