AOD School of Fashion and Global Fashion Exchange collaborate

• Initiative presents growing relevance of sharing economy principles to Sri Lankan fashion
• Partnership between AOD and GFX is part of international movement to shift thinking and behaviour patterns of fashion consumers

AOD School of Fashion hosted a ‘fashion swap’ exchange for the first time in Sri Lanka, facilitating new ways for people to connect through what they wear. The partnership is part of AOD’s larger body of work in driving sustainability and circularity in Sri Lankan fashion, contributing a unique conversation on the future of wearables from South Asia.

The future of fashion is circular. The idea of fast consumerism is no longer the mindset of fashion’s most influential consumer and creator circles. From Paris, Tokyo, New York to Sydney, events and talks focusing on sustainability, conscious consumerism and reusing wearables are drawing in more and more people, as well as media attention. 

In Sri Lanka too, this change has been taking shape with a steady leadership given by AOD with events like the Sustainable Fashion Summit, and the official local celebrations for the annual Fashion Revolution Day where young fashion students textile artisans, fabric makers, manufacturers and designers alike came together to question the origins of what we wear and what we all can do collectively and individually to make the business of fashion more sustainable. 

AOD’s latest partnership in this agenda is with GFX—the Global Fashion Exchange. Its founder Patrick Duffy shared his views on AOD and Sri Lanka being part of their international movement, by saying: “We’re so excited that AOD is hosting the country’s first ever Global Fashion Exchange clothing swap in 2019—it’s so monumental. The sharing economy is the way forward and AOD is leading the way in Sri Lanka.”

Global Fashion Exchange is an international platform promoting sustainability in the fashion industry with inspiring forums, educational content and cultural events. Their most iconic events are the GFX clothing swaps. Through interactive clothing swaps GFX empowers fashion consumers to take action for a better environment while they apply the principles of the sharing economy to fashion, and find ways to renew their wardrobe while saving hundreds of thousands of clothes from going to landfill and polluting our planet. 

One of AOD’s fashion designers who were involved in organising the AOD x GFX fashion swap said that as much as the event derives from AOD’s vision to facilitate a more circular future for fashion, it is also deeply personal to many designers and academics involved, who have serious concerns over the current situation on the planet.

“On average, we wear our clothes a total of seven times, with 2.5 billion pounds of clothing going to landfills each year. This is a scary number, but we believe we can change it! One of the simplest and most sustainable ways to give garments greater longevity is to provide them with a second life with a new owner, and this is what the clothing swap is all about.” 

She added that even this small change in consumer habits, will mean a huge impact on a global scale with a partner like GFX. 

GFX has given new life to over one million pounds of clothing from going to landfills through over forty events held on five continents. Its mission ties in perfectly with AOD’s vision to make an impact that changes the fashion industry for the better. 

“The fashion industry faces many environmental challenges. It is one of the most polluting in the world, creating 150 billion units of clothing each year. The idea behind bringing the GFX clothing swap to Sri Lanka is to promote sustainable consumption patterns, such as reusing and recycling. Working with international platforms like GFX, we are raising awareness and helping in providing tangible solutions to close the loop,” said Robert Meeder, AOD’s Chief Executive Officer. 

He added that we all have a role to play in making more sustainable choices and making a difference and that AOD x GFX clothing swaps are a necessary step in the right direction.

AOD trains young talented minds to take on tomorrow, and evolve into the kind of young professionals who can truly make a difference in the social and economic dimensions of Sri Lanka. AOD’s ground-breaking education offer comes through four disciplines from the School of Design, School of Fashion, School of Business and the School of Technology. 

For more information on events and discussions related to driving sustainability and circularity in Sri Lanka through education call AOD on 0775727772 or visit www.aod.lk.