URBAN FASHION AS A VISUAL LANGUAGE: ECO-TERMINOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE TEXTILE DESIGN IN YOUTH CULTURE

Abstract

This article aims to investigate urban fashion as a visual language that is being recoded through sustainable textile design and eco-terminology. Focusing on Gen Z consumers, it examines how streetwear is reinterpreted not merely as an aesthetic preference but as a vehicle for environmental consciousness, identity expression, and social status. Within the frameworks of Roland Barthes' fashion semiotics, Jean-Marie Floch's plastic semiotics, and Consumer Culture Theory, the article analyzes how sustainable fashion terminology-concepts such as eco-fashion, slow fashion, circular fashion, and upcycling-integrates with visual communication practices in youth culture. The research draws on international consumer studies and sustainable fashion literature conducted during the 2023-2025 period. Findings indicate that sustainable streetwear has become both an ethical value and a social currency for Gen Z, while certification systems such as GOTS, OEKO-TEX, and the Higg Index constitute the «grammar» of this visual language.