Imagine a successful fashion brand that makes a hard stop, and then restarts all over again. And that is exactly what The Lot’s Ashleigh Battle did when she drew a line in the sand. Battle moved away from fast fashion to sustainability at the end of last year.
The fashion story shared with The Citizen in 2022 is now a far cry from her incredible fashion shape shift.
Fast fashion, with its rapid production cycles and low-cost trends, had grown into a colossal industry over recent years, said Battle. However, this growth came at a significant cost. Labour pay plummeted, product quality deteriorated, and environmental hazards skyrocketed in a vicious cycle of obsessive consumerism. “While access to affordable trendy fashion was initially attractive to shoppers, the detrimental effects of this industry soon became apparent,” she said.
Fashionistas on social media have repeatedly posted images of the giant fast fashion dump in Chile, South America. There, previously donned but perhaps not forever loved, fashion went to die. Photographers and eco-conscious models and media have staged shoots and events at the tip to raise awareness of the damage that constantly disposed of garments can cause. It highlighted the all-round pollutive nature of it. Socially, with low wage sweatshops through to mountains of rotting fabrics.
Overproduction and waste have become scourges of the fashion industry. Currency, the equaliser in many ways.
The combined weakening of the Rand, making imports of fashion all the more expensive. It decimated margins along with the socio environmental damage that fast fashion continues to cause. This challenge stirred Battle. Consequently, she changed direction. “Our customer base is self-aware; they don’t want to be a part of the problem. They want to support sustainable and ethical brands and businesses. We are seeing a massive shift towards consciousness and connection in purchasing patterns,” said Battle.
Fashion’s environmental impact is blamed as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and plastic waste. Without substantial changes, various reports suggest that the industry is projected to emit over a billion tons of carbon dioxide by 2030.
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It is estimated that the global market in sustainable fashion is worth a staggering seven billion dollars, and pundits predict that it will remain on an upward trajectory. Some forecasts peg the value of the sector at well over thirty billion dollars within the next six years. “We believe that consumers are ready for change,” battle said. “They want to invest in pieces that have meaning and will last.”
The sustainable fashion market focuses on environmentally friendly, organic materials manufactured through sustainable processes. It makes use of fewer harmful substances in production processes and focuses on fair labour practices. In short, a more responsible way to make clobber.
After months of meticulous planning, Battle took the leap and overhauled her company. She renamed it The Lot Collective, a total reinvention in Battle’s mind, representing the elegant and ethical “older sister”, as she called it, of the original brand. The new look and feel, while a significant departure from the previous fashion presented, now predominantly features local brands. It’s a philosophy that prioritises quality over quantity and consciousness over the bottom line.
Millennials and Generation Z, according to numbers site Statista, accounted for 68 percent of sustainable clothing sales in the United States in 2022. By 2026, the sustainable fashion market is expected to surpass six percent of total sales. This shows a growing cross generational consumer commitment to environmentally responsible choices.
“Our transformation was driven by the desire to create a meaningful impact. We wanted to move away from the disposable culture of fast fashion and towards a model that celebrates craftsmanship and sustainability,” she said. “We are proud to support local talent and provide a platform for designers who share our vision of sustainability and quality,” Battle noted.
Outside of selling new more responsibly made garments, circular fashion programmes, including resale, rental, repair, and recycling, offer promising solutions. Their effectiveness is limited without broader consumer changes, such as buying fewer clothes branded as fast fashion, commentators said.
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