ABSTRACT
Fashion is considered in this chapter through the lens of world fashion cities and luxury brands and their competition and convergence with fast fashion. This is manifested through fashion weeks, galas and events, and the museumification of fashion and design icons. Fashion production is discussed in relation to cultural and creative districts and the relationship between haute couture and sweat shops (and the hierarchy of fashion and space production) and polycentric clusters of fashion design, production and consumption in fashion cities such as New York, London and Milan. Smaller fashion production places are also presented in terms of their textile and design heritage indicating their continuity in an era of fashion globalisation. The issue of waste arising from global fashion consumption is then presented, with textile and clothing disposal a major issue for waste authorities and the planet, notably third-world countries who are dumping grounds for discarded western garments at the cost of their own fashion and textiles industries. Finally, the growth of make-do-and-mend practice and pre-loved/vintage clothing is discussed, with examples of textile artists working with recycled materials to produce original fashion items.
