Weekend Review: Sundressed

 

Sundressed / Lucianne Tonti
Washington: Island Press, c2023.
202 p.

I'm always interested in books about sustainability and sewing, and I heard of this relatively recent one somewhere, I think maybe a podcast -- can't recall exactly, but I did find the book via my library! 

It's a look at the production of natural fabrics through spotlights on farmers, businesses, and a hopeful look at improving the effects of fashion on our world. She takes on one fabric each chapter, and shares how it's grown/processed, and looks at some of the growing potential in each one through highlighting actual people and movements around each fabric. 

She starts the book with an overview of issues of sustainability in the fashion industry and the changes she hopes to see. Then she investigates cotton, merino, silk, linen, cashmere, rayon/viscose, hemp and denim. Each chapter is not overly long, so she doesn't delve into the history of these fabrics extensively, but situates them and then shares examples of things like regenerative farming, soil health, traditional skills, international organizations involved in greening agriculture in desertified areas from Mongolia to Australia, and so forth. Each chapter is also told in an easily readable voice, with Tonti tying in stories of her own experiences in the fashion world and with various fabrics directly. She also shares personal stories, particularly as this was being written in pandemic days. The writing style can be elegant and evocative in parts as well. 

I found it interesting, and because of the conversational tone and short chapters, probably more accessible to new readers than some more dense books on this topic. However, for those of us who have read a lot already, this does mean that we'll know most of what's included. What I liked was that she talked to some people I haven't seen mentioned in other books, and paid more attention to actual farming techinques and soil health than I'm used to seeing. It was really fascinating.

The one drawback to this, for me, was that she seemed to be moving between the US, Australia and various locations so quickly and frequently that I almost felt dizzy at times. Where is she actually situated, what is her natural perspective, I wondered. 

But as a whole, I did find lots of interest here, and it added to my understanding of more issues around sustainability in the fashion supply chain.