Collective Fashion Justice Founder Emma Håkansson on Building a Truly Ethical Fashion System
Fashion is often celebrated for its creativity and beauty — but behind the seams lies an industry that impacts people, animals, and the planet in profound ways. At ASK Scandinavia, we had the pleasure of interviewing Emma Håkansson, founder of Collective Fashion Justice, who is challenging the status quo with a bold vision she calls Total Ethics Fashion. In this conversation, Emma shares her journey from model to activist, the principles behind building a truly ethical fashion system, and why collaboration and systemic change are essential for a just and sustainable future.
What inspired you to found Collective Fashion Justice, and how has your vision for truly ethical fashion evolved since its inception?
I started out in the fashion industry as a model, and became increasingly uncomfortable with what I was helping to sell with my face and body. I was put in fur, I was put in fast fashion made with exploitative labour, and as I learned more about the impact behind the clothing, I started to set rules about what I would and wouldn’t model: no animal-derived materials, no fast fashion, were the first rules. My modelling agency dropped me, it was too difficult to make money from me with these rules in place. I realised that if I wanted to be in the fashion industry, I had to be working to change it. I started with founding a creative agency exclusively working with more ethical brands, and that led into brands asking me for consultation on improving their ethics so they’d meet the standard to work with me. Over time, I didn’t want to just help sell things, even if they were better, so I decided to found Collective Fashion Justice. I didn’t see an organisation that was committed to what I call ’total ethics fashion’ — protecting people, our fellow animals and the planet all at once, and realising the importance of a shift beyond animal-derived materials in particular for this goal. So we filled that gap. How we engage with this transition to total ethics fashion is constantly becoming more nuanced and rich with context, new research we produce, new information and learnings from how the industry responds and engages with our work.
“Total Ethics Fashion” is a principle you advocate for. Can you explain what this concept means to you and why it matters for people, animals, and the planet?
I coined the term ’total ethics fashion’ to counter the binary notion of ’sustainable fashion’ and ‘ethical fashion’ as two distinct ideas, one focused specifically on the environmental impact of fashion, the other usually only on human rights, not the rights of all beings. Total ethics fashion demands that people, our fellow animals and the planet are all equally and consistently considered ahead of profit. That means we can’t accept a bag that’s free from animal-derived materials but made from fossil fuels, nor a bag made with fair labour but animal skins, or from a bio-leather but without living wages paid to those who made it. Our wellbeing is inherently interconnected because people are just one of many animal species, and all of us animals live as part of, not just in ecosystems. If we don’t protect all of us, we aren’t truly protecting any of us.
In what ways can consumers create real impact beyond their purchasing choices, and what would you say to someone who wants to support positive change in fashion?
I like to talk about people as citizen consumers, not just consumers. We are citizens able to use our voices, tell brands what we will and won’t accept, and vote (fashion is political), not only consumers who vote with our dollars. We can’t change what we don’t understand, so I always encourage people to learn about some of the issues with the fashion industry, as well as the solutions that exist. Our website is full of material guides, issues pages, films, a podcast and more. Good On You is also a good resource.
Collaboration is often cited as essential for progress. How do you see designers, activists, and brands working together effectively to transform the fashion industry?
Everyone plays a role in the transformation of fashion. A perfect example is how Collective Fashion Justice worked with material innovator Caxacori Studio and the Awajún community to uplift the story of shiringa bio-leather, how that story was strengthened by collaborating with manufacturer Veshin Factory and Rical creating the bag that ASK designed, featured at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Each of these stakeholders worked together to bring this bio-leather forward in fashion.
Looking ahead, what is one systemic change you believe is crucial for the fashion industry’s future, and what gives you hope right now?
We recently released the first ever methane footprint of the fashion industry. Methane is 86 times more potent than carbon in the short term, but lasts far less time in the atmosphere. That means reducing methane emissions is the fastest way for us to reduce global temperatures. Our research (done with Cornell and New York University) found that despite making up just under 4% of materials used by the fashion industry, 71% of emissions across the fashion supply chain from raw material extraction through to end-of-life for products come from animal-derived leather and wool. That means it is essential that the fashion industry prioritises shifting beyond these materials, making use of recycled and bio-based next-generation materials with similar properties to leather and wool. This transition is essential if the fashion industry wants to stay aligned with the Paris Agreement, which it is currently due to overshoot by 50%.