Kenny Jackson-Forrest is changing the ways the world sees sustainability. Once viewed as sub-standard fashion, Kenny is demonstrating that sustainable design can be and is luxurious. His platform, Style & Trashion showcases some of the most beautiful pieces and talented designers in the sustainable world, and he's now collating his love for sustainable luxury fashion in his book; Trashion Forward, out May 15th.
How did you first become aware of the issue of waste within the fashion industry, and what interested you to move further into the world of sustainability?
As a teenager starting to go out and buy my own clothes I remember my mother always encouraged me to buy quality clothes that would last as opposed to cheaper clothes that would see far less wears and go to waste. I guess growing up I had lessons in over-consumption from home and how there were people in the world who were less fortunate, so I was always encouraged to be more conscious with my purchases.
I have always been interested in fashion and design and being more sustainable is becoming increasingly important. We have seen how people are today much more conscious about the food they eat and and this same consciousness is happening within fashion and design although not at the same pace. I’m interested in helping to make a difference and also to show that sustainable fashion and design can be beautiful and stylish, as this has not always been the perception.
Can you tell us about Style & Trashion and what inspired you to launch it?
Style & Trashion is a content destination site for conscious consumers who adore sustainable style. Generally, the purpose of Style & Trashion is to not only to curate a range of stylish, sustainable fashion and design pieces each week but also to showcase the best in sustainable style by talented creatives around the world. Also to present sustainable travel features each month.
Many people are reluctant to create a sustainable wardrobe because they don't want to compromise their personal style. How do you think someone can transition into dressing more eco-friendly and ethical, whilst still keeping the style identity they love?
A simple way to dress more eco-friendly is to be more creative with your existing wardrobe to get more use out of the clothes you have. For example, eight staple pieces could be worn in a variety of combinations in a variety of ways, Also, consider buying more timeless pieces that will last longer as opposed to just what seems to be the latest trend.
Your work doesn’t just focus on sustainable fashion, you also spread awareness of sustainable travel. For those of us who love to explore the globe and go on frequent holidays, how can we begin to make our travels more eco-friendly?
When considering places to stay, a good way to start is to see what hotels or resorts have active sustainable initiatives in place, this can be done through internet search engines and searching by city or country. Also sustainable tourism companies can be a good resource.
You’re about to launch your book, Trashion Forward. Can you tell us the motivation behind this, why you decided to crowd fund the project and what we can expect of the book?
The motivation was to create a book focused on sustainable luxury as an evolution of Style & Trashion that would appeal equally to those with an appreciation of sustainable luxury as well as those who just appreciate luxury. I wanted to create something that would not look out of place on a coffee table next to a glossy fashion or lifestyle magazine.
The decision to crowdfund was taken to help finance the project through early pre-sales, so most of my backers will be receiving books upon publication as a reward for their pledges.
