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Activist Aja Barber wants change. In the 'learning' first half of the book, she will expose you to the endemic injustices in our consumer industries and the uncomfortable history of the textile industry; one which brokered slavery, racism and today's wealth inequality. And how these oppressive systems have bled into the fashion industry and its lack of diversity and equality. She will also reveal how we spend our money and whose pockets it goes into and whose it doesn't (clue: the people who do the actual work) and will tell her story of how she came to learn the truth.
In the second 'unlearning' half of the book, she will help you to understand the uncomfortable truth behind why you consume the way you do. She asks you to confront the sense of lack you have, the feeling that you are never quite enough and the reasons why you fill the aching void with consumption rather than compassion. And she makes you challenge this power disparity, and take back ownership of it. The less you buy into the consumer culture the more power you have.
Consumed will teach you how to be a citizen not a consumer.
Aja Barber is a hugely influential voice who is passionate about racial justice and exposing endemic injustices in our consumer and fashion industries. She has pledged to never take a dollar from fast fashion.
She is no stranger to campaigning for change. Her Instagram video 'Why Performative Allyship is Triggering', which called out brands and influencers for monetising the Black Lives Matter movement, has accumulated over one million views. The video also put a spotlight on the disparity between fast-fashion brand billionaires and their unpaid factory workers during the COVID-19 economic downturn.
"This powerful, speaking-truth-to-power book is an essential read for everybody who wants to stop feeling clueless and helpless about the impacts of consumerism, and start doing their part to help create a more sustainable world."
– Layla Saad
"The book is a blueprint for anyone who wants to do better"
– Vogue
"SUCH integrity. Aja is no bullsh*t."
– Florence Given
"Consumed takes us through the hideously complex topic of fashion and sustainability, from its knotty colonial roots to what everyday people can do to uproot those systems, today."
– Yassmin Abdel-Magied
"an absolute must-read"
– Red Magazine
"An absolute must-read for any person who wears clothes."
– Orsola de Castro
"A hugely compelling exploration of a culture of exploitation and how, together, we can end it."
– Gina Martin
"Barber's isn't just a voice we should listen to – it is a voice we MUST listen to."
– Clementine Ford
"If you buy one book about sustainable fashion, make it this one. Consumed is an urgent call to action to demand a fashion system that is actually fair for both people and planet, not just Big Fashion billionaires. I adore Aja and I love this brilliant book."
– Venetia La Manna
