Does what you wear matter to the environment?
Learners in a Grades 9 and 10 textile arts class explored the concepts of fast fashion and slow fashion through class discussion and research to increase their understanding of the impacts to the environment, companies, the economy, and the choices they made. They began with a class clothing audit. They each brought in two pieces of clothing and used the labels to understand each garment’s story. As a class, they made a chart of the materials used to make each garment, where the clothes were made, and anything else the label might tell them (company, clothing care, size, etc.). Together, they analyzed the results to see if they could find any patterns and plotted where the clothes were made on a classroom map. They then had a class discussion about what they noticed, what surprised them, and what they needed to learn more about.
After their initial conversations, they watched a Marketplace video about ethical fashion.
Next, the teacher shared with the learners details of how different fabrics were made. They broke into groups to investigate how the use of these materials affected the environment and shared their results in a jigsaw format. They then worked through several centres to develop further background knowledge, which required them to investigate a topic with their group and document their findings. Topics included working conditions in factories related to human rights, calculating costs of shipping, environmental impacts of making clothes, and environmental impacts of clothing waste. They also invited a local designer to talk to the class about their business model and their goals around sustainable and ethical practices.
When each group finished the work in the centres, they met in a Socratic seminar in jigsaw groups to share their learning and deepen their thinking. To prepare for this seminar, the class developed talking points together. They co-constructed elements on an effective discussion to ensure their conversations were productive, inclusive, and led to continual consideration of new ideas.
At the end of the seminar discussion, each of the learners reflected on their role in their group and the seminar. They also reflected on their own choices and how their new knowledge might affect their fashion choices in the future.
Extension
As a final element of the lessons, the group decided how they might want to take action to support ethical and sustainable choices. One class decided to host a clothing swap to encourage reusing clothing. Another class created an awareness campaign to share their learning with the school. A third class created an Instagram page and posted daily stories to share their concerns. Ultimately, the learners decided the focus of their advocacy and shared their learning.
CBC. “Fashion’s Dirty Secrets.” CBC News, 2019.
