Original post on PM News
Visionscape, an environmental utility group, has thrown its weight behind the 2017 edition of Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW) as one of the official sponsors of the event scheduled for October 25-28 at Eko Atlantic, Lagos.
Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW) is a multiday fashion event platform that aims to drive the Nigerian and ultimately, the African fashion industry by bringing together fashion designers, entrepreneurs, consumers and other stakeholders in the industry to view current collections of African designers.
LFDW provides a physical platform that is gradually repositioning fashion as a useful tool for commerce and creativity in Nigeria.
The theme of this year’s edition is, ‘Africa: Shaping Fashion’s Future’. The theme resonates with the core essence of the organization as it recognizes sustainability as the future. “The key to understanding the future is one word: Sustainability” Patrick Dixon; the chairman of the trend forecasting global company had stated.
LFDW presents a potentially impactful opportunity to partner designers such as Eki Orleans, EDUN, Studio 189 and AAKS with progressive initiatives on sustainable development and also seek innovative solutions to address major issues such as clothes ending up in landfill when they could be recycled.
Textile waste which takes approximately 200 years to decompose, contributes to 12% of 11,000 tons of waste generated daily in Lagos. According to a statement by the company, “Waste from textile significantly contributes to global environmental issues such as global warming, water pollution, soil pollution and more. We believe that most environmental challenges could be addressed if we as a people collectively adopt a 3R approach to waste management, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”. Visionscapebelieves raising awareness about the impact of clothing disposal and making recycling as easy as possible are critical to achieving a sustainable eco-fashion system.
This, it noted, could include promoting clothing hire, encouraging entrepreneurial solutions such as vintage and thrift stores, reusing carrier bags and reducing packaging waste. Additionally, it said customers could take used clothing back to where they bought it to be disposed of in the most appropriate way.