TFIA denies fast fashion report

MELBOURNE: The Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA) has found itself at the centre of heightened debate on the waste created by disposable fashion, following misleading claims of a TFIA report on the subject made earlier this month. An article in online current affairs forum news.com.au dated July 22 quoted a "[TFIA ] report on the throwaway clothing trend to the Federal Government", however TFIA head Jo Kellock said no such report had been released.

Kellock said the news.com.au story was a re-working of an earlier article on fast fashion titled 'Shop 'Til We Drop', which ran in 'M' magazine - a lift-out of Melbourne broadsheet The Sunday Age - on June 29. The TFIA had been contacted by a journalist requesting analysis on fast fashion for the purposes of the article, she added.

In the 'M' magazine article Kellock was quoted as saying that the culture of fast fashion needed to change, as it did not fit the current atmosphere of heightened environmental awareness, in which consumers were being encouraged to consume less and re-cycle more. However she also said that given the current fashion business cycle, implementing change was a "big job" for which there were no quick answers.

Speaking to Ragtrader this week, Kellock said she had been "bombarded" with calls following the coverage, adding there was "more life" in the debate.