YOUTH LINK UP FASTION CLIMATE AND COVID 19

In recent months, there has been a growing discussion of whether or not COVID-19 will support new sustainability transitions (Cohen 2020; Bodenheimer and Leidenberger 2020; Goffman 2020). As Cohen (2020) writes, COVID-19, “is simultaneously a public health emergency and a real-time experiment in downsizing the economy.” We have been particularly interested in the impact of COVID-19 on the fashion industry ‒ one of the most wasteful consumer industries in the world (Bick, Halsey, and Ekenga 2018) ‒ and if the ongoing pandemic will support a sustainability transition. In this policy brief, we explore ongoing changes within the fashion industry during the COVID-19 era, and assess their impact on sustainability initiatives and the potential for a just transition. To do so, we draw on over fifty industry and media reports addressing the impact of COVID-19 on the fashion industry between March and June 2020. 1 These reports are then grounded theoretically in the growing,