From Wakanda’s vibranium clothing, to the Amazon’s battle armor, and even the Jedi’s robes, clothing can make all the difference in films. A dynamic character needs dynamic clothing, especially if they’re the protagonist. Sometimes the costume even makes the person, like with Batman and Spider-Man. The whole point of the movie Men in Black was that the agents were all wearing black suits while they were fighting aliens with their high-tech gadgets. Part of our culture as movie-goers, book-readers, and consumers is centered around appearances, and thus, clothes. But what about the story behind the clothes themselves?

If you’ve ever watched Back to the Future, you know that Marty McFly ended up going back and forth from the past and to the future with the help of scientist Doc Brown. And one of the very first thing you might’ve noticed? The way people are dressed. Typically during the last century, people kept their clothing for a long time, much longer than we do today. Instead of immediately throwing it out, they would see if they could fix it up first. If a shirt had a rip in it, you likely knew someone who could patch it up. If your pants are too long, finding someone who could hem them wouldn’t be too much of a task. This was our history of clothing as shown through cinema, a kind of recording of our progress through fabric. But what’s even more interesting about Back to the Future is that they didn’t just show the historical aspect of it–they also tried to predict the future of fashion.

Yet the future of fashion is also a reflection of the future of sustainability. When you watched the future scenes from Back to the Future, were you given a sense that the outfits the bullies wore were something out of fast fashion or something more progressive? From how ridiculous they looked and all the accessories they had, it was likely a product of fast fashion, something we are experiencing today. So when the movie was written, although it centered in on Marty’s experiences in these places and trying to rewrite time with Doc Brown, the future (even though it looked radically different and had some interesting technological quirks) didn’t seem all that different from the consumer and marketing standpoint. This would mean that the fashion industry likely continued to produce a vast amount of waste and that we have not made large enough strides with sustainability.

The reason why bringing up the fashion industry alongside the film industry is so important is that, just like with anything else, movies, novels, art, and other forms of expression is not just a snapshot of modern day society, but it is also a snapshot of what society could become. With movies like Black Panther, people become infatuated with this fictional fashion that they convey, lost in its color, its style, its beauty. But what’s more is how did they get it? When you arrive on Wakanda, you have a sense that they care about their country’s environment and that the technology is not only advanced, but possibly very sustainable. It is then understood by the viewers that Wakandans enjoy the luxuries of top-notch fashion while also being enraptured with pristine environment.

Through more movies like Black Panther, a new kind of viewpoint can be achieved. People who become fans of such fantastical worlds want their very own worlds to be like that. They strive and struggle to learn all there is about their hobbies, and maybe they come to realize that such a future is very possible. The public can be inspired to think about a new and grand kind of future, one that can be sparked by awe-inspiring films. Though achieving sustainability is more than just looking for inventive solutions for the fashion industry, its certainly a start, and one that can be propelled by the power of imagination.