Today protesters from the environmental action group Extinction Rebellion used London Fashion Week as a platform to declare a state of climate emergency.

It's no secret that fast fashion is one of the world's most environmentally damaging industries, and while major brands are taking steps towards more sustainable practices, many believe time is running out. The Guardian reported that a “group with a banner saying 'rebel for life' blocked the road outside Victoria Beckham’s show at Tate Britain for about half an hour on Sunday, holding up Mercedes cars provided for the event.”

The protestors reportedly wore black to memorialize the lives destroyed by environmental destruction. They also formed human roadblocks outside Fashion Week venues at West Aldwych and Temple to challenge “business as usual” and highlight the devastating effects of fast-fashion on the UK’s clothing market and the global environment.

Extinction Rebellion met the British Council earlier in the week to discuss the action it planned to take, as well as how the industry body could leverage its influence to change the fashion industry and guard against what they call the “urgent and existential threat of climate change”.