There is no stopping of a halt in the fashion industry as brands are canceling orders, laying off employees, and quickly repositioning marketing messages to account for store closures and customers being stuck at home. The sector is standing still at the crossroad where neither can it run away nor can move ahead.
Why is it Important for Brands to Embrace Circular Fashion?
In a global crisis, sustainability commitments often fall to the wayside, and most brands are predictably keeping quiet about their ambitions now. But some see the period of stalled sales as an opportunity to revamp and implement their sustainability plans. Their strategy is to move ahead while keeping an eye to circularity. It is a model in which all the materials in a garment are reused and never end up as waste. Lifestyle brand Outerknown and home textiles company Coyuchi are trying their best to capitalize on the plan of action. The latter announced that it has begun producing blankets using material recycled from its products. This is the demonstration of a holistic vision for circularity.
The current crisis may provide the perfect opening for others to start down a similar path. Circularity in fashion requires profound transformation throughout the entire industry; what better time than the present one to set that in motion. Waiting for than a month when production is largely paused wouldn’t be wise. When people are working from home with fewer day-to-day tasks to oversee, and consumer priorities may reset and require something that the industry is not prepared for. According to the founder of The Renewal Workshop, Nicole Bassett, “This crisis that we’re all experiencing right now that is hitting the industry so hard is the moment to look at what is the linear economy delivering to us — and can the circular economy deliver some resilience in supply chains.”
Here are some of the ways that brands can leap with in the future:
• Restoring the lost Ground
Some fashion experts believe the industry is overstating its overhaul; people are unnecessarily concerned. They think once life is resumed and people are back to the streets, things will go normal again. But would it be that easy? Even if considering opting for circularity fashion, it will need materials to be overused, and the industry as it stands today depends churning the product once, selling it once, and used once.
Though this is not stopping the bigwigs from taking the risk, therefore several companies, such as Kering, are making strides towards circularity. The brand claims some of its materials are already circular and has developed a Circularity Index based on the recommendations of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. It is also working with PwC on an international consumer survey to extend its Environmental Profit & Loss methodology to account for product circularity. Another market giant, H&M, has specific goals on cotton, packaging, and water use in the supply chain, but no timeline for becoming fully circular.
• Different Designing
Adhering with the circularity will require leading fashion firms to transform the designing strategy to start with. Eileen Mockus, CEO of Coyuchi, closely works with The Renewal Workshop to gain insight and data on where and how product failures occur. According to her, “It will show up if the item came back because the buttons came off if products ripped [in a certain place] — that’s all information for us to understand how our product wears.”
Conclusion-
A major operational overhaul would be impossible if brands are clinging to survival, and there’s no precedent to guess how anyone will respond and when will this storm pass. But for brands that have embraced the urgency of the climate crisis, these shifts are more important than ever. The iDesigniBuy is a leading fashion tech company that offers customization solutions to brands for sustainable fashion. The company stands firmly behind organizations that wish to embrace the new ethical and circularity strategy.
Collaborate with us now.
