When I went to school for fashion, not at any of the top schools in New York- but a state school in the Midwest, I found myself leaving university disillusioned. Throughout my college career I found out the realities of the industry I was so desperate to be part of. In a particular bleak lecture about how chemicals from leatherworking have made waterways toxic. I walked away from that lecture feeling defiant and righteous- if I was going to be part of the industry, I would find a way to do it without contributing to the bad side of it. I started my quest on learning as much as I possibly could about slow fashion, second hand, and how manufacturing using secondhand materials could work.

The problem here is that my school’s curriculum really set us up to work for big clothing companies. There was a big emphasis on learning the business side of the industry- while important- left the design students (or at least me) feeling like my design classes were an afterthought. In design classes we were taught different sewing techniques, yes. But we were also taught flat illustration and ways that would really market ourselves toward a large company.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with that, either. The administration obviously wanted us to find jobs in the industry and these were tools to help us do that. Many people I graduated with did get jobs in the industry very soon after graduation, which is a feat because it is difficult to go up against someone else from a top-tier fashion school.

What wasn’t taught, nor was really a discussion, is how we can turn around the industry. We were taught the issues with the industry, how bad the environmental impacts is, the reality of sweatshops- but nothing about how we, as the future workers at these companies, can enact change.

After college, I found myself working at a mass market sleepwear company in New York. I was a design intern, paid minimum wage, learning a whole lot of practical experience under a pretty awesome team. After several months, I had to take a second orientation because they had revamped the intern system. In the orientation, I asked one of the heads of the company if they had any compliance policy for their factories overseas or any sustainability standards. Of course, they didn’t. Shortly after that, I made the switch to tv and film costumes.

As an intern I had such little pull there was nothing I could do. There was also not really any place for me to move up within the company either- all of the design positions were full by the time I was ready to leave. Looking back, I wish I would have suggested a position that would create the sustainability policy and work with the factories that were employed by the company to ensure at least some semblance for compliance. That seemed too far out of reach as well.

All of this to say is that I see the people I graduated with, working for Walmart, Amazon, and other fast fashion retailers. I’m proud of you for securing a job with these huge companies. You’ve positioned yourself within the problem, and as you work for that company, you can push for change. We all understand that it’s on companies to choose to be more sustainable and ethical, since what we can do as individuals is so miniscule compared. Don’t allow yourself to waver the ways previous employees had. Use whatever power you may have within your company to inspire innovation.

Then, there are the smaller designers. People who do not work for the big companies or the luxury brands. Small designers also have a responsibility to create sustainably. How can a small business make what they do as ethical and sustainable as possible? Does that mean doing pre-orders rather than choosing a theoretical number of items you think would sell? Or could you switch to compostable packaging, deciding to stop using plastic packaging all together? What about your raw materials- could you make your items from deadstock? There are a million ways to offset the resources used to create new items, and I know that emerging designers are some of the most creative and scrappy people on the planet.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with working for a large company, collecting your paycheck, and living your life. I think there may be a villainization of the corporate workforce at these large companies. That mentality is counterproductive, because these are the people who can influence change. We need these people, because Amazon and Zara and Shein- these are companies that are going nowhere. They will stick around forever, so we might as well shift their production standards to something that isn’t so ridiculously frivolous. Accepting the status quo, the excuse of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” does not fly any longer. Because although the means of production have meant insane profit, it does not mean that system is not broken. It is because there is a million different consequences for one company’s means of production.

As always, I want to make this clear: the pressure to save the planet and improve worker’s quality of life is not on you, the individual. It is on the companies, the people in power, and our world’s government to finally make responsible decisions. The CEOs, the executive boards, all the way down to whoever decides what material a shirt will be made from. Designers, pitch a sustainable fabric. Do it over and over again until finally someone says yes. Find financial reasons why they should make the switch to an eco-friendly fabric. That small change is still a change in the right direction, and that is you using your influence, no matter how small, for the good of your company and everyone else.

If all of us make even a small effort to use whatever power and influence we have to enact change, much more can and will get done.