Crafting Change: Skills for Success as a Sustainable Fashion Communications Manager
With Constance Beswick
Interview by Stella Hertantyo
Constance Beswick is the Communications Manager at Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), which is a non-profit organization that fosters industry collaboration on sustainability in fashion to accelerate impact.
At GFA Constance is responsible for planning and delivering editorial content and carrying out PR activities across all of their work. She joined as a Communications Assistant while studying Social Anthropology MA (Hons) at The University of Edinburgh and completed her dissertation on Intersectional Environmentalism — a movement for which she is a staunch advocate.
I interviewed Constance in the Conscious Fashion Collective Membership about the role of compelling narratives and communications in sustainable fashion, the biggest skill gaps in sustainability communications, and the most important elements of a successful sustainable fashion communications campaign.
Below are some of the highlights from the conversation. Inside our membership, you'll find the full recording with more insights from Constance (and get instant access to other expert Q&A recordings, workshops, and live events).
What led you to the position you hold today?
Sustainability has always been important to me. I didn’t always know how it would manifest as a career, but it’s been a constant thread throughout my life. If you ask my family, they’d say that there was no doubt in their minds that I’d end up working in sustainability.
I was a very determined child. I went vegetarian when I was five, after watching the film “Babe” and feeling distressed by it. I went vegan when I was ten. I had a magazine about upcycling when I was seven. So it was pretty obvious that my career would be driven by some sort of desire for change.
But I grew up in a remote area in the North of England, which meant that career opportunities weren’t abundant. During my summer holidays, I started to work as an administrative assistant at a small agricultural consultancy. This was eye-opening.
I learned so much about the compliance, legislative, and operational sides of growing crops in the UK. I also got my first professional writing opportunity there. I would research and draft notes for the clients — something akin to a print newsletter — and it was a great chance for me to begin to understand how to navigate ethical challenges in a professional setting.
Then, whilst I was studying at Edinburgh University, I made sure that all my electives for my sociology degree were as sustainability-focused as they could be. I completed my dissertation on intersectional environmentalism. I explored courses around waste colonialism and the slow and structural violence of climate change. I also looked at the concept of natural disasters and whether they’re ever truly natural, at least in terms of how they impact communities.
My degree gave me skills that are valuable for sustainability communications. I learned that you can’t speak on behalf of people, you can't exploit people's stories, and that there are always cultural nuances at play that need to be thoroughly considered before any reflections can take place. Likewise, I learned that introspection is as important as extrospection.
In my final year, I worked with the consultancy called Sustainia to explore ways to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Working there gave me insight into the tangible implementation of sustainability. I ended up ideating an interesting project on permafrost. During this process, I was also proposing and working with so many different experts on locally guided and led solutions.
Then when I was nearing the end of my degree, I began to think about what my ideal next step would be. I thought my desired path was too idealistic, because I’d heard that it was quite difficult to get into the sustainable fashion field.
When I saw the role for an Assistant at Global Fashion Agenda — which was a dream organization for me — I applied. I was a bit worried about timing and questioned my capabilities, but someone close to me urged me to apply, and I'm grateful that they did.
The timing was tricky, because I’d agreed to start six months before my degree ended. So I was completing my dissertation, doing my exams, and working a 40-hour-per-week full-time role. It was challenging, but I’d do it all over again. It was a period of accelerated growth for me.
Now I’ve been with GFA for over three years and I’m in a more senior role, but my ambitions are still the same. I want to contribute to creating a more equitable fashion industry.
How do compelling narratives and communications strengthen the sustainable fashion movement?
Fashion has a long history of conveying pioneering ideas in unique and beautiful ways. Fashion also dictates trends with ease. I don't think there's any other medium that has the same kind of potential to make sustainability — in all of its complexity and nuance — desirable.
But I think this is going to only be achieved with effective communication. Through that, we can give rise to a new wave of sustainability where everyone has informed knowledge, and then they can act based on that.
Facts, statistics, and numbers can account for a certain kind of brand or organization’s sustainability and metrics, but they don't tell the full story. Compelling narratives give life to sustainability information, because at the heart of it all, statistics are human beings with dependent livelihoods at each step of the value chain. Progress in the social and environmental space must engage the wider public. It's the only way to get people on board.
Storytelling also holds so much power. From ancient times, it’s been used to communicate culture, create new cultures, and maintain culture. It's a way of fostering connection too.
The title of Margaret Atwood's documentary, a few years ago, was “A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power”. This stuck with me and is so reassuring for somebody working in communications, because it reminds me day-to-day of why what I'm doing is important and inspiring action.
To bring it a bit more closely to the fashion industry, I think communications and narratives serve as a bridge between complex issues and individual understanding. One of the biggest challenges in sustainable fashion is the disconnect between systems and the value chain. When people are trying to shop more sustainably, they're stifled by this lack of transparency.
Many surveys show that there are a lot of people who want to live more sustainably. Even though the intention is there, a significantly smaller percentage of people are following through with this. Communication is crucial in getting us over that line from ambition to action. People are demanding change and they need to be given the right information to start navigating this complex picture.
What are your key responsibilities — day-to-day and more broadly?
I work on a variety of tasks day to day. My core priorities are editorial and public relations. This can mean writing a press release for a new impact program, inviting media from around the world to come to the Global Fashion Summit, creating a newsletter to launch a new Global Fashion Agenda publication, writing an article about sustainability at Fashion Month, and creating communications plans. No day looks the same.
More broadly, I'm always focusing on telling all the stories of the amazing projects that GFA is working on, and working toward our vision and mission of a net-positive fashion industry.
We have our Fashion CEO Agenda Framework which structures and guides all our work, which I find useful. I always come back to this agenda to remind myself what I’m working towards and make sure that my work is in alignment with those priorities.
How can people best prepare themselves for working as a Communications Manager in the fashion industry?
There are so many pathways. It can be simultaneously reassuring and daunting that there's no one pathway you should follow.
When you are applying for jobs, it’s important to not just know a specific organization, but also the ecosystem in which it exists. A company functions within an industry, which functions within a larger ecosystem. Understanding how all of these fit together is as important as knowing a specific company and its projects.
Image Credit: Global Fashion Agenda
I'm also a real advocate for building up a picture of passion as well as hard skills. Entry-level roles do not always seem entry-level and the fashion industry isn’t always accessible. It’s important to build up a picture of passion by finding different ways to demonstrate your excitement and dedication towards the topic, beyond your work experience and hard skills. This always shines through in interviews.
Practical degrees related to communications are an asset, but I believe that there’s value in almost every degree. So don’t worry about this too much. People often tell me that they don't see an immediate link between my degree and my role, but I've been able to utilize it so much. My degree has given me a unique perspective that other degrees wouldn’t have provided.
Show your dedication to this cause and people will pick this up when they’re interviewing you.
What are the biggest skills gaps in the sustainable fashion communications industry?
This space is ever-changing, which means the way we work and communicate with each other is also always in flux.
I think a big skills gap is being able to adopt a critical lens. We know that taking information at face value doesn’t suffice and misinformation is a huge problem in the fashion industry. Communications professionals should analyze everything they share, instead of taking it for granted. We've seen the consequences of communications called out for greenwashing.
Those responsible for communicating sustainability efforts are going to fall short and make themselves vulnerable to these critiques if they're not well-versed in the information that they're communicating.
Of course, sustainability is super nuanced and complex, so we can't expect every communications professional to have an intricate knowledge of the industry and value chain. But I think this emphasizes the need for communications professionals to be integrated into the team, exposed to leadership, and enlightened on the value chain wherever they can be.
The onus isn’t always on the communications team, because they rarely have access to all the relevant information and the full picture. This is why having a critical lens is important. This means looking into the source you are citing, aligning with the rest of the teams in the organization, and making sure you are confident about whatever you are putting out there.
What are the most important elements of a successful sustainable fashion communications campaign?
Communications outputs can vary from editorials, to press releases, newsletters, and social media campaigns. Each output requires a different approach. But across the board, I think a good campaign will always have clarity of impact, integrity, and then impressions.
Impact is all about considering the desired outcome. You have to ask questions like: Is this going to catalyze tangible action? Have we included a call to action? Will this make a difference in the industry? And will people feel enriched after seeing this?
Integrity is all about alignment. You have to ask questions like: Are we proud of this? Does it align with our strategy and values? Have we verified everything we've put out? Do we have a plan to follow up and continue to drive the campaign?
Impressions are all about reach. You have to consider: Is the reach organic? Have we used clickbait which would undermine our integrity? Does this interest our audience? How do we ensure that people will stop, read, and feel what we have to say? How do we kind of ensure long-term sustainable impressions?
If you have good answers to all of these questions, and you drive a common theme throughout your communications deliverables, you will more than likely put out a campaign that is of value.
How do you stay up to date with the latest communications tools, practices, and strategies?
I’m a huge fan of newsletters and Substacks. I think they can give you such an amazing insight into what's trending, but also where there's a gap for you to step into.
You also need to make sure you are present on the platforms where you are going to roll out your communications outputs. This doesn't mean you have to be glued to Instagram. But, if you want to be present on it professionally, you do need to have an awareness of how it works.
I find that Substacks can be a great cheat for this, because I subscribe to several kinds that focus on Gen Z social media insights. So I get the insights that you’d get from being glued to TikTok, without having to be glued to it myself.
Likewise, find journalists whose work you respect and follow them on their platforms.
On a practical note, platforms like Meta and Pinterest often share their insights about consumer behavior and that can dictate what's resonating with people on those platforms.
Recently, Day One Agency shared their report predicting six words that will define the year ahead. They had such great insights and words I’d never heard before. So I’m also always keeping an eye out for cool research like that.
Also, twice a week our communications team will extend our usual check-ins to share any new reports and campaigns that we have found relevant and interesting.
I think knowledge-sharing is so important in career development, because different people know about different topics.
It can be beneficial to build a mini knowledge-sharing network, whether that’s a text group or a weekly meeting. This industry is fast-paced, and you need to stay on the ball to know what’s going on, so sharing resources is helpful.
What skills make someone a better communicator? What are the challenges of being a Communications Manager? How do we bring transparency into communications strategies? How can communications teams navigate complex and nuanced sustainable fashion topics? What is the process of managing a successful sustainable fashion campaign?
To hear from Constance on these topics and much more, watch the full recording in the Conscious Fashion Collective Membership!