COVID-19 could be an important turning point for the fashion industry, sustainability experts say. Here’s why.

Vinyl is in vogue. Whatever your budget, you can now find shiny, translucent clothes and accessories, from see-through Christian Louboutin pumps to shiny pink Fiorucci pants to glossy catsuits and miniskirts from ASOS. It’s no surprise that the style is in. Vinyl was all over the runways at Paris Fashion Week over the past two winters and, like many trends, it has eventually trickled down into mainstream fashion. Never mind that no one is wearing vinyl pants while stuck inside under quarantine.

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It boils down to profitability.

The disposal of plastics is a global problem. They are nearly indestructible in natural conditions but are discarded worldwide on a large scale. The world produces around 400 tons of plastics each year. Nature cannot address the amount of their disposal at a speed fast enough to prevent harm to living beings.

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An original Rosie the Riveter is making masks and lobbying Congress to recognize women’s contributions to the war effort.

During another difficult moment in human history—World War II—women who went to work in factories and shipyards donned scarves on their heads to keep sweat and hair off their faces. These women were represented by the iconic Rosie the Riveter poster, in which a female wartime worker wears a red polka-dot bandana. Now, one of the original Rosies has started making face masks out of that same patterned fabric as part of the fight against COVID-19.

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A number of brands are removing racial stereotypes from their products. Will Trader Joe’s follow suit?

The past few months have been a time of reckoning for brands built on racist imagery. Now, Trader Joe’s is being called out for some of its own questionable branding.

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At this point, it’s just a prototype, but it shows the potential of radically rethinking our materials.

The fact that personal protective equipment is in short supply is well known. The national stockpile was nearly empty as of April 1, and states have been sourcing their own supplies.

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It’s like a computer that you can slice in half, then just stick back together again.

It’s impossible to forget the terrifying invincibility of the T-1000 liquid metal robot in Terminator 2. Even when shot with bullets, or split apart by explosions, the robotic goop would slowly form itself back together, healing itself anew.

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Get sucked in for hours at a time. What else do you have to do?

In her book How Games Move Us (2016), computer games researcher Katherine Isbister writes that her friends and colleagues believe that gaming might numb people’s emotions. Given the possible connection between games and violence, it may be understandable that they think this, but Isbister disagrees with them. She writes that “games can actually play a powerful role in creating empathy and other strong, positive emotional experiences.”

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This flat-pack purse is designed to be shipped.

Ikea built an empire out of a simple idea: furniture designed in such a way that it could be flat-packed to ease shipping costs and eliminate the need for a delivery truck. Today, that same innovation comes to purses, as the Milan-based bag label Up To You Anthology has created a flat-pack purse. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, along with leather and felt options. And yes, just like Ikea furniture, you have to assemble it yourself.

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Just in time for quarantine.

After being stuck inside for six weeks, there’s a good chance we’re tired of looking at our own homes. Fortuitously, Apple TV+ has a new docuseries that gives us a glimpse inside other people’s homes and speaks to our current reality in quarantine, as our worlds are increasingly defined by where and how we live.

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Three hospitals are using nature to improve the well-being of workers in an environment that feels anything but natural.

The coronavirus pandemic is taking a huge toll on the mental well-being of healthcare workers. The shifts are long, and often, heartbreaking, as medical workers bear witness to the impact of the coronavirus on patients and their families firsthand—while barely getting to see their own families for support along the way. In response, some hospitals are offering a new way to help these workers catch a break.

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