Local Denim Industry Insiders on LA Wildfires’ Impact and Lessons
In January, two major wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area, leaving behind a path of devastating destruction. The Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood engulfed about 23,000 acres, destroying almost 7,000 structures. At the same time, the Eaton Fire burned across 14,000 acres and destroyed over 9,000 structures. In total, the two fires caused at least 29 civilian fatalities.
Now that the fires have been fully contained, the focus is on rebuilding and relief. Residents who evacuated have been able to return to their homes, and the community is providing support to those affected.
In the wake of these wildfires, Carved in Blue spoke with denim industry players located in LA to hear their thoughts on what we all can learn from the weather-fueled disaster and how individuals and companies can get involved in the aid efforts.
ANOTHER DESIGN STUDIO
Stefano Aldighieri, president
Carved in Blue: Why should the world be paying attention to these devastating fires?
Stefano: Simply put, because this is just yet another example of what global warming is causing. We are witnessing massive and unprecedented global weather events, ultimately caused by U.S. all!
Carved in Blue: What impact do you see the wildfires having on the fashion industry, both in the short and long term?
Stefano: I doubt we will see any, and it is a real shame. This should be a wakeup call to all of us to force real change in our industry (and all industries). What people must eventually realize is that, even if it costs money to reduce our impact, the cost of repairing the damages is far higher.
Carved in Blue: Have your company’s operations been affected at all?
Stefano: Luckily, I have not been affected by the recent events.
Carved in Blue: How is your company supporting the relief efforts? How can others get involved?
Stefano: I reached out to friends who live in the affected area and offered to help when they were evacuated. Fortunately, their homes were not damaged.
There are many entities involved in the aid efforts; immediate needs are being met. The real problems involve housing (already an issue here), especially for people in areas like Altadena, where the vast majority are working class—and not billionaires and millionaires from the coastal cities, who will have the means to find temporary housing while their mansions get rebuilt.
DENIM DUDES
Amy Leverton, founder
Carved in Blue: Why should the world be paying attention to these devastating fires?
Amy: The infamous quote doing the rounds the week of the fires sums it up: “Climate change will manifest as a series of disasters viewed through phones with footage that gets closer and closer to where you live, until you’re the one filming it.” And it couldn’t have felt more real. We have seen disasters unfold in Haiti, Pakistan, Spain, Bangladesh and all over the globe, but this being on our doorstep felt humbling. Climate change isn’t a “somewhere else” problem, this is an “everywhere” problem. The irony for me, working in the apparel industry, was seeing one of the causes of climate change (over production and over consumption of clothing) front and center in the relief operation.
Carved in Blue: What impact do you see the wildfires having on the fashion industry, both in the short and long term?
Amy: Los Angeles is a very creative city. According to an OTIS report in 2018, one in six people in LA work in creative fields. I’m closest to Altadena and it’s full of artist studios, makers and workshops as well as film and TV crew. In my network alone, those who lost everything included a photographer, two interior designers, three fashion designers, a natural dyer, a chain stitcher, a local boutique owner and a potter. And that’s just my network! LA is resilient, and with the support of the community I believe that they will bounce back stronger. Nobody in that list is leaving; they are all determined to rebuild.
On a larger scale, I think it’s sadly business as usual. Just like the other climate-related disasters, life continues and when profit is prioritized, very little changes. I don’t think we’re going to catch on to the lesson Mother Nature is imparting until it’s too late. And that’s in no way a critique of the working fashion community—they are pretty tuned into it, but it’s a bigger systemic problem. To give you an example, I had many friends working for larger brands in LA who were expected back at work on the Thursday whilst fires were still raging. Those who lost everything or were evacuated were allowed to “work from home.” I believe that’s a good indicator of the priorities in our industry!
Carved in Blue: Have your company’s operations been affected at all?
Amy: Being a small business, we are able to take our mental health into consideration and really go with the flow when it comes to things like this. If we were having an emotional moment, we gave ourselves some time. If we wanted to volunteer, meet or help a friend in need, we did it. If we wanted to leave town, we could. I wish there was more trust within corporations to let people feel their own way through a natural disaster because I wouldn’t say we really missed much work, we just worked when we could. Which proves that “showing up” for the sake of optics just makes people feel overwhelmed and resentful and doesn’t achieve much. I’m sure there were a lot of folks sitting at their desks staring into space in the days following the fire.
Carved in Blue: How is your company supporting the relief efforts? How can others get involved?
Amy: The first days we were just amplifying friends and acquaintances in our industry who lost everything. One close friend of mine, Troy Strebe, who actually appeared in the Denim Dudes book in 2015, raised almost $140,000—a life-changing amount. Now, there are plenty of great platforms out there shining light on those less fortunate, for instance there’s a spreadsheet of GoFundMe pages where you can see which ones need more love and which ones have achieved their goal and a spreadsheet of displaced Black families from Altadena. As we know, one’s recovery is only equal to their support system and though everyone’s loss is the same, many people have historically had less opportunity, therefore their safety nets are not as strong as those more fortunate on the other side of town.
Now that the initial relief efforts have died down, there’s one key company who is going to be instrumental in the access apparel donation clean-up, and that’s Suay. The donation centers were the first to witness the extreme excess of clothing waste we are all guilty of, and that exemplified the need for better paths towards upcycling and recycling. Lindsay from Suay has been all about this for years, and we need so many more operations like hers. They have collected over 50,000 pounds of clothing in the efforts to keep them out of landfill. They have a ‘Suay it forward’ program where you can fill a bag of clothing, old sheets and/or textile waste for $20, which helps cover the labor it takes to correctly deal with the problem. Suay are asking people to sponsor a bag so as to help cover the weight of this recovery operation. If you don’t live in LA but work in the apparel world and want to help in this way, this is what you should do!
KINGPINS SHOW
Vivian Wang, managing director and global sales manager
Carved in Blue: Why should the world be paying attention to these devastating fires?
Any natural disaster happening anywhere in the world is worthy of our attention, compassion and support.
On a professional level, a significant portion of the global denim community is based in Southern California, and on a personal level, I am based in the Los Angeles area, along with my family.
Thankfully, my immediate family was spared, but there are so many stories of friends and colleagues who were not as fortunate. I continue to support GoFundMe campaigns, but I also expect I will keep hearing from people I know who lost their homes and their livelihoods.
We are grateful that fires did not impact Kingpins’ business, although the speed and scale of the disaster is a reminder that we cannot be complacent about climate change and the health of our environment.
Carved in Blue: How is your company supporting the relief efforts? How can others get involved?
Vivian: At times like these, people want to help, but if they are far away or don’t know anyone personally affected, they can feel powerless. That’s why Kingpins put together a list of organizations that are providing aid to people whose lives were upended by these fires: https://kingpinsshow.com/how-to-help-those-impacted-by-the-la-fires/
Tragedies like this also remind me of the importance and the power of love. We should always show our love and appreciation to those around us—you never know what will happen next. If you think of someone, call them. If you have an idea, speak up. Cherish the moment, and always be grateful for what we have.