Cultures of Climate: Changing the Narrative

Changing the Narrative, presented as part of the Cultures of Climate exhibition at the University of Huddersfield, interrogates the intersections of sustainability, communication, and creative practice within the fashion industry. This collaborative project between Dr Claire Barber (artist and researcher in material practice) and Guy McKelvey (lecturer in fashion marketing) responds to the systemic challenges posed by the prevailing “take–make–dispose” model and its environmental consequences. Drawing on frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UNEP Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook, the exhibition explores how narrative and materiality can function as agents of change. Through engagement with Sole Responsibility—a Yorkshire SME pioneering circularity through the resale of fashion footwear and clothing seconds—the project examines corporate social responsibility and the role of small businesses in shaping sustainable futures. Artistic interventions transform discarded shoelaces into hybrid forms that evoke petrochemical excess and ecological entanglement, while marketing perspectives reframe consumer perceptions of waste and value. Rather than offering prescriptive solutions, the exhibition foregrounds dialogue and critical reflection, positioning communication as a catalyst for behavioural and systemic transformation. By weaving together interdisciplinary methodologies, Changing the Narrative contributes to scholarly discourse on sustainability, material culture, and the ethics of fashion, while inviting audiences to reconsider the narratives embedded in objects, practices, and consumption.