18 Books you should read about the fashion industry

Top 18 books on the fashion industry

It can be quite a challenge to put together a sustainable wardrobe. It is therefore important to remind yourself why it is important to be aware of this. The only question is: How can you continue to motivate and inspire yourself during this challenging search? To help you with this, we have put together 18 books that will make your journey a lot easier and more enjoyable.

MARIEKE EYSKOOT

1. This is a good guide

If you are looking for a guide that can show you the way to a sustainable lifestyle, then you should read the book by sustainable lifestyle expert Marieke Eyskoot. This is a good guide is a book that shows that living a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to be a challenge at all. You can get your inspiration from the dozens of conversations between Marieke and all kinds of different pioneers in the field of clothing, accessories, care, food, living, working and leisure. She talks to the director of the controversial documentary The True Cost Andrew Morgan and Elin Larsson, the founder of the clothing brand Filippa K.

AGNES ESENBRINK

2. Fast Fashion

Always wanted to be in the shoes of a designer and stylist of a large fashion house? Then you should definitely read the book of Agnes Esenkbrink. A novel with a clear message for today’s woman. The woman who tries to keep all the balls high for the capitalist system at the expense of herself and the people around her. The book reads wonderfully and is also very informative.

ANNOUK POST

3. Journey to a sustainable world

Annouk Post takes you on a journey of awareness and introduces you to forerunners who are going to shape the new world. Her examples in the field of fashion, design, art, nutrition and science. Annouk gives a very positive view on the future. A green, self-sufficient school in Bali, lucky portraits of the inhabitants of Bhutan… All examples of the sustainable route, of positive change.

SAFIA MINNEY

4. Slow Fashion

Safia Minney is a true pioneer in the field of sustainable fashion. After founding her sustainable clothing brand People Tree, she decided to write a book: Slow Fashion In this book, she talks to other big names in the sustainable fashion world who offer alternatives for the common, polluting fashion industry. In her book, she introduces designers, labels, concept stores and innovative, more environmentally friendly fabrics. Her goal is to turn the fashion industry into a fairer industry and with this book she shows that this can be done.

SAFIA MINNEY

5. Slave to fashion

This book delves into the world of the people who work in the clothing industry. It is an impressive and personal story that touches the heart. It creates awareness on one hand, but on the other hand also offers solutions by different experts. The book proves that fashion can be used to give workers a good future by making beautiful, competitive and accessible fashion.

HASMIK MATEVOSYAN

6. Paradigm shift in fashion

Can you imagine a world where your needs form the basis of clothing collections rather than the needs of the companies that determine what you wear today? The author Hasmik of the book Paradigm shift in fashion certainly does. She developed a whole new design system for fashion. A system in which the price tag of your clothes is not determined by the quality, but rather by the amount of time you start wearing them.

KAREN KAMMERAAT

7. Just Good

If you are looking for products that contribute to the balance between world, people, environment and economy, then it is a very good idea to start your search with the book ​‘Just Good’. This guide will help you to recognise products that contribute to a better world. Writer Karin Kammeraat has been working on this quest for 25 years and has found a sustainable variant for each product. That was quite a challenge because those products have to be fun, tasty and affordable and buying them has to fit into our busy lives. All these beautiful, but sometimes untraceable products, you can find in this book! Doesn’t that sound good?

ELLEN EN NIKOLAS

8. The Sustainable Family

Do you want to live more sustainably but don’t know where to start? Then this book is the one for you! Scientific grounding, with a holistic vision and clearly written…You’ll get answers to all kinds of practical questions.

(Currently only available in Flemish)

ANNELIES MENTINK

9. More luxury with less

In this book, Annelies Mentink explains how to create peace of mind. She wants to help you on your path to minimalism through her 5 phases which range from tidying up to unpacking and buying differently. The essence of your new life is waiting for you in this book.

With a chapter on fashion written in collaboration with COSH!

(Currently only available in Flemish)

ANNE DRAKE

10. Ecology on high heels

Unfortunately, the amount of waste continues to increase every minute. We still create too much unnecessary waste and many people do not know how to solve this problem. But with Anne Drake’s book, you can do your bit to reduce it! In Ecology on high heels, Drake shares her tips for a Zero Waste life. It also contains fun DIYs that you can apply to your daily life. This book makes ecological life easy! Together we strive for no waste!

(Currently only available in Flemish)

ANNE DRAKE

11. Eco Lifestyle

This is Anne Drake’s second book and it is a more detailed sequel on her first one. In Eco Lifestyle you will find all kinds of fun, eco and healthy recipes. You’ll also get tips on tools to help you switch to a more sustainable lifestyle. For example, she mentions COSH! in her list of online platforms that help you shop in an environmentally conscious way. And that’s something we feel very honored about! Want to add Eco Lifestyle to your book collection? Then we have good news, because Supergoods sells this beautiful book in their shops in Mechelen and Antwerp.

(Currently only available in Flemish)

Sign up for COSH now if you can use a personal guide to make your wardrobe more sustainable.

ANDREW BROOKS

12. Clothing Poverty: The Hidden World of Fast Fashion and Second-Hand Clothes

This book takes you on a journey around the world. It follows the story of a pair of jeans, revealing to you how clothes are made and sold. The book exposes how recycled clothes are traded across continents. The author reveals how retailers and international charities are involved in commodity chains which perpetuate poverty.

ELIZABETH L. CLINE

13. The Conscious Closet

This book, The Conscious Closet, teaches you about the fashion industry. The book explains how and where clothes are made. It will also teach you how to turn your wardrobe into a sustainable one.

LAUREN BRAVO

14. How to break up with fast fashion

In this book you will discover how the fashion industry works. The author acknowledges in her book that clothes are not going to disappear, but that we need to buy much more consciously to ensure better conditions for the environment and workers in the garment industry. The author explores topics such as second-hand shopping, vintage and consignment.

AJA BARBER

15. Consumed

Consumed exposes the truth behind the fashion industry and gives you tips on how to consume less. The book tries to ensure you are a citizen rather than a consumer.

Judith Thomas & Jasmien Wynants

16. Groeien broeken aan bomen?

It’s a children’s book suitable for children aged 8 and up. In the book, Judith and Jasmien provide an accessible explanation of how clothing is made and who is involved in the process. Through a colourful journey filled with illustrations and easy-to-understand short texts, readers can discover how the world of clothing production and consumption operates.

(Currently only available in Flemish)

SARAH VANDOORNE

17. Kleerkastvasten

Have you ever felt like you need new clothes because you think you have nothing to wear every morning? This is exactly what the fashion industry wants you to believe. on average, brands introduce a new collection every six weeks. In response to this, journalist Sarah Vandoorne decided to wear only six clothing items for six weeks as a counter-reaction.

(Currently only available in Flemish)

DINIE VAN DEN HEUVEL

18. SEW WHAT?!?

Is the book for decision-makers and practitioners in the fashion industry, including established and aspiring designers, brand owners, students, and fashion lovers who want to participate in making fashion relevant again. With the right tools, designing sustainable irresistible fashion is only limited by your own creativity.