An innovative response to the crisis of overconsumption in fashion, The Street Store's 'Sustainable Disclaimer' advertising campaign has delivered a powerful message: fast fashion needs a disclaimer, and there's something you can do about it, says The Street Store.

The Street Store's patron, The Up&Up Group's Executive Chairman Mike Abel, says the addictive nature of fast fashion, and the harm it causes to our planet, deserves front page attention. "Last year, quoted by the BBC, Mark Griffiths, professor of behavioural addiction at Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom, agreed with the description of fast fashion being as addictive as sugar."

"As a society we are becoming addicted to online shopping, addicted to buying things we don't need. While there isn't consensus on the fast-fashion giants causing literal addiction in the sense of hours-long, compulsive binges, it can push people over the limits of their disposable income, and that's dangerous. That's despite the immense, and proven, damage it is causing to the environment," says Abel.

The Street Store started as an idea 11 years ago in the hallways of The Up&Up Group's integrated creative agency M&C Saatchi Abel, as the world's first open-source, pop-up, premises-free, free clothing store for those in need. It was designed to restore the dignity of choice. Years later, as the fast fashion pandemic has gained momentum, the idea has been sustained and shaped into an action driver, addressing fast-fashion, waste, promoting circular economies and fostering a culture of mindful giving and sustainable fashion, says the store.

"The 'Sustainable Disclaimer' campaign hijacked a familiar media convention; those dry legal lines tacked onto alcohol and gambling ads; and used them to land an unexpected, hard-hitting message about the human and environmental cost of fast fashion," says Abel.

Fast fashion has a bigger impact on the planet than aviation and shipping combined. Abel says that not enough people know that fast fashion accounts for 10% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. It is responsible for a fifth of wastewater worldwide. Because it is so affordable, people just buy clothes and then discard them after wearing them only a few times. In the United Kingdom alone, 300 000 tonnes of clothes end up in landfills every year.

"The gravity of the situation meant we wanted to drive real impact. We didn't just mimic disclaimers. We actually became them. By placing our campaign pieces immediately after traditional ads for popular fashion brands on radio, in print, and on TV, we disguised them as real disclaimers. The work piggybacked on these existing media spaces, slipping in right where people usually stop paying attention. It's only halfway through that you realise: this isn't about alcohol or gambling, it's about how we shop."

Abel says that the way society shops is broken. "Fashion overconsumption has a human cost. It's time to shop responsibly. And instead of leaving you helpless, adverts in the campaign end with a simple call to action: donate your clothes to The Street Store."

The Street Store is an open-source model, meaning anyone, anywhere in the world can start one, but it depends on donated clothing. Because of this, The Street Store actively encourages individuals to donate unused clothing.

"A seldom used, good condition suit in the back of the cupboard could become a job interview for someone else. That is transformational, the antithesis of filling yet more landfills. Sustainable giving can, and should, extend to sustainable fashion. And so, this campaign was designed to foster a culture of mindfulness about our consumption habits, and about how engaging in the circular economy by donating clothing is a small step with a potentially enormous impact on people and the planet when repeated at scale," concludes Abel.

For more information, visit www.thestreetstore.org. You can also follow The Up&Up Group on Facebook, or on LinkedIn.

*Image courtesy of contributor