Georgina Johnson, polymath

Georgina Johnson, polymath

Words Tamsin Blanchard
Photograph Edd horder

It was while training to be a pattern cutter at London College of Fashion that Georgina Johnson began questioning the sustainability of her chosen profession: both in terms of the environment and the human cost of the work. ‘I started to see just what was being required in order to do well in this industry, from the resources that were needed, how economically unjust that was for lots of communities and then looking at friends starting their own businesses and seeing how exhausted they were from trying to meet constant deadlines.’

The realisation propelled her into a profound depression. ‘But later on, that ignited my desire to reframe things and try to affect change.’ Despite graduating with a first class degree, she felt she had to walk away from fashion – ‘I still have a tentacle in it, but I am more of a thought leader now,’ she says – and instead built a community to help ‘change the landscape for the better’.

 

Fashion graduate Georgina Johnson is now working to help brands make their businesses more sustainable

One of the ways she is doing this is by publishing an anthology of essays from leaders in the creative and fashion industries, as well as biotechnologists, psychologists and activists. Despite being three years in the making, it is alarmingly prescient: one essay argues for the importance of factory workers’ voices to be heard, while another argues that the industry, with its relentless fashion weeks and drops, is broken. The first run has sold out and a waiting list is open for a second edition.

But Georgina, 27, believes that conversations, however radical, are not enough. ‘We need action, too,’ she says. She is building a ‘neighbourhood’ where brands and clients can collaborate to make their businesses more sustainable, both in terms of resources and the people working within it, as well as products and services.

‘We need to start understanding [sustainability] on a human level,’ she urges. ‘By encouraging people to extend the life cycles of the things they own and by creating a more transparent narrative around production at large – that’s how we increase meaning and make the industry more personable and less ambiguous.’

For her that means shopping less and instead ‘raiding my grandma’s wardrobe, and my dad’s!’ Today, she sports a headscarf featuring a map of Jamaica to celebrate the country’s independence in 1960, which belonged to her grandmother. ‘When she gave it to me, she explained what it meant to her,’ Georgina says. ‘It’s very special because she has dementia now, so it feels like I’m carrying her flag and her story.’

Pre-order second limited run of The Slow Grind: Finding Our Way Back to Creative Balance, £35, at theslowgrind.bigcartel.com

Enjoying Hole & Corner?

For further reading, sign up to our newsletter.

We have updated our privacy and data policy to reflect current requirements and in accordance with our existing registration as a data controller. This includes clear information on how we use cookies on this website. By using this site you agree to our use of data and cookies.

View our privacy and data policy