After the successful organization of online lectures, the Hellenic Costume Society invites an old friend and collaborator of the Peloponnesean Folklore Foundation Linda Welters, Professor of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design at Rhode Island University, to give a short series of two lectures.
Linda Welters’ lectures, titled “The History of Sustainability in Fashion”, will focus on the history of sustainability of fashion, from the times when garments were produced by hand and fashion was slowly changing through today’s fast fashion, covering also the Industrial Revolution and the radical changes it brought to the fashion market.
1st Lecture, Wednesday, June 17, 2020, 6:00 p.m.: “From Scarcity to Abundance”
Until the nineteenth century, textiles were mostly produced by hand using laborious processes. Fashions that originated in the courts and urban centers changed slowly and gradually spread to rural areas. People remodeled their clothes to fit the newest fashions, patched them to extend their usability, and sold them in the used clothing market. The Industrial Revolution radically changed the fashion landscape with machines to spin and weave fabric and to sew that fabric into apparel and footwear. By 1900, it was possible for all but the poorest members of society to be fashionably dressed. This presentation traces sustainability in fashion from the years before the Industrial Revolution until 1900.
2nd Lecture, Wednesday, June 24, 2020, 6:00 p.m.: “Sustainability post 1900”
After 1900, fashion change accelerated. Clothing, especially for women, became less complicated to construct, and as a result, more apparel was made in factories and sold in stores. Technological advances led to manufactured fibers and other textile innovations. Growing awareness of damage to the environment, including from textile production, spawned the environmental movement. Globalization and the relaxing of trade policies led to a drastic reduction in the cost of apparel. Fast fashion and the bloated wardrobes of first world countries resulted in a brisk trade in second-hand clothes with third world countries and a push for recycling. This presentation examines sustainability in fashion from 1900 until today.
The lectures will be in English. Οι διαλέξεις θα γίνουν στα αγγλικά. Participation cost: 5 €. To gain access please deposit the participation fee (5 €) to the following account of the National Bank: ΙΒΑΝ GR9301104270000042748015718 and send the payment receipt to [email protected] (Mrs. Rosa Patsea), in order to obtain the link of access to the platform.
