Standing on the threshold of a new year and a new decade is an opportune moment to reflect on the decade past, most of which spent in the company of my trusty green stilettos–a blog launched seven years ago with a bold vision of putting glam into green.

Sustainable fashion has come on in leaps and bounds since then. Over these years, I have watched ethical fashion move from the margins into the mainstream, and a growing number of designers and brands embrace a better way of doing business. Of course, change is not happening as fast as one may have hoped–especially since the tragedy of Rana Plaza in 2013 put in sharp focus the deadly cost of fast fashion.

I have no doubt that sustainability is here to stay–from increasing calls for full transparency of the supply chain to the ever-expanding innovations pipeline. Nowadays, clothes and shoes can be made from pretty much anything, from mushrooms to orange peel (more on that soon in my upcoming interview with IFAD’s Farms. Food. Future). Still, despite these promising signs, only 1% of all cotton produced around the world today is organic and too many people who make our clothes are struggling to make a living.

But things are indeed changing. With each new alliance and new commitment–both corporate and personal–we are inching closer to a more sustainable world. And I am happy that, in a small way, green stilettos have been part of this growing movement. As the United Nations Secretary-General calls for the next 10 years to be the Decade of Action to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we all need to step up our efforts.

Personally, green stilettos have taken me on paths unknown–from the brightly lit TEDx stage to the grand reception room at Buckingham Palace. Places I could not have imagined myself in in my wildest dreams when I penned my maiden post “The green stilettos have landed“. I also feel extremely grateful for the opportunities green stilettos had offered to meet wonderful individuals in all parts of the world many of whom have become good friends.

And so as we step into the next decade–the world’s 2020s and my own 40s–I look back on the past seven years with a great deal of fondness and a tiny little bit of pride. And while I may be kicking my green stilettos off for a while to concentrate on a new book project (more on that later, too), I have a feeling they might prove somewhat large shoes to fill!

With this, Happy New Year and Happy New Decade of Action for Sustainability!

Xx

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