UP exhibit on ‘the dark side of fashion’ shows true cost of being trendy

The Goethe-Institut Philippinen has partnered with the University of the Philippines College of Home Economics to examine the human cost of today's mass-market "fast fashion" through an exhibit.

"Fast Fashion: The Dark Side of Fashion" is curated by Dr. Claudia Banz from the Museum Für Kunst Und Gewerbe Hamburg, with a creative direction show performance by Professor Friedrike Von Wedel-Parlow, director of the MA Program on Sustainability in Fashion at ESMOD Berlin.

It opens on October 10 and will feature the works of ESMOD alumnae Noa Elizabeth Goren and Bojanca Draca, and top UP fashion students. 

A fashion performance will be staged on opening night, set to the live music of DJ duo Tarsius. Workshops on sustainable fashion will also be conducted by visiting guests.

"Fast fashion" has been on the rise, with big retail brands mass-marketing fashion trends as quickly as possible. One day it's crop tops, the next it's jumpsuits—and as seen in documentaries like "The True Cost", the quest to create trend after trend has produced mountains of garbage made of last season's clothes.

The demand to make clothes cheap and quick also leads to poor working conditions in offshore factories for the big brands, which the exhibit will explore through digital installations and interactive displays.

"Fast Fashion: The Dark Side of Fashion" runs from October 11 to November 25 at Bulwagan Ng Dangal, University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. — Aya Tantiangco/BM, GMA News

For more details and updates on the event, visit the official website of Goethe-Institut Philippinen or follow them on social media.