Usership: fashion beyond consumerism | Kate Fletcher | TEDxMacclesfield

On-going use is an affront to consumer culture, a slur on the throwaway society. Fashion, sustainability and ethics researcher, Kate Fletcher sees choosing to want what we already have as a radical act which can create a more sustainable future with less stuff. She has explored the concept of ‘usership’ rather than ownership, the value of tending garments and the everyday craft skills of ‘use’ - all of which the fashion industry overlooks with its focus on creating and buying. For more than two decades Kate Fletcher’s work has shaped the field of fashion and sustainability, and even come to define it. Rooted in nature’s principles and the creative potential of design, her projects in research, business and education pioneer ideas and actions that lead to radical change. Kate is Research Professor in the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, University of the Arts, London. She also sits on the steering group of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion at the House of Lords. Kate has authored five books and more than 60 scholarly and popular publications. Her work was recently published by the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A and featured in the fashion magazine Marie Claire. She lives with her family just outside Macclesfield. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx