By Julia Karns / 22 April, 2025
Re-post from Fashion Room Book Stores
What if, in the future, society splits into two factions: those who are pro-technology and those who are adamantly against it?
As automation and artificial intelligence continue to become increasingly present in every aspect of our daily lives, imagine a future where a portion of society rejects the technological world and its corresponding environmental and psychological damages.
This “anti-tech” group recognizes the existence of an over-abundance of clothing—an amount that could dress the next six generations. Thus, they choose to stop producing and “evolving,” desiring instead to cultivate and merge with the natural world.
As a young adult who grew up attending nature camps and teaching toddlers the basics of marine biology, I am painfully aware of the fashion industry’s wasteful nature. As an upperclassman fashion student, this reality weighs heavily on me. I have always speculated that in the coming decades, certain sub-sects of humanity will begin to radically separate themselves from society, as a form of environmental protest and out of a desire to escape technological privacy concerns. My theoretical “anti-tech” group rejects the over-productive, ever-hungry world of modern capitalism and instead chooses to create using what already exists (discarded garments, objects, and textiles) or develop materials that “leave no trace.”
Why is This Relevant?
Rapid technological advancement is causing public angst, as social media degrades the self-image of young minds and environmental destruction quickens in a consumer-driven world.. As a result of our modern capacity to produce fashion and other goods on a mass scale, we are quickly depleting non-renewable resources and polluting our air, soil, and waters. Additionally, with algorithms that seem to read our minds and AI threatening job security, some individuals may simply want to escape. With younger generations’ affinity for buying second-hand, up-cycling, and seeking more sustainable forms of self-expression, this futuristic earth-conscious aesthetic has a definite appeal.
References & Inspiration
Fashion Values states: “It’s hard to imagine fashion without the sewing machine. Modern clothing production relies on commercial equipment….
Though many cultures and geographies have long-standing histories of making fashion without machinery (such as handmade Indian ), and some designers (like Phoebe English or Roberts Wood) experiment with alternative methods of making.” For centuries, Indigenous and Aboriginal peoples have created clothing from natural materials that eventually return to the Earth.
Producing slow fashion on a small scale, emphasizing cultivation and respect for the environment, transforms the relationship between clothing production, consumption, and sustainability. By hand-weaving fibers, embellishing textiles with seashells instead of synthetic sequins, and repurposing discarded materials, we can lay the creative groundwork for a circular and environmentally responsible future in fashion.
Where is “Integration” Already Happening?
Helena Elston: London-based designer, Helena Elston, created a collection out of upcycled textile waste and mycelium filaments. Her ongoing project, entitled “FI” (Fungal Integrated), plays with the idea of “how we can produce beautiful things from discarded materials,” giving waste, retired clothing, coffee sacks, and organic matter new life. Elston designs intriguing garments that are intended to biodegrade once the wearer is finished with them.
Deadwood Studios: The edgy Swedish brand, Deadwood Studios, introduced its own take on biomaterials within its Spring/Summer 2024 collection. During Copenhagen Fashion Week, the brand collaborated with MycoWorks to bring mushroom-based garments to ready-to-wear. The use of such innovative and unique materials within the ready-to-wear sector, a sign that the fashion industry is ready to broaden the accessibility of eco-friendly garments. Deadwood Studios co-founder Felix von Bahder said, “Every square centimeter of this material is a work of art itself, and Nature is the artist.”
Yuhan Bai’s “The Soil Project”: In 2022, Yuhan Bai, of the Royal College of Art, premiered her dirt-based leather alternative line. Bai’s collection, “The Soil Project,” consists of hand-sculpted natural material and vintage textile remnants, which she dyes using soil pigments. The concept, which was showcased at Dutch Design Week, was inspired by Bai’s observation of the fashion industry’s dependence on cotton and the resulting damage done to the soil. Courageously, she decided to make a statement to producers that garments can be made using alternative, less harmful techniques.
Conclusion
The “Earth-Integrated” harness their primal, individual creativity, exposing the truest form of self-expression. As a side-effect of rejecting technology and the fashion industry at large, individuals would be free to sew, bead, and craft what they see in their mind’s eye without the pressure of adhering to trends and social pressures, all while in harmony with the natural world.
References
“A Brief Look at the Long History of First Nations Fashion Design in Australia.” University of Technology Sydney, 2023, https://www.uts.edu.au/news/2023/12/brief-look-long-history-first-nations-fashion-design-australia.
Anderson, Ryan. “Humans, Nature, and Most Systems Are Too Fragile to Keep Up with Technology’s Rapid Progress.” Medium, https://ryan-anderson-ds.medium.com/humans-nature-and-most-systems-are-too-fragile-to-keep-up-with-technologys-rapid-progress-efbe6fe503d5.
“Deadwood Studios SS24: Ready-to-Wear Biomaterial Fashion.” TrendHunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/deadwood-studios-ss24.
“Helena Elston Designs Decomposable Garments Using Mycelium.” Dezeen, 6 Dec. 2022, https://www.dezeen.com/2022/12/06/helena-elston-decomposable-garments-mycelium/.
“Introduction: Fashion, Nature and Technology.” Fashion Values, https://fashionvalues.org/methods/introduction-fashion-nature-and-technology.
“Should We Detach Ourselves from Nature?” BBC Future, 8 June 2022, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220608-should-we-detach-ourselves-from-nature.
“The JRC Explains: Unlocking the Potential of Bio-Based Textiles.” European Commission, 5 Feb. 2025, https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-explains-unlocking-potential-bio-based-textiles_en.
“We Have Enough Clothing on the Planet Right Now for the Next Six Generations.” PIRG, https://pirg.org/california/articles/we-have-enough-clothing-on-the-planet-right-now-for-the-next-six-generations/.
“Yuhan Bai Creates Soil Leather Clothing Collection.” Dezeen, 4 Nov. 2022, https://www.dezeen.com/2022/11/04/yuhan-bai-soil-leather-clothing-collection/.