Meet Joshua James Small, the triple threat tackling fashion’s sustainability problem
Welcome to CHEW THE FAT WITH…, our long-form profile series where we invite you to sit down with fashion’s next generation as they dig deep into their memories. To chew some fat - defined as an informal conversation brimming with small talk - we encourage you to pull up a chair and take a big old bite as we spill the tea on the life and work of the industry’s need-to-knows. Just remember to mop up after yourself.
With sustainable design a philosophy that runs throughout his brand DNA, Joshua James Small is the “working class gay man and self-confessed nature boy” on a mission to change the way we think about fashion consumption.
Forget everything you think you know about the ‘triple threat’ - 24-year-old JOSHUA JAMES SMALL is re-defining the phrase as a pioneering changemaker through his work as a sustainable womenswear designer, freelance writer and model. His label, launched in 2019, has already garnered attention from the likes of RITA ORA, OH WONDER and GRIFF. His hardline approach to sustainability earning him a spot on the panel of the British Fashion Council’s sustainability forum. As a one man band, Small lives by the motto: “Show up, work hard, don’t complain, don’t explain.” Changing our understanding of a young creative, Small takes some time out to chat with Check-Out on all things fashion and sustainability, collaboration and innovation, and living life in the new normal.
Alice Morey: Can you tell us - who exactly is Joshua James Small?
Joshua James Small: Professionally I’m a sustainable womenswear designer, freelance writer and model. As an individual, I’m a working class gay man and a self-confessed nature boy. I’m also highly empathetic, and a serial over-thinker, but I think that’s just an Aquarius thing.
“The terms ‘sustainability’ and ‘sustainable fashion’ are heavily overused at this point in time and have murky connotations, as a result of the profitability that comes with a greenwashed appearance.”
An expert communicator, with intellectual, thoughtful and charismatic qualities, are somewhat synonymous with the Aquarian star sign, attributes that Small draws upon to educate others on the importance of sustainable and cyclical design. It’s a philosophy that runs throughout the DNA of his work in a “multi-layered conscious approach,” seen through the use of radical transparency measures, including the utilisation of deadstock cast offs which would otherwise find their way to landfill.
AM: What does the word sustainability mean to you?
JJS: It’s a complex understanding. By definition sustainability is ‘the quality of being able to continue over a period of time’, and in the context of the environment, it essentially means a symbiosis between human interaction and the planet, in order to maintain life; for life to sustain. When you apply that understanding to fashion, ‘sustainable fashion’ is the production and use of clothing in a responsible manner, which has a reduced impact on the planet and its resources. The terms ‘sustainability’ and ‘sustainable fashion’ are heavily overused at this point in time and have murky connotations, as a result of the profitability that comes with a greenwashed appearance. Fashion cannot ever be truly sustainable though, because to be truly sustainable would be to make nothing at all. ‘Sustainable Fashion’ is an oxymoron, however myself and my peers utilise the term to make it understood that we are producing in a more responsible manner, considerate of the issues that the wider fashion industry contributes. Design is my craft and what I do best, so it’s a matter of balance. I never claim to be perfect, but I hope to set a reliable precedent, and a strong catalyst for further development.
AM: Have you always had an interest in creating sustainable designs? Was there ever a moment where you thought, ‘wow, this is what I need to be focussing on’?
JJS: I was always sustainably conscious in a broad sense. I recycled as much as possible. I was never wasteful. I grew up with a very real attitude towards consumption. I would only buy what I needed and what I could afford. I think this mentality is rooted in class identity, but it’s also just a matter of being sensible and relative about your impact as a human.I entered into design, specifically womenswear, with a desire to create beautiful garments. I’ll admit that sustainability wasn’t something I always rigorously considered when it came to design. I then met someone who changed my entire perspective. He was the most interesting person I knew, and he spoke about fashion and the environment interlinked, in such an enthusiastic manner. In a way he influenced my refined focus as a sustainable designer.
Small’s commitment to a sustainable approach to design has seen him create his own self-coined niche of ‘immersive high end womenswear’, which saw him present digitally at Helsinki Fashion Week, producing luxury clothing with collections “rooted in personal narrative.” Clothes are a vehicle for escapism that transport their wearer outside of the ordinary, and Small aims to “elevate the experience past a place that is simply an exhibition of clothing.”
AM: What do you think the biggest challenges are when it comes to sustainable fashion?
JJS: Scalability at both ends of the industry. I think it can prove difficult for smaller brands to scale up responsibly. As a new brand, you want to make an impact, but you need to balance that with financial stability. Young designers are taught how to make work that resonates visually, but rarely are they taught how to make an income from this. They have a brand identity without the infrastructure. When you add the layer of responsibility that comes with being labelled as a ‘sustainable designer’ it can become a complex process. Most young designers rely on investment and collaborative projects to source income. It can prove difficult to work with companies that respect a more responsible model of working, whilst also compensating fairly.
“A cultural ‘moment’, when something really comes alive. For me there is nothing better than watching an individual own their space, understand their audience, and convey a believable idea.”
AM: How can designers and brands do better?
JJS: Make less, make it well, and make it last.
AM: How can we, as consumers, do better?
JJS: Buy less, buy well, and make it last.
An avid fan of KATE MOSS and fashion history, Small takes inspiration from notable fashion moments including ALEXANDER MCQUEEN’S Plato’s Atlantis collection and look 12 of the CHRISTIAN DIOR A/W 2002 couture show by JOHN GALLIANO, something the young designer describes as “scream worthy fashion.”
“The way the model walks across the air vent with an unwavering confidence, reacting in real time as she wrestles with the feather lining is like a Marilyn Monroe moment on acid,” he recalls. An unexpected source of inspiration for Small comes from CARDI B’S performance of Money at the Grammy Awards in 2019. “She wears archive Thierry MUGLER effortlessly...she puts on the enormous crinoline skirt which is made from organza and peacock feathers, belted at the waist. As she moves, the skirt almost reacts to her body with an elegance comparable to the girls of the Moulin Rouge. The performance is a masterclass on the interlinked worlds of music and fashion. Cardi is one of my favourite performers to watch, because she just gets it. You know that she understands what and who she’s wearing every time.”
AM: What excites you?
JSS: A cultural ‘moment’, when something really comes alive. For me there is nothing better than watching an individual own their space, understand their audience, and convey a believable idea. A classic example of this would be LADY GAGA at the VMA’s in 2009. At the exact moment she bleeds from the chest and the audience audibly gasps, you can feel the very real engagement between the artist and the audience. It adds gravitas and cements the serious nature of the art.
AM: Who would you most like to work with next?
JJS: IB KAMARA. He loaned some of my pieces for a shoot many months ago, but the images incorporating my look were cut and never published. It is what it is though, c’est la vie. I adore his work, and have a great respect for what he does, so I would appreciate the opportunity to have my work styled by him in a published project in the future.
Courtesy of @joshuajsmall
Like many of us at the moment on the cusp of freedom between lockdown and raves, Small is looking forward to regaining a social life. Of course, he’s making sure to be recognising and supporting local independent businesses and venues who have struggled the most since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
AM: You’re planning a night out post-lockdown, where are you going?
JJS: I prefer the informality of a bar or a private party over a club. I feel people are more relaxed in that environment, so you get to have more honest conversation and unrestricted fun. If I was going out, I’d probably go somewhere like Dalston Superstore or The Glory; nowhere crazy. It’s important to support LGBTQ+ spaces, because they’re underfunded and vanishing at pace, expedited by the impact of the pandemic. I used to go to CHARLES JEFFREY’S Loverboy nights at VFD many years ago, and would love to see him revive those events post-pandemic.
AM: Where do you see fashion in 10 years?
JSS: I think it will be much like today on face value, but will differ in the specifics. We’re currently in a period of flux, a remix of culture if you will. Most things have been said, done, designed, and made, so right now we’re living through an amalgamation of all that has come before, in order to propose ‘the new’. I would hope that people’s desire to re-wear and renew continues, and that there would be a unanimous shift away from fast fashion. I also see further localisation, whereby consumers will be less dependent on larger suppliers and more invested in quality independents.
AM: What about yourself, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
JSS: Happy and healthy. I’ll hopefully have sustained a career doing what I enjoy most. I would also hope I’ll have made a positive impact and contribution to the cultural conversation within fashion and sustainability.
AM: Any last words?
JSS: Take care and stay groovy.