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Slow Fashion: The rise of retail’s sustainable future

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Slow Fashion: The rise of retail’s sustainable future

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This is an article on the rise of slow fashion and the decrease in fast fashion. I used it to back up my point about the evolution in selling methods of flares.

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In the UK we buy more clothes than any other country in Europe, piling up 27kg of clothing every year according to data from European Clothing Action Plan.

The fashion industry is, and has always been, based on materialism, but the inexorable rise of 'fast-fashion' is creating an unsustainable ecosystem. As the climate emergency climbs up the consumer agenda there is no escaping the fact that fashion is one of the world's most polluting industries, with a larger carbon footprint than international aviation and shipping combined.

Over $500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilisation and the lack of recycling.

The 'ASOS Effect', in which social media obsessed consumers don't want to be pictured in the same outfit on their social channels, underpins this cycle of continual consumption.

Above: Resale platform like Depop's physcial pop-up at Selfridges.

A circular fashion economy

While fast fashion was the growth engine of the industry at the dawn of the digital era, its future seems to be more circular, with a focus on reusing, recycling, repairing and even borrowing clothing. Over $500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilisation and the lack of recycling, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Vanessa Jacobs, Co-Founder and CEO of The Restory, a new repair and restoration business explains, "Aftercare is the engine that powers the circular economy."

It's a marketing strategy that raises question of whether it's truly sustainable asking people to bring back clothes only to buy more.

This emerging cyclical economy is being driven by younger millennials and Gen Z consumers. They are shopping on resale platforms like Depop, which is opening a physical pop-up at London's Selfridges this month, and raiding their parents' wardrobes to create looks that are at once sustainable but also, crucially in an era of social media, original.

As a fashion brand, it is no longer good enough to be less bad than your competitors.

Brands are giving shoppers more options to recycle clothes in-store, often in return for rewards or money off. It's a marketing strategy that raises question of whether it's truly sustainable asking people to bring back clothes only to buy more. But they do encourage more consumers to recycle in the first place and, crucially, help to drive footfall in-store. High street stores like Zara, H&M and ARKET have recycling bins by their tills, while Danish brand GANNI recently released a collection, which was an immediate sell-out, made from old stock.

Above: Mother of Pearl's No Frills line.

When business as usual no longer works

The Co-Founder of GANNI, Nicolaj Reffstrup, is honest about the challenges the brand faces. He explains, "We need to do better rather than doing nothing." As a fashion brand, it is no longer good enough to be less bad than your competitors. Fast fashion isn't acceptable to the modern-day consumer as brands are called out for burning stock. Burberry's destruction of over £90m worth of goods in the last five years, for example, has come under scrutiny.

Inditex, the parent brand of Zara and Massimo Dutti, made a pledge earlier this year that all its collections would be made from 100% sustainable fabrics by 2025.

When the business model focuses on profits, human rights and the environment become runners-up. This creates a tension; how do brands grow in a way that isn't just about volume? How do they balance planet and profit to run a successful business, when business as usual no longer works?

While the climate crisis presents the biggest challenge the fashion industry has ever faced, smart brands are harnessing the power and energy of consumers' collective consciousness.

In the face of this challenge big brands are demonstrating their desire to change their business model. H&M announced that they are aiming to have 100% recycled or sustainably sourced materials by 2030, up from 57% in 2018. Inditex, the parent brand of shops like Zara and Massimo Dutti, made a pledge earlier this year that all its collections would be made from 100% sustainable fabrics by 2025.

Above: Mother of Pearl's Amy Powney in a film for BBC Earth.

Collaboration is key

Yet, while the climate crisis presents the biggest challenge the fashion industry has ever faced, smart brands are harnessing the power and energy of consumers' collective consciousness. Stella McCartney has always been socially conscious, describing itself as a "vegetarian brand." Their recent ad campaign featured Amber Valletta as one of a "cast of change agents" and was also a call to action, a pledge to support Extinction Rebellion and an invitation to consumers to find out more.

Sustainability is about asking questions. The necessary information is out there, you just need to unearth it.

Founded in 2002, Mother of Pearl describes itself as a "luxury sustainable womenswear brand". Creative Director Amy Powney is passionate about sustainability, putting it at the heart of the business, most significantly with the launch of their No Frills line. The brand also partnered with BBC Earth on a short film about fashion's impact on the planet as well as a capsule collection of evening wear. As Powney has said, "Sustainability is about asking questions. The necessary information is out there, you just need to unearth it."

How fashion can save the world

Dame Vivienne Westwood said in a recent interview with British Vogue that "The reason I continue to design is because it gives me a platform. I use it to communicate how to save the world." Not every fashion house needs to have this lofty a goal. But, with research from BritainThinks showing the environment has overtaken terrorism and affordable housing on a list of Britons' top public policy priorities, business as usual is no longer an option.

Above: Stella McCartney sees itself as "vegetarian brand".

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Slow fashion: the rise of retail's sustainable future | shots

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In the UK we buy more clothes than any other country in Europe, piling up 27kg of clothing every year according to data from European Clothing Action Plan. The fashion industry is, and has always been, based on materialism, but the inexorable rise of 'fast-fashion' is creating an unsustainable ecosystem.

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This is the WGSN Collection Review: Key Items – Women’s Denim Pre-Summer 22. I used this to research about the future consumer of flares.

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This is an article on the rise of greenwashing, I used this research brands about brands that sell flares greenwashing.

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Organic, vegan, recyclable, circular, sustainable - consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental and social impact of their purchases, and brands are rushing to assure them can buy with a clean conscience.

But how much of these marketing claims is just empty spin?

In June, the fast fashion online store Boohoo was accused of 'greenwashing' - of misleading consumers about the sustainability of a range of clothes which it had proudly announced was made from polyester diverted from landfill.

But experts pointed out that although the 'For the Future' range was mostly made from recycled material, they couldn't themselves be recycled - the $10 dresses, flares and crop tops would still go in landfill, just at a slightly later date.

It was hard to see how this was contributing to any future other than one with lots of plastic garments littering the planet.

This is a familiar story, according to Clare Press, author and host of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast, who says she's noticed an uptick in brands promoting themselves as 'green' but failing to back this up in a genuine way.

"I would say it's on the rise," she said.

"People are trying to do the right thing and inadvertently [greenwashing], because they just want to be in on the green movement."

"And there is also some kind of manipulative marketing going on from some of the big players."

But can any kind of tee-shirt really 'save the planet'?

According to the fashion search engine Lyst, searches for 'vegan leather' have increased by 119 per cent since October. Searches for 'sustainable fashion' are up 66 per cent this year, and 'sustainable denim' is up 187 per cent.

In 2015, the polling company Nielsen reported that 66 per cent of consumers would spend more on a product if it came from a sustainable brand.

For young people, that figure is even higher - about 73 per cent.

But even as consumers are seeking out products they judge to be eco-friendly, they're increasingly sceptical of green marketing claims.

In June, Alan Jope, the CEO of Unilever, one of the largest manufacturers of consumer products in the world, said marketing has a "titanic trust problem".

"Green-washing, purpose-washing, cause-washing, woke-washing. It's beginning to infect our industry. It's polluting purpose," he said.

There are too many examples of brands undermining purposeful marketing by launching campaigns they aren't backing up.

The Unilever CEO says that in the future every one of the company's brands - everything from Bushell's to Paddle Pop to Impulse deodorant and Lux soap - will be "a brand with a purpose" and can help "save the walruses".

Which raises the question, can convincing people to buy more stuff help save the planet?

Is a criticism of greenwashing itself just empty spin?

Clare Press acknowledges that grand phrases like "save the planet" are very hard to back up, no matter how sustainable the supply chain.

"I think we have to be careful around language," she says.

"I understand that it's marketing to save the planet and uses that kind of buzz phrase, but where it becomes slippery and misleading and therefore potentially dangerous is when these claims suggest that by buying this product you are doing the right thing.

"This is actually misinformation."

How do you detect greenwashing?

Clare says some brands are genuinely trying to be more sustainable, and not all marketing melts into thin air - some words have a definite meaning.

If a brand says a product is recyclable, that claim can be proved or disproved.

What this requires from consumers is a sceptical attitude, attention to language, and a willingness to investigate before buying.

The website for the Fashion Revolution movement keeps a 'fashion transparency index' that reviews and ranks 200 of the biggest global fashion and apparel brands and retailers according to how much information they disclose about their suppliers, supply chains, and social and environmental impact.

Labour Behind the Label is a campaign that works to improve the conditions and empower workers in the global garment industry.

They also have lots of information on specific brands.

It also pays to be generally sceptical - if a dress or a tee-shirt is super-cheap, it's probably not going to be sustainable, even if it claims to be.

"We need to take a step back and ... hold them to account and ensure that they are meaningful and transparent in that process," Clare says.

"And also, if you are a startup brand, and you just really want to make a difference, ask yourself if making something to sell is actually the best way to do that."

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'Make them cry, make them buy': The rise of fashion greenwashing

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Organic, vegan, recyclable, circular, sustainable - consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental and social impact of their purchases, and brands are rushing to assure them can buy with a clean conscience. But how much of these marketing claims is just empty spin?

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This is the site to a biofabrication company called Modern meadows. I used their website to research a bit into their sustainability approach for the future of fabrics. This links into the predictions I have for brands sourcing sustainable fabrics to make flares in the future.

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Behind each one of our products is a proprietary application platform leveraging the power of nature. These platforms will change the way we build and use materials in everything from handbags to car seats. Meet Bio-Alloy™.

Bio-Alloy™ is our proprietary application platform that delivers unique performance and sustainability to Modern Meadow Biofabricated Materials.

Our selected proteins combine with bio-based polymers to create a molecularly-mixed miscible blend with durability and resistance far beyond each of the individual inputs. Like traditional alloys, our proteins' power is greater than the sum of their parts, which is why we call it Bio-Alloy™.

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Behind each one of our products is a proprietary application platform leveraging the power of nature. These platforms will change the way we build and use materials in everything from handbags to car seats. Meet Bio-Alloy™. Bio-Alloy™ is our proprietary application platform that delivers unique performance and sustainability to Modern Meadow Biofabricated Materials.

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This is the adobe substance 3D in fashion design page, which I used to research about how 3D fashion design is evolving methods of selling garments, like flares.

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This is no longer true. 3D fashion design technology is transforming the way creatives in the apparel, fashion, and luxury (AF&L) industry approach product development, pattern making, fittings, and more. 3D clothing design software streamlines the design development process, reducing time and cost as well as environmental impact. 3D and AR experiences allow fashion brands to connect with audiences around the globe, driving stronger brand affinity.

Today, 3D technology can present ultrarealistic images of cloth drape and look and is steadily transforming the AF&L industry. Companies such as Adidas, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, and many others are adopting 3D solutions as part of their design workflow.

Of course, ecommerce remains a growing area of interest for apparel creators. The use of 3D tools opens up the possibility of incorporating augmented reality and immersive experiences into ecommerce, helping to increase brand perception and improve customer relationships. For some years, clothing designers have asked the question, "Can virtual clothing be sufficiently appealing to allow potential customers to make a decision to purchase?" The answer to this question is now a resounding yes.

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Apparel and fashion design | Adobe Substance 3D

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This is no longer true. 3D fashion design technology is transforming the way creatives in the apparel, fashion, and luxury (AF&L) industry approach product development, pattern making, fittings, and more. 3D clothing design software streamlines the design development process, reducing time and cost as well as environmental impact.

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In Fashion (ebook) by Sheryl A. Farnan and Elaine Stone

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In Fashion (ebook) by Sheryl A. Farnan and Elaine Stone

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This is the source I got from the FRA library, this is what I used to research movement of fashion in order to come to a prediction on how I think the consumer of flares could evolve in the future.

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Farnan, Sheryl A., and Elaine Stone.. "The Movement of Fashion." In Fashion. New York: Fairchild Books, 2021. 42-63. Bloomsbury Fashion Central. Web. 07 Oct. 2021. .

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My reflective blog on instagram.

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