{"id":1245,"date":"2025-05-20T09:46:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T08:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/?p=1245"},"modified":"2025-08-07T13:12:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T12:12:23","slug":"moral-fibres-dr-verity-jones-brings-fast-fashion-to-the-big-retreat-festival-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/moral-fibres-dr-verity-jones-brings-fast-fashion-to-the-big-retreat-festival-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Moral Fibres: Dr Verity Jones brings fast fashion into focus at The Big Retreat Festival 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This week, the serene landscapes of Pembrokeshire\u2019s National Park will play host to one of the UK\u2019s most uplifting wellness gatherings – The Big Retreat Festival<\/a>. Among the 300+ experiences on offer, one session stands out for its timely relevance and transformative potential: \u201cMoral Fibres\u201d, led by Dr Verity Jones<\/a>, Associate Professor at UWE Bristol.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Jones is a leading voice in sustainability education and co-leads the sustainability strand of the Education and Childhood Research Group (ECRG)<\/a> at UWE Bristol. With over 30 years of experience in environmental and social justice research. Her work spans food systems, biodiversity, climate education, and – most notably for this session – the impact of fast fashion on people and the planet.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Dr Verity Jones<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In \u201cMoral Fibres,\u201d festival goers are invited to take a closer look at the clothes they wear every day. Through a blend of creative practice and academic insight, I guide attendees on a journey through their wardrobes – unpacking the hidden stories behind the garments we often take for granted. From the cotton fields of China and the US to the garment factories of Bangladesh, I explore how the fashion industry is deeply entangled with issues of social exploitation and environmental degradation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not wanting to just lecture – the session will be a hands-on, reflective experience. As festival-goers soak in the natural beauty of Pembrokeshire, they\u2019ll also be invited to reflect on how their personal choices connect to global systems. Participants will be encouraged to think critically about their own clothing choices: Where did these clothes come from? Who made them? What resources were used? And what happens when we throw them away?<\/em> I\u2019ll be offering practical strategies for making more ethical and sustainable fashion decisions. Whether it\u2019s choosing natural fibres, supporting local makers, repairing rather than replacing, or embracing second-hand, upcycled or vintage fashion, attendees will leave with a toolkit of ideas to help them buy less, choose well, and make it last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This session is especially timely. The fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide. It also generates millions of tonnes of textile waste each year, much of which ends up in landfills or incinerators. Meanwhile, garment workers\u2014many of whom are women and children- often face unsafe conditions and unfair wages. Most importantly our research has shown that fast fashion is the least understood term within climate and sustainable lingo and something we need to address (see full article: Young people, climate change and fast fashion futures<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoral Fibres\u201d is more than a workshop; it\u2019s a call to action. I believe that education is key to change, and by helping people understand the true cost of their clothing, I hope to inspire a shift toward more conscious consumption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week, the serene landscapes of Pembrokeshire\u2019s National Park will play host to one of the UK\u2019s most uplifting wellness gatherings – The Big Retreat Festival. Among the 300+ experiences on offer, one session stands out for its timely relevance and transformative potential: \u201cMoral Fibres\u201d, led by Dr Verity Jones, Associate Professor at UWE Bristol. … Continue reading “Moral Fibres: Dr Verity Jones brings fast fashion into focus at The Big Retreat Festival 2025”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":1253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":239,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,4,46],"tags":[211,306,307,262,88],"class_list":["post-1245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-change","category-social-justice","category-sustainable-futures","tag-ecrg","tag-moral-fibres","tag-the-big-retreat-festival","tag-uwe-bristol","tag-verity-jones"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1245"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1364,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1245\/revisions\/1364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}