Next Gen Reflections: Centring Indigenous Knowledge

By Ana Sofía Vargas

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This article is a contribution from Next Gen Assembly 2024 Member Ana Sofía Vargas.

 

What does it mean for sustainability in fashion to move beyond individualistic strategies and adopt a collective lens? Andrew Digby of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, reflecting on the kākāpō bird’s near extinction, poses a vital question: “When you’ve got a kākāpō which might die, how much effort do you put into stopping it from dying, and what does that mean for the wider population?” This underscores a crucial truth: sustainability is not just about saving isolated pieces of the puzzle but understanding the interconnectedness of all life forms.

 

Fashion must confront a similar challenge. The industry cannot continue extracting from nature under the guise of “eco-friendly” marketing while perpetuating exploitation. True sustainability demands a shift to collective thinking—one that centres Indigenous knowledge as a cornerstone of respect, reciprocity, and holistic thinking. Designers like Korina Emmerich exemplify this by weaving Indigenous heritage into contemporary fashion, showcasing storytelling through textiles and visual art that preserve culture and communicate values. Through this lens, fashion can transcend commodification and become a medium for cultural preservation. Furthermore, Indigenous practices are not relics but living systems of wisdom. For example, Zapotec weavers in Oaxaca, Mexico, use natural dyes from plants, insects, and minerals to create patterns reflecting their cosmology. These traditions exhibit the roots of sustainable practices in balance and respect for the land’s rhythms of time.

Unlike some sustainability frameworks, which often fixate on consumption and resource efficiency, Indigenous knowledge integrates spiritual, cultural, and collective well-being. Nina Gualinga of the Sarayaku community in Ecuador explains, “In Kichwa, the term Kawsak Sacha— ‘the living forest’—embodies a worldview where rocks, trees, and rivers are imbued with rights, relationships, and personality.” This perspective dismantles siloed thinking, encouraging us to view challenges like climate change, land rights, and exploitation as interconnected ripples in a shared ecosystem. Fashion has a responsibility to lead by example and moving beyond tokenism requires reparative action to address historical harm. Initiatives like LUUM AC, a collective empowering Indigenous artisan women in Mexico, and the Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative (CIPRI), which protects creators’ ownership of their designs, showcases how fashion can foster symbiotic relationships with communities and ecosystems alike.

While individual actions matter, the industry must reframe sustainability as a collective effort rooted in Indigenous knowledge—not just as a nod to tradition but as an essential path forward. When we choose to honour Indigenous knowledge in fashion, we’re not just promoting sustainability—we’re engaging in a profound act of reconciliation. The Earth remembers the harm caused by exploitation, and so do the communities whose lands and traditions have survived. Centring Indigenous voices is an opportunity to begin repairing these relationships and envision a future where fashion heals instead of harms.

 

Learn more by exploring Conservation International’s Indigenous Partnership Principles for the Fashion, Apparel and Textile Industries and watching the Global Fashion Summit: Boston Edition session ‘Fashion Redressed: Human-Centric Storytelling’.

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