Black Public Media Launches Campaign to Promote Sustainable Fashion

Harlem-based Black Public Media (BPM), the national media arts nonprofit, is spotlighting the environmental crisis caused by fast fashion and promoting sustainable forms of fashion.

Launched on Monday, September 9, during New York Fashion Week, BPM’s latest BE HEARD campaign, in partnership with Paramount+ and Big Couch Entertainment, introduces #ShopLikeNana. The campaign can be viewed on blackpublicmedia.org, BPM’s TikTok, and other social media platforms.

“BE HEARD: #ShopLikeNana encourages consumers to rediscover style and reduce fast fashion by returning to the “hand me down” form of fashion by shopping in their grandmother’s closet, reusing their wardrobe, or buying pieces from their local thrift stores,” BPM wrote on its website. “The goal is to encourage people to see the value in their clothing beyond its purchase price and the value of practicing sustainability in fashion.”

The campaign comes in response to research that the fashion industry, through fast fashion, produces 10% of global carbon emissions and pollutes our oceans with microplastics. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation notes that a surge in clothing production could lead to the fashion industry contributing up to 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Additionally, fast fashion has led to a textile waste crisis, causing severe impacts on communities of color worldwide.

In response to the growing crisis, BE HEARD: #ShopLikeNana aims to mobilize Millennial and Gen Z shoppers, who are more actively engaged than older generations in tackling climate change.

As part of the campaign, Sophia Clark of Big Couch Entertainment, a New York Emmy-nominated content creator who directed the previous BE HEARD installment, will lead the direction of the #ShopLikeNana campaign. Inuka Bacote-Capiga will produce original content featuring comedian Katrina Davis (Comedy Central, America’s Got Talent) as a satirical late-night show host covering a segment on fast fashion’s role in climate change.

Alongside the original programming, influencers will be invited to share content using the #ShopLikeNana trend on their personal channels, helping to amplify the message and promote sustainable practices. BPM will also launch a web page offering sustainable fashion resources.

BE HEARD is a two-time Anthem Award-winning social media campaign designed to spotlight critical issues affecting Black communities. BPM selects a theme each year and commissions a filmmaker to create content around it. This year’s campaign focuses on amplifying Black voices in the global climate conversation.