Sustainable fashion, a long term trend ?
“This is a critical year for the fashion industry and for humanity to make meaningful changes in their environmental and social impacts,” Céline Semaan, CEO and co-founder of fashion non-profit Slow Factory. Re-examining the relationship we have with our clothes and how much we consume is a key starting point to have a sustainable mindset and to take action in helping our ecosystems and communities. Here we have 9 trends that will be seeing more and more in the future of the fashion industry : 1 · Resale, rental and repair Most high end clothing brands now offer the opportunity to give a second life to your purchase, meaning it can be repaired, renewed or turned into something else. 2 · Science-based targets are essential “ With brands agreeing to step up their commitments as part of the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action at Cop26, more companies will be signing up to Science Based Targets this year – an organization that sets out a roadmap to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals. “ 3 · Regenerative, rather than sustainable fashion The idea here is to create a system where fashion brands are proactive in helping the regrowth of our ecosystems and committing to these changes in order to restore a balance between the industry of fashion and our planet earth. 4 · Supporting local industries Supporting local industries reduces environmental impact. Locally owned businesses often make more local purchases for their products, requiring less transportation and outsourcing. 5 · Plastic-free alternatives Synthetic materials are a major issue for the well being of our planet and ecosystems, they are derived from fossil fuels and take thousands of years to decompose and most of the time they end up being microplastics which are impossible to get rid of. So hopefully we will be seeing more plastic free alternatives 6 · Eco-friendly dyes Fabric dye and fabric dyeing techniques have a very high environmental impact. But luckily for us more and more eco friendly dyes derived from plants, fruit, algae, fung are being used in the textile industry. 7 · Digital fashion Link : What Digital Fashion Could Mean For The Environment (refinery29.com) 8 · More regulation “Regulation will be key when it comes to accelerating climate action – with the European Union looking at introducing Extended Producer Responsibility legislation for textiles. Already in place in France and Sweden, this would require brands to pay for the collecting, sorting and recycling of their products (giving them the incentive to produce more responsibly).” 9 · “Degrowth” is the new buzzword “One word that came up a lot during Cop26 was “degrowth” – the idea that we cannot continue to have exponential economic growth, while continuing to live within the boundaries of our planet. Given that our current economic systems are predicated on continuous growth, it’s a controversial concept in some quarters.” Article reference: 9 Key Sustainable Fashion Trends To Look Out For In 2022 | British Vogue
