XRNL FASHION ACTION: our story so far

XRNL Fashion Action (XRNLFA) was created in October 2019 as two fired up rebels with a vision for regenerative fashion culture, and rage against consumerism, joined forces. The core objective of the circle is to highlight the toxicity of the fast fashion industry, in terms of its exploitation of people (such as garment workers, who are mainly women of colour from the Global South) and, of course, our beautiful planet. For example, research by Oxfam GB in September 2019 deduced that the fast fashion industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than aviation and shipping combined. 

 XRNLFA rebels designed and produced a series of outfits from second-hand materials that represent five themes: Extreme Weather Events, Overconsumption, Toxic System, Plastic Problem and, in a nod towards a better future, Citizens Assembly. Firstly, on the 24th October in collaboration with Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven a mini-fashion show was staged, and then again on 26th October at Mantis Festival in Utrecht. On the 10th November, they held a similar action at Blauwbrug bridge in Amsterdam. Models embodied the thematic outfits in these performative actions and photoshoots. The responses from the audiences was overall positive, many stopping to look at the beautiful (yet tragic) outfits and wanting to know more about the cause. You can see some footage of the events below.

The main project from that point on was the big Fashion Show action, which took place on 29th November to coincide with the atrocities of Black Friday. This day was truly epic. Business as usual was disrupted yet rebels celebrated in collective joy and hope for the future. Two key public sites of mass consumerism were occupied: Hoog Catharijne Mall (Utrecht) and then Dam Square (Amsterdam) by the sustainable fashion shows. The public were shown through powerful performance, impassioned speeches and informative flyers how the fast fashion industry, exemplified by the likes of Black Friday, is eroding human and ecological rights. The feedback from the audience on this strategy was great, as visual arts made the issue accessible, enjoyable and people felt like they were a welcome part of the conversation. The day concluded in an invigorating celebration as masses of people joined to dance at The Dam, chanting for an end to the climate crisis! Check it out below.

Another key objective of XRNLFA is to offer solutions to the crisis of fast fashion. Hence the highly successful Knit with XR and Guerrilla Repair workshops, which have become a monthly occurrence from the circle. These events offer a comradely space for creativity and artistry whilst developing important life skills of mending garments. It is a central value of XRFA that as a society we need to alter our relationship with the clothes we own, by learning to nurture and love them more so that we don’t treat them as merely dispensable commodities. The Guerrilla Repair workshops also take place at sites of fashion consumption like shopping malls, to offer a direct alternative to such exploitative institutions. 

The circle is made up of a wide range of rebels: from sustainable fashion designers and other industry professionals, fashion students, artists, and performers, to people with no experience of fashion or making at all – all abilities are welcome to encourage everyone to get involved with this absolutely essential fight against one of the biggest polluting industries in the world. At the moment, XRNLFA are particularly in need of videographers to help us create filmed content, and are always looking to engage with more brands and fashion professionals to effectively target the industry itself. If you would like to become involved as a partner of ours, please Fill our our partnership form here.

XRNLFA had lots of exciting plans to come throughout 2020, many of which had to be postponed due to COVID-19. So, as we now transition our activism into the online realm with a focus on regenerative culture, we encourage people to still get involved with our work! We will communicate any updates around the restarting of physical meetings and actions on our website and social media.