You are what you wear: Christina Dean at TEDxHKBU

Dr. Christina Dean is the Founder and CEO of Redress, an NGO with a mission to promote environmental sustainability in the fashion industry. Christina is a regular speaker at seminars and has received numerous recognitions for her work, including being listed by U.S. online magazine Coco Eco as one of '2010's Most Influential Women in Green' and by U.K. Vogue as one of the U.K.'s 'Top 30 Inspirational Women'. Prior to founding Redress, Christina was a journalist and a practicing dental surgeon.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@THEdelkaimek]

Eye opening talk. This should be talked about more within the media. Consumerism is polluting our world.

[@Nobody-wo5mb]

THEdelkaimek l

[@tislife5911]

If you're waiting for the mainstream media to talk about it...you'll be waiting a long long long looooooooonnnnnng time. lol Sad but true. Did I say long time.

[@Michelleh73]

I agree, this is eye-opening. I was not fully aware of this. Great information and advice for decreasing the pollution. Will cherish and repair my clothes much more now. Thought this was going to be a talk on colors and styles to wear. Not overly long either. Great job! This is a difficult problem to solve as there is a high demand for clothes.

[@yolandayoung6519]

Will C hahahahahahahah 👏👏👏 I love it!!! That's a good one!!!

[@bytler4518]

Consumerism is the purpose of all human beings.

[@dianawright8334]

I was taught by my grandmother to take care of what you have and make a quilt out of it when it’s worn out and give it to someone in need

[@dantebrown3368]

she is the REAL Fashion Police. MVP! she is awesome.

[@dookyy]

This has been published 7 YEARS ago, but it is still so relevant!!!! 💜💜💜

[@tosha7502]

I ADORE YOU!!!!! I'M a daughter of a master tailor, I thought about this all my life! I have a deep love and hate relationship with the fashion industry! I wore secondhand clothing before it became popular in LA. I reworked used clothing that never failed to sell. I became a jeweler that specializes in casting and manufacturing. I have really interesting ideas that are progressive but need a little bit of help! I have been creating other things now but seeing your video was re-inspiring. It is a battle and we cant quit. I'd love to chat with your team and give you some ideas. i don't care to make money off of it. I too, deeply care and absolutely love expressing myself through clothing! Thank you for what you do! RESPECT!

[@Kindredclosets]

YES! This 14:58!!!! As someone who works in the fashion industry, I struggle with knowing how much damage we cause to society and the environment and I would LOVE to see this concept grow in the industry. I really hope that over time the rest of the world will agree and that this message will grow and become a standard for the next generation!

[@madhulicaseth8601]

I live in India and in my family we have been taught to take care of clothes. They are only handwashed and my grandmother has certain saris which are 38 years old. Since Saris are not size specific they are passed down through generations and now my mother wears my grandmother's saris. We get western clothes altered if they don't fit anymore and make bags out of old clothes. Since at least my family is not too materialistic we rarely shop and live a mostly zero waste life. My cousins living in the United States disgust me because of their excessive materialism and obsessive concern with appearance and clothes. They place more importance on looking fuckable than being comfortable.

[@hello2ability]

Madhulica Seth You said it. I had the same thoughts. Indian values and culture hold the secrets to a sustainable existence of every organism in the world, and not just humans. Western materialism and consumerism is fast pervading Indian psyche today. I fear if we Indians would end up forsaking our glorious culture to embrace western consumerism brought to us by MNCs and our own Indian corporations.

[@Mayamilan2016]

You know with one saree you can make maybe ten clothes

[@mya632]

I love consignment/thrift shops. I'm not a big fashionista, so what is in my closet are items that I can wear for years to come. I don't follow trends. I wear what is comfortable.

[@michellebekker4570]

Interesting talk, donate to those less fortunate in South Africa.

[@Itzeldirem]

Havent bought clothes in a couple of years, and yes, I buy good-quality-long lasting clothes, only what I need. Same with shoes. I am considering making my own summer clothes.

[@TheSassi14]

Itzel Direm I made some own dresses. It is easier and cheaper to buy some second hand cloths and make them fit.

[@zararoyce319]

Itzel Direm that's what I do, sometimes I just buy fabric and have somebody make something,

[@langstomjoplin2559]

Itzel, Best Choice !

[@carolinalautaret8543]

The most important idea is that we must stop complaining about pollution and start doing things, that really matter.. even a small thing like reusing an old jacket.. everything counts.. we all have power to change reality

[@Thesureleague]

This was absolutely eye opening. I don't think I can look at my clothes now and not remember the things Christina pointed out. This was all in plain sight, all around us!!!

[@mv7921]

I get about 80% of my clothes from : salavation Army, yard sales and rummage sales. You can t tell by looking at them .almost all of my clothes are a minimum of 3 years old, the oldest item is over 20..and it still looks great.

[@mya632]

That's because you take care of your clothing.

[@haitianzoe4033]

m v lol my mom make fun of me for shopping at the Salvation Army. I still don't give a crap

[@alicecarroll2007]

At least half my clothes are ‘recycled’. I make sure they are in good condition and are flattering to my body.

[@rosawong9576]

One of the best talks I have come across this year! Thanks for reminding us 'we are what we wear'! Any chance of taking me to the recycling centre for some treasure finds?

[@DonicaDuju]

This is spot on, I came to this conclusion myself

[@Indielollita]

crazy stuff. can't wait to go thrift-shopping

[@GoldenPuppy1O1]

It's an adventure, make sure you go to a big thrift store in your area, it's always more fun

[@chriscaine7689]

I am a great advocate for reuse, recycle and renew. I run a small market stall where I sell good, fashionable, up to date secondhand clothes. I hate the way people throw away perfectly good usable items so every week I buy used clothes from people and resell them. I make money, people are happy that they have saved money by purchasing used items at a fraction of the cost of new garments.So we are all winners. More importantly we are saving many things from going to landfill. ☺☺☺

[@yeghinenazarian9878]

I can only bow down to people like you. Thank you for caring, Indeed eye opener.

[@mamalovesthebeach437]

Thank you for addressing this critical subject . . . I live on the Northern California coast and walk the beach everyday. I see the hideous mess our lifestyle causes to our ocean and it's sea life. The world is learning about the disaster of microfibers and that every time we wash our clothing we're killing sea life . . . the solution isn't to wash less - although that is helpful it's far from a solution. Like all pollution solutions it begins with our consumer habits - purchase less, purchase quality, purchase natural fibers and purchase second hand.

[@MidnightWardrobe]

Feel comfortable in your clothes and comfortable in your skin, bring out your beauty from within.... Express, Impress & transform your image with a simple change of Dress. The Mysteries of the Wardrobe.

[@vijayarya9528]

Thank u all very much

[@beautynova9851]

I love this! i only buy second hand...I've been doing it for 20 years now. I will never spend my hard earned money on new items when people are discarding perfectly good clothes. the damage being done to our planet is insurmountable...if we could all just be more aware of what we're purchasing...we might be able to undo some of the horrificness

[@gururajbsavakar7154]

Wearing new clothes is a BLESSING!! SELF- FORCE to use second hand clothes is a sickening , nauseous feeling

[@fatimalobamor]

Thank you so much for all that information that nobody talks about and keep buying what they don't need really.

[@louisehaley5105]

So true ! Recycle, repair, re-use ! I'm appalled people throw out good stuff that someone else could enjoy. They're just greedy and selfish.

[@carolynsmith9172]

The innovative idea is to buy higher quality, fewer pieces that last a decade or more.

[@eglebukiene2411]

Actually it is a classic idea. To treat textile like disposable is innovative and it didn’t go well

[@marythr2617]

In the past, people used to mend their clothes and they only had few items, the mentality of "disposable clothing" is rather new because nowadays buying a new tshirt is sometimes cheaper than having it repaired.

[@jany6561]

never thought about this before. really informative and inspiring. thank you.

[@JoeyLevenson]

I take care of my things the best I can. I also wash them and donate to Goodwill (did today, and have bought from there, too) as much as I can. Even some cheaper clothes can be given a second life. I do my best to avoid throwing anything usable away. No sense in 2018.

[@EnglishTutorDip]

I am with you, Dr. Dean.

[@himanshukapoor3061]

The clothes can be used to stitch bags that can replace plastic bags. Such experiments are underway in few urban pockets in some cities in India. I visited one showroom that uses bags made from old clothes for packaging the stuff they sell.

[@yolandayoung6519]

THANK YOU FOR THIS NFO!!!!! I had no idea about this!!!! I will be Mindful of this situation as it affects the entire world!!! And by improving my self on it, I'm liv ni by example!!! ❤️💕😇🌺

[@hifabiola]

a wonderful speech, I really hope people in my country can be more aware of this planet :(

[@anastasiiakrivosheina1753]

Amazing presentation! I’m shocked that 3 years after still nobody talks about it. It’s a huge business and obviously it will take a long time until people will realize how much waste we produce. But least we can do is buying less and recycling the clothes.

[@gusserks5609]

beautiful talk

[@tiffm9749]

There are other options. I love the company Fair Indigo for casual outfits. They also pay their employees a living wage. For formal events, I love Rent the Runway.

[@Sarah-gf8su]

Beautiful! Recently I have just been shopping at charity / second hand shops and it feels amazing

[@extradela]

Very inspiring! Thank you.

[@salbytorres7796]

been shopping at goodwill and yard sales since I started earning my own money at 16 years old. I feel very proud. I also don't buy cruelty makeup

[@TheSassi14]

I imagined this would be about how people perceive you by what you wear.

[@ccm8819]

Thank you! This is so inspired to me!

[@nursen2106]

so true. well put

[@goldlionist]

She's my hero.

[@shrutiiyer118]

who knew Macklemore was capable of such deep thought

[@damienalexander4459]

LMFAO NO 😭😭😂😂😂

[@josephmcdonald9933]

Gad damn!!! Brilliant. You sir are a scholar and a poet. I tip my hat to you.

[@oheytia]

He was right all along. I owe him for opening my eyes.

[@habibaroyees]

Amazing!!

[@divinecommerce6760]

I challenged myself to "be the change" and shop second-hand shops after a lifetime of Nordstrom and Nieman's... And once I got over the smell, its a treasure trove of goodies! A lot of thrift and consignment shops have items with the tags still on. #reducereuserecycle

[@AmyStruloeff]

Rad speak. Thank you lady.

[@ladysongbird6942]

This was really powerful! I never knew that buying cheap clothing could impact so much! I was raised to pinch pennies on my clothes and I agree that it doesn't last long. I would think that I got a good bargain but found my self-buying more and more clothes. I will invest in quality clothes and recycles the clothes I don't need. Great video!

[@bdas7779]

Sensor talk❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@Patricia_CSR]

awesome. I'm gonna go buy quality clothes and just have a few item. Also, I wash most of my clothes by hand or delicate wash and they really last a long time. practice minimalism!

[@sywaddr11]

感恩！ 感謝丁女士的愛心！ 加油！

[@kreuter4547]

Yes we are!!

[@Coco-pr3rz]

this convention was good but the title definitly wasn't good for it CLICKBAILT

[@SoniMoP89]

weird clickbait*

[@yoshiperspectives4880]

Thank God for a self cleansing environmental ecosystem!! Off to Nordstrum Rack!

[@helenakekkonen340]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@jennyfurr]

Poshmark is where I go to buy clothes. You’d be surprised at the designer clothing you can buy at a fraction of its original, astronomical price. These astronomical price tags are due to better quality materials which last a lot longer. Look fantastic without killing your bank account, plus helping the environment = win-win!

[@dm4816]

I buy second hand clothes for years. Its super fun and u find pieces that are unique. But as she said I am surprised every time how people throw out clothes in excellent condition..

[@sihamstakeon3445]

While I agree with what she said and I personally work relentlessly to use existing garments and fabrics in my design creations, I believe that she neglected the impact of the industry and threw all the weight on the shoulders of consumers not tapping into the retailers and manufacturers waste and overproduced garments to cut on production costs and shipping. What the corporations are doing from playing the psychological games using millions and billions of dollars to entice people to consume and buy more through ads and sponsoring hauls and so on. We need not to forget or turn a blind eye to the massive distraction caused by fashion companies and blame it all on consumers. “Sustainable and conscious” brands are insanely expensive for the average consumer and it seems like elitism and classism plays role on who can afford to buy and shop sustainably and who cannot. While I understand organic cotton being very expensive it is not the only sustainable solution out there. But they’re all still expensive to the average consumer. And most people who talk about the environmental impacts of fashion seem to be disconnected from reality and only speak to a certain class of people. Gatekeeping ethical and artisanal fashion for the elites.

[@sandreentm]

Brilliant! I love that!

[@kdvytdgui.ghuecysgupv]

Only clothes I actually get rid of are the ones that wouldn't fit me anymore because I lost or gained weight. I don't understand how people manage to ruin their clothes so they need to throw them or they are unwearable. What do you wash your t shirts on 90°C? Learn how to sew a button and fill a hole in your socks!

[@sandragongora5912]

Love it!

[@waxkabaromedia1354]

You are right

[@elinroshenriksdotter9018]

Chocking stuff... thank you for this information!

[@goodluck-nz7hu]

Thank you so much🖤

[@iamarec4260]

I have started doing just that. Started a recycling circle with other girls and is working wonders!

[@CherieDeDieu]

People always ask me where I shop and expect to hear a name of some high end shop only for me to tell them I shop at the local thrift/second hand shops. 😊

[@iluvubb247]

I recently went to a clothes shop that buys used or unused but unwanted clothes and over heard them talking about how “so much clothes are being brought more and more every year and how they’ll only pick the fast fashion and designer goods only.” It was sad to hear that most of those clothes go straight to dumpster when no one wants them. And there is an increase in unwanted garments are more than ever before they don’t know what they’d do with them. It was eye opening enough for me so I don’t even wanna buy anything anymore. And I don’t know what I’d do with the ones i already own either. I’m picky and I always prefer quality over quantity.

[@natasharode-christoffersen6717]

Loved this so much! Eye opening and so so motivating! I haven't bought new clothes unless they're ethical in a year and this makes me feel like i need to spread the message. thank you

[@amandaandjuliana1213]

im fighting it too!

[@SanneOtilia]

Wauuu MUST SEE video for everyone - please

[@dipaligurav9057]

in India cloth banks are there to distribute the needy. If you feel you can help them

[@VideoPromoVIP]

Love her!!! Awesome talk!

[@alphacentauri7381]

great video thanks dear ma'am.

[@nisreenhamid4232]

Very interesting n informative

[@jaydevpatil5164]

Thank you for telling us about clothing pollution

[@escobarines]

Money as it is conceived today is what's really polluting us and the environment. In reality it's just a medium to get things that you *need* , not an end in itself, despite the many people who (consciously or not) believe it is. From what I've seen, a big part of the clothing industry is moved by how people want to *appear* -not to *feel* , unfortunately. Instagram thrives on those kinds of illusions. Some of the biggest fashion consumers I know of are actually not well-off economically, but they want to *look* as though they are, as if that actually meant that they are. In my books that's similar to taking a pain killer for a broken arm... I think a good idea, apart from changing the individual choices you make, would be to *better educate people on the value of money* (taking economics wasn't compulsory in my school!) and to *advise them to think of money as a medium that says nothing about your quality* as a person.

[@odapty]

Totally agree

[@dgymdgym3571]

très intéressant, merci

[@jessidawkins5245]

It taken me to know today

[@williammoreno1924]

We must talk about such things more often... Thanks Dean... I've learned a lot from you.. Thumbs up!

[@puneetkaur13]

We always give away our old and ill fitted clothes for donation , most people happily take away old clothes . Sometimes even in the family , used clothes are passed on to cousins , the clothes are in good condition but sometimes when they don't fit anymore , so we try to pass it on to someone who might like wearing them , but we never put them in dustbins :)

[@Jill_of_trades]

I think many people have forgotten about the possibility of donating to the fashion departments of universities (who would take anything given)... May such not in the future so to help combat pollution caused by clothing

[@Sophie-zg4fb]

Nine years ago! Wow

[@SlowedSonics]

We have to provide food and shelter for the homeless, and oppose racial discrimination and promote civil rights, while also promoting equal rights for women. We have to encourage a return to traditional moral values. Most importantly, we have to promote general social concern and less materialism in young people.

[@agingophelia9812]

I've been wearing almost all secondhand clothing for over 20 years. It's not hard to do.

[@dianaantonova1196]

It's fantastic video! 👏 I agree with this woman a lot. I becomed accustomed to wear in SecondHands, when it was not mainstream yet;) For the first, main reasons of ut was low price and presence of very original items there. But when i got older it becomes one of my methods to save the planet - reuse. Also, when some clothes stop fit me - i try to give it to red cross, animal shelters and so on to make them second/third/forth life, may be even like rag. Sadly, it often become a battle to find the ways to recycle clothes there, in Ukraine. But I struggle as I can and want you all to fo the same - find interesting items in second may be more interesting, then in usual brand shop, cos it's more like even hunting then shopping;)

[@openbabel]

lovely lady......most of the things mentioned are clearly attached to the commercial clothes miles per item and leveraging the item for as long as possible.The fashion industry needs redundancy to flurish. The lesson here is to by classical quality styles which are enduring. You might contemplate from this lecture a mini skirt and tights is a lot less poluting than a pair of genes.

[@karissaschwartz1017]

Look up textile recycling near you for clothes/shoes in unusable/poor condition (wouldn’t sell at Goodwill). Also H&M & American Eagle recycle all brands of clothing in their stores...so if your clothes are in poor condition, drop them off at your local mall. ☺️

[@ByeByeBelly]

I wear kmart clothes but I wear them for years at a time. I can't afford to buy organic expensive Australian made fashion labels when a jumper at kmart is $5 on special. Not ideal but some people just can't afford better. Salvos thrift store tries to sell tops for MORE than kmart does...

[@baa9865]

Bye Bye Belly and now imagine how people who work in creating this clothing get paid i dont blame anyone, but it's a pitiful situation with our garment industry

[@vaderladyl]

It is ok if you need to buy cheap as long as you buy less and take care of what you own.

[@sunflower-oo1ff]

Dry cleaners use harsh chemicals, use the dry cleaners that don't use chemicals, they are some, you just need to find them.Protect our beautiful earth ~ xo

[@roel17729]

OMG! Im proud of you..job done

[@MyNameGoesRightHere]

Thumbs up to help with this speech that should raise awareness towards this topic, and about overconsuming in general. That being said, I believe that the title should be definitely changed, as it is misleading. Also, I think it wouldn't hurt to use a last slide to summarize the solutions. Finally, I think there is an extremely important missing part of the puzzle, here: western cultures have moved from a "repair culture" to a "substitution culture". And in my opinion, going back to repairing would be extremely beneficial both for our mindset and the environment. I feel that advising to buy less is much less efficient than asking to fix what you have to give it a longer life. Just sayin'...

[@osyasa6255]

I shop at secondhand stores 😎

[@graceyang3738]

What if you're a kid and are still growing out of your clothes? I mean, my mom always donates mine, but I still have to buy more every year.

[@sofiadean1999]

Grace Yang thrift shops!!

[@vaderladyl]

That is ok if you are still growing and won't be able to fit in your clothes as long as somebody already grown but just buy better quality that lasts longer and fewer items, donate what you don't use and try second hand stores.

[@Antistylestyleclub]

Such an old video and still so relevant, if not more..

[@HomemakerDaze]

wear secondhand clothes!

[@gururajbsavakar7154]

NEVER

[@topnotchtn4538]

But what about shoes?

[@annoldham3018]

Certainly makes you think .😀

[@ZosiaSamosiaOo]

I have been planning on ditching mass produced cheap clothing for some time now, but every time I look though the "good quality" collections I see stuff that would fit a very upper class businesswoman, and I'm just a regular student who would feel 5x overdressed (and snobbish, to say the least) in those. I'm stuck.

[@graceemilydoug]

and she didn't even get to addressing exploitation of workers... hats off to her

[@BlueberryCorpse]

Honestly, is so much more important the impact of animal industry, than this topic, please