This story originally appeared in i-D’s The Earthrise Issue, no. 368, Summer 2022. Order your copy here.
Mother Earth. Where to begin? What does being human on this planet we all share really mean? As I write this, in my office in New York, it’s Mother’s Day and I can’t help but connect what both mothers and our planet at its purest really represent: nurture, love, abundance and the circle of life.
It’s impossible for any one community to right the wrongs that our species has inflicted on the world, and so our manifesto for this issue was to look around us, across the planet, to celebrate the natural world and our place as humans within it. To explore. To right size ourselves. All through the i-D lens.
What started as an earth issue ultimately evolved into a study of our global community. We commissioned projects in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Nigeria, Albania, America, Burkina Faso, France, i-D’s birthplace the U.K, and across the oceans that connect us all.
For the first time in our history, there are no new clothes in the fashion section of the magazine. We looked at the ways in which the fashion industry can continue to benefit from the philosophies and DNA of i-D’s early issues: getting back to craft and creativity; the use and re-use of treasured items through D-i-Y, recycling, and upcycling; through vintage and archive clothing; through charity shopping.
This issue has been a real labour of love. It’s truly humbling to be part of this ecosystem, and to have a platform through which to share our global perspectives.
Enjoy! Alastair
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