The Campaign
This is a project brief, I have set for my ‘Creative Studio, MA Module’ working towards attaining an MA Graphic Design degree. This is continued on from my research see: Research on Fast fashion and returns Part 1 I will be taking the approach of an awareness campaign coming from the government for educating the public on the reduction of fast fashion waste.
High-street fashion businesses embracing sustainability in all their working practices along with pioneering eco-factories using 100% renewable energy would be part of the climate change solution and perhaps in the imminent future more of this will happen. However, a tactical approach to providing informed facts about sustainable consumption of fast fashion through a campaign will help towards combating textile waste. Here are some facts…
4 steps of CO2 omission from fashion industries’ disposal of returned clothes:
- The carbon dioxide used to make and produce the clothes
- The logistics and distribution of clothes to stores and customers
- The collection of returned clothes and disposal
- The decomposition of clothes creates CO2 and methane in the environment
Research shows that there is a general lack of publicised awareness in media coverage and that it needs to be highlighted.
As private industries raise more on this topic, I thought, what can the government do, so here I will demonstrate some ideas as a starter for 10. Christmas is fast approaching, and impulse Christmas shopping for gifts for stocking fillers and such like will be upon us. Then there will be Christmas season SALES where many will feel the dreaded – ‘fear of missing out’ on bargains which are snapped up with some returned or thrown away and then sent to landfills or incineration. A famous TV financial advisor often quotes “Do I really need this?” when he talks about spending. Do we need to say “Do he/she really need this?” when we buy gifts?
Campaign Aims and Objectives
The objective is to create effective messaging aimed at everyone from consumers to corporate audiences. Combating the ephemeral throwaway culture, raising awareness of ethical issues on the planet, as well as what we can do to change our habits. The topic is on the industry’s disposal of returns in landfill and incineration, and therefore initially making people aware of this to reduce returns. In the process of setting a new trend of adopting the UK’s Waste Plan, the 3 R’s ‘Reduce, Re-use and Recycle alongside other strategies. Young people in general buy the most clothes so if we could make it fashionable to waste less clothing and embrace a smart way of living towards creating a place with a vision which no longer makes us, or the planet sick.
Target Audience
Demographically, young consumers aged between 18 to 30, with disposable cash that are more socially active and influenced by peers. This Christmas campaign could also be targeted at older people buying gifts for relatives. Fast fashion retailers throughout the UK.
Vision and Concepts
to these…
Social Media Posts…
Key messaging and tone of voice
The tone of voice is how a brand communicates and connects with its audience through messaging and customer interactions. It helps businesses differentiate themselves from the competition and communicate their brand values to their audience. The tone of voice for this campaign will be using a teaser headline to draw people into finding out more with a consistent look and feel throughout the campaign. This will be based on fast fashion returns and throwaways at Christmas.
4 campaigns rolled out weekly leading up to and through the Christmas period,
which will include:
Heading: It’s Christmas Crackers
Body: When you return items from high-street fashion retailers they are sent to a landfill. A waste of energy CO2 CH4
Heading: Christmas Jumper Best Before 2122
Body: Synthetic fibres in fast fashion, returns can take up to 100 years to fully decompose, emitting carbon dioxide and methane in the process. Haste makes waste
Heading: Who wants a Christmas bauble gift?
Body: Unwanted Christmas gifts when returned or thrown away go in landfills or incineration. Toxic waste dump
Heading: Stocking fillers or landfillers?
Body: Health risks from CO2 and CH4 into the atmosphere and ozone layer from chemicals sprayed onto textiles cause cancer and miscarriages. Waste not, want not!
Solution
My objective is to get under the skin of the target audience, win hearts and minds and address the lack of media coverage on fast fashion returns, with a Christmas campaign to appear on social media posts so that customers can reach out and interact, some responses could create further content generated posts with links to web pages with more information. Alongside the social media posts, would be out-of-home (OOH) posters, billboards, and bus and bus shelter advertising. These would be strategically placed in cities, town centres and shopping halls. Using a palette of traditional Christmas colours like reds and greens capturing the essence of the Christmas and natural landscape of the planet. This is demonstrated in my artwork as shown.
Looking at solutions from other organisations
Recover Fibre is a company that deals with pre and post-consumer waste and uses recycled cotton to make new long-lasting fibres, closing the loop on fashion. Fast fashion industries could partner with these types of organisations as a solution. Visit: https://recoverfiber.com/products to learn more.
ReLondon created ‘The Love Not Landfill” charity fashion pop-up, selling clothes to promote pre-loved fashion to raise funds for various charities, to find out more visit: https://relondon.gov.uk/latest/the-love-not-landfill-charity-fashion-pop-up-sponsored-by-vanish-x-oxwash#:~:text=Love%20Not%20Landfill%20is%20a,unwanted%20clothes%20in%20the%20bin.
Rent the Runway is an online business that shares designer clothes by renting see more here: https://www.renttherunway.com/ they also ran a campaign “Fast Fashion Free” and includes posters with the slogans “Fast Fashion is Garbage” and “Tell Fast Fashion It’s Over,” and encourages shoppers to buy — and ultimately throw away — less clothing. They are telling people that ‘cheap clothes are produced by mass-market retailers to capture the latest trends’ more on this here: https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2022/01/rent-the-runway-takes-on-fast-fashion-in-new.html?page=all