FAQs

Not per se. We critique capitalism and business as it is now practised, and aim to elevate examples of ‘other ways’ that do not depend on growing demand for declining resources.

UCRF’s written questions directed to conferences and events are addressed to the overall community of researchers, not for or against a certain community, agenda, brand or event. UCRF aims to mobilise for “concerted action and leadership over the use of scientific and artistic knowledge that is more relevant to and commensurate with the multiple crises we face.” The questions sent by UCRF to conferences and events aim to stress the urgency of the issues addressed, and specifically to push the discussion forward, including in relationship with other actions in the fashion and sustainability field.

UCRF does not take a specific stand for or against any specific methods, indexes, agendas or research programs. UCRF is not for or against any persons, brands, funders or institutions. Rather, UCRF wants to stress the importance of “diversify[ing] the voices within fashion and sustainability discourse, to reflect multiple perspectives beyond the dominant business approaches presented, including but not limited to the Global South and Indigenous communities.” While it is always uncomfortable to have work criticised, UCRF is not taking any specific critical stance or theoretical position in economic or academic debates. If some of the issues UCRF raises appear critical of certain work, we hope that these questions push research and debate forward, adding new angles and perspectives.

UCRF supports a wide ecology of initiatives that push for “whole systems and paradigm change, beyond current norms and business-as-usual.” UCRF wants to stress, however, that what is often labelled as “constructive” is set within a paradigm of sustaining business-as-usual. That is, being “constructive” often means narrowing down possibilities to maintain a current order of things; an order that may not be sustainable from a planetary perspective.

UCRF tries to use various modes of language depending on the expected audience. However, as its name suggests, UCRF is primarily a mobilisation of researchers. Most institutions of research use academic terms and language, and the primary concern of UCRF is to counterbalance a discussion across the field that is often “over-simplified, fragmented and obstructed by the growth logic of capitalist business models as they are currently realised and practiced.

There are many organisations working in the field, including OTA, Textile Exchange, Sustainable Apparel Coalition/Higg Index, Designers Accord, Common Objective, GOTS, Global Fashion Agenda, Fashion Revolution, CFDA.

UCRF is independent of any other organisation. Every member joins as an individual. UCRF creates a platform for establishing a robust knowledge base about sustainability themes in the fashion sector, sharing best practice and resources.

UCRF is open to researchers, people working in the fashion industry, fashion educators, scientists and concerned laypeople.

UCRF does not promote any specific fibre, material, process, or index.

UCRF does not do consultancy.

Our interest is solely in doing work that leads us towards better understanding of how to live and dress in the right relationship with the Earth.

We anticipate that we will all begin to work differently as we work to change things together. We will learn much and expand our options. In the short term, we ask members to look for opportunities within their current work to turn it towards the Union’s manifesto, i.e. that they take an active approach to helping us realize the Union’s manifesto points.

UCRF is an organisation whose focus is on challenging the simplified discussion and predominant growth logic within the fashion sector by disseminating research and creating activist knowledge ecologies. This work in itself has environmental impact and requires everyday considerations, where members have to negotiate between priorities of how to best reach the organisation’s goals and the activity’s environmental impact. While UCRF supports the initiative of No Fly Climate Sci, the Union currently has no organisation-wide policy on flying, consuming, dressing or eating, and respects individual choices on the matter.