Designers have been coming to terms with the effects of climate change over the last decade, and as a young designer, I am continually reminded of the societal and global implications of climate change.

Becoming a designer and going to an institution that values ethical fashion was a new perspective on sustainability, and what it meant to live a life that benefited our planet.

Having the privilege to study design diligently these past few years has been eye opening, especially given that I am currently in my senior year. As I prepare to enter the workforce and build my own identity as a designer, I am left contemplating whether or not I can make sure these issues are addressed within my own work.

What are the ways I will be holding myself and my peers accountable to these issues so that we don’t contribute to the existing systems that are currently killing our planet? These sound like questions with easy answers, but looking at the ways most designers view fast fashion, in contrast to the people with financial insecurities who wear it, I can’t help but question the common solutions. The ideas associated with reversing climate change must be enacted in a way that does not only benefit a specific demographic.

As a Togolese refugee who moved to the U.S. with my family for its better opportunities and resources, I am also coming from a privileged position on the matter, which I think is important to state. Growing up, especially coming to this country at nine years old, there were no mentions of Indigenous work, fashion or lives in classrooms. My freshman year at Parsons, I was challenged by my peers to open my world, and learn about how I was occupying Native land, and that the clothes I made needed to confront what being ethical meant, and who it would benefit. It is no longer okay to stay idle on the matter and we must become more active to reinvent our modes of approaching design. Our modes of creating are not always environmentally savvy and they are killing our planet, often in ways that disproportionately affect marginalized groups.

There are many actions we can take to combat climate change, but a necessary step is preserving and protecting Indigenous communities. In fashion, we constantly take from these communities, from materials to designs, but we do not protect them in the same way we take from their cultures. As an Indigenous individual occupying colonized Native land, it is important for my peers and I to recognize history in our work, and make sure that the clothing we make are not only ethical, but is accessible to the disadvantage folks who do not have the same platform to act against climate change.

Fashion’s destructive capacity has ravaged areas far different from the places it is being consumed. This became extremely visceral in the 2012 Dhaka factory fire, which killed over 100 people in Bangladesh. Fashion consumption has doubled in the last two decades, yet fast fashion’s grasp is desperately entangled with lower income communities and highly beneficial in some ways. I can’t pretend to have answers to this predicament, but it’s important to remember: fashion hurts the countries it is produced in, but the answer isn’t as simple as telling people not to buy cheap clothing.

My own call to action is being very hands-on in my design process. It is so much easier to go out and purchase materials, and often saves more time. However, we are not paying attention to where our materials are coming from. In my own work, there is always an element of handcraft involved such as knitting or weaving with natural materials which are purchased locally. Not only is this more ethical to our planet, but it pays homage to my indigenous roots. We also need to make sure that where we are sourcing or presenting our work shares the same values that we hold ourselves to.

For my future brand, I would like to go back to the idea of small production, and I want to build a business that is first driven by the sourcing of materials. I want to make sure that what we are using is environmentally friendly and benefits the communities involved in a positive, long lasting way.

Jacques Agbobly is a native of Togo whose work has been inspired by his migration from Africa to Chicago, and the strong women in his family. The 2019 CFDA Scholar is currently a senior at Parsons School of Design, where he studies fashion design as well as culture and media.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this feature article are those of the author.