19-25 AUGUST 2019 BIGISSUE.COM | 25
They’ve done something marvellous, they have affected public
opinion so well that the government is now forced to say, we will act on
this. They’ve committed to these protesters and said they’re going to do
something. That’s a big achievement.
But now we need to be specific with our aims so we can enact real
change. We have a lot of campaigns, a lot of protest, we know what
we’re fighting for, but we need analysis and specific aims. I’m pushing
for that.Do you think social media has had a part to play in the success of
climate crisis campaigns?
Exposure to a global conversation can only be a good thing and people can
start to form their own opinions. Of course, there are silos of conversation
and misinformation, but at the end of the day it’s a great way for people to
mobilise and organise themselves. That didn’t really happen in the same
way before. People are able to form these online communities which then
extend into real life.
And also, without social media, how would my own campaign be
going? I’m trying to formulate a campaign that can sweep up a lot of these
other campaigns and provide a clear direction. Without social media, I’d
probably have tried to write a letter, probably to The Guardian, then what?
I don’t type, I don’t watch TV, I rely on other people to give me news
that they know will interest me. Articles by amazing journalists like Chris
Hedges. Read Chris Hedges, read John Pilger, people who give you an
overview and a true perspective that completely explodes the narrative
every time they write anything.
Social media enables me to get my message across – it’s incredible
and amazing.Social media hasn’t been the only platform for you to communicate your
campaigns and protests, you’ve used your collections over the years to
raise a number of issues. What do you mean by a term you have often
used: “The future is culture not consumption”?
The future for the fashion industry should be to produce quality not
quantity. Let me clarify, the fashion industry is quality, the high street is
quantity. The high street, fast fashion and online quick sales are far more
polluting than high fashion.
I’ve got a few slogans relating to this – buy less, choose well, make it
last. And I’ve also got another slogan. Buy less, dress up is another. Always
look great and keep on wearing it!What are your views on throwaway fast fashion?
It’s awful. The most sustainable thing is to reduce, reuse, recycle. But for
the fashion industry, it relies on the production process and suppliers
reducing their carbon footprint too.
If Greta was world controller it would be great. And if I was her advisor,
I’d say, ‘The first thing you must do, Greta, is make it a rule that everyone
has to reuse their glass bottle, then we can tackle plastic more easily.’
In fact, a dream of mine is to start a non-profit company and design
it like the company of the future. A company that you’re only allowed to
expand up to a certain point so that you can get your customers and your
minimums and you can get the right price for things – and also donate to
charity through sales.Considering you have all this going on and are so busy, we’re delighted
that you have kindly designed a bespoke Big Issue T-shirt for us. Can you
explain a bit about the design?
It’s simple, use your potential, become who you are. It’s a hopeful and
empowering message that can help spread the word, start conversations
and explode the narrative.It comes from your series of playing cards. What led to you
creating these?
The playing cards are a strategy to save the world. How to save the world
from climate change. Each one represents a different issue.
Hearts are for culture, diamonds are for money, spades are for the
motherfuckers who wreck the planet, clubs are for war. Julian Assange is
the king of clubs for he’s the king of no war, a freedom fighter. He’s the one
that’s challenging the idea that war is a great thing to do, that war gives us
jobs. This is a narrative we currently don’t even question!
At the minute, we’re ruled by the establishment – the politicians and
the press. Included in this one per cent are investors and rich people whoImage:
GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images
make money out of damaging the world – I call it the rotten financial
system. Finance and politics are the same thing. Whoever controls
the economy controls the politics and whoever controls the politics
controls the economy. It’s always been like that.
This establishment peddles a false narrative that serves their
interests. What I’m trying to do is highlight the problems and analyse
them. Only then is it possible to find solutions.What are the pressing issues for you at the moment?
They’re all on the playing cards. Definitely Julian Assange. He is on
my mind at the moment. I feel an urgency of having to do something
about his situation, so I’m trying to think about how to deal with that.
He’s been a friend of mine and I saw him on a regular basis for years,
usually once a month in the embassy.
He is an example of the problem. The tiny establishment control
the narrative and his character has been assassinated in the press
for years. The smear that’s gone on has been awful. It’s not based
on anything to do with the truth. It’s just based on allegations
of allegations.
Of course, the main overarching message is to save the world
from climate change. To do this, we need to take back control of
the narrative. The ruling elite are in a position where they control
everything and by protesting and analysing the problems and
developing a manifesto for change, we can unpick the one per cent
and make real changes.Do you have some parting words of wisdom for our readers?
You get out what you put in, so do good things, educate yourself
on what’s really happening and make informed choices! If enough
of us realise we think the same, and want to change the world for
the better, we could form an opposition strong enough to sway the
government now, couldn’t we?@SarahHowell3
Vivienne Westwood
has collaborated
with The Big Issue to
create a very special
limited-edition
T-shirt, retailing for
£120 with all proceeds
going to The Big Issue.
It is available from
Vivienne Westwood’s
World’s End store.
More information at
worldsendshop.co.uk
and bigissue.com