Complete List of Interesting Ted Talks on Sustainable Fashion

Ready to learn more about sustainable fashion but you aren’t sure where to start?

TED Talks are a great way to pick up useful information and perspectives on new topics. Sustainable fashion is no different. While there haven’t been that many released, there are still a selection of talks that make for a great watch.

All of them are relatively short, so grab a mug of coffee (or another drink of your preference!), sit comfortably, and enjoy these TED talks on sustainable fashion.

1. Life in the Slow Lane: Sustainable Fashion 101 | Tamara Jones | TEDxRyersonU

Summary: Fashion, employing 1 in 100 people, truly is a global industry. But, in a world where the cost of everything – education, housing, even lattes, – is increasing, how is clothing becoming less expensive? This TED talk on sustainable fashion will introduce you to the environmental and social impacts of the fast fashion industry, and give you easy tips on how to live more sustainably.

2. The Wardrobe To Die For | Lucy Siegle | TEDxSalford

Summary: Taking particular issue with our current mania for both big-name labels and cheap fashion, this TED talk sets an agenda for the urgent changes that can and need to be made by both the industry and the consumer. Far from outlining a future of drab, ethical clothing, Lucy Siegle believes that it is possible to be an ‘ethical fashionista’, simply by being aware of how and where (and by whom) our clothing is manufactured.

3. How to Engage with Ethical Fashion | Clara Vuletich | TEDxSydney

Summary: What do you know about the clothes in your wardrobe? About the clothes that you’re wearing right now? Clara Vuletich works with some of the biggest brands in the world to help them ask the right questions about where the clothes that we wear come from.

4. Fast Fashion’s Effect on People, The Planet, & You | Patrick Woodyard | TEDxUniversityofMississippi

Summary: Mindful business: While working for a microfinance firm in Trujillo, Peru, Patrick was introduced to the broken Peruvian footwear industry made up of over 100,000 shoemakers who possess remarkable talent yet lack access to consistent work, fair-wages, and brand access to established international markets. Having had extensive exposure to such potential juxtaposed with a lack of access in other developing countries, Patrick developed a vision to push the fashion industry in a new direction by serving as one of the first fashion brands to deliver a superior yet ethically-produced product to consumers.

5. You are what you wear: Christina Dean at TEDxHKBU

Summary: Redress’ founder Christina Dean presented her ‘You are what you wear’ opinions at a TEDx event. In this compelling talk, Christina inspires audiences about the importance of how they dress and turns the responsibility for change on consumers, not just the industry.

6. The ten-item wardrobe | Jennifer L. Scott | TEDxStGeorge

Summary: Jennifer discovered the ten-item wardrobe concept while living in Paris with Madame Chic and her family. In this talk she shares her tips on how you can make a ten-item wardrobe work for you, and why living with fewer clothes can not only improve your style, but change your life.

7. Jessi Arrington: Wearing nothing new

Summary: Designer Jessi Arrington packed nothing for TED but 7 pairs of undies, buying the rest of her clothes in thrift stores around LA. It’s a meditation on conscious consumption — wrapped in a rainbow of color and creativity.

Recap – Best TED Talks on Sustainable Fashion

We’re always on the lookout for more talks like these.

If you know a good one, leave the name and link in the comments below and we’ll update the article!