One of the challenges of sustainable fashion is the wording used to define it. We commonly associate adjectives like “sustainable”, “green”, “eco”, “responsible”, “conscious”, “ethical” with the word “fashion”. The question is: are certain words more popular than others? Or are some others nowadays outdated? How do consumer talk about sustainable fashion? And the industry?
JoinedMarch 22, 2010
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My passion: ‘Future Fit’ Business as a Force for Good.
Corporate Responsibility expert for consumer goods, FMCG, fashion, textiles.
INSEAD IDP-C certified non-executive board director.
Dutch design is defined as “minimalist, experimental, innovative, quirky, and humorous”. This sophisticated and open-minded taste, typically northern European, is consistent across product design, architecture and fashion. This article looks at the landscape in the Amsterdam specifically.
How can environmental sustainability benefit from small and micro units? And, how can it be ensured that the associated skills sets are unique, yet valuable to the global fashion industry as a whole? Through 2 designer case studies from the UK, and a co-operative in India, we show how different potential solutions could look like.
Oeko-Tex is, by numbers of products availale, both B2B as well as B2C, the most widely-used eco-label for textiles globally.
What most people aren’t quite aware of is, that Oeko-Tex offers 2 fairly substantially different certifications
In 2012, we have seen risk management and sustainability play a more important part in the agendas of leading fashion brands. Nevertheless, many companies still perform poorly at many stages of their supply chain and are unaware of the risks, particularly if they lie beyond their direct operations.
The following are the the main trends we see happening in the near and mid future. A few exist already but will become substantially more pronounced; others are just about to emerge and hit the surface of public awareness.
With the end of the year upon us, we tend to think of the past year and what the upcoming one holds for us.
With H&M recently announcing the launch of a new clothes takes-back and recycling scheme – accepting clothes from any brand, and in any condition – starting from January 2013 at stores in 48 countries, I am prompted to look at other interesting consumer engagement campaigns we have seen in the past few months and years.
The Sharing Economy’s monetary value is currently worth £301bn globally. It is expected to grow by at least 15% over the next 5 years. Thanks to the wedding dresses and suits, the concept of sharing has never quite disappeared entirely from the fashion market. And now is the time where it emerges with more strength than ever.
On December 14th, PPR published the expert review report on Puma’s Environmental Profit and Loss Account (E P&L). The panel of experts that had been commissioned to undertake the review brought some of the most eminent names in the industry together, among them John Elkington, Peter Bakker, or Pushpam Kumar.
“Marketing used to be about creating a myth and telling it. Now it is about finding a truth and sharing it”. Better brands are those brands that will ensure their long-term existence, that will go beyond their founders and their children. How? By taking better decisions and looking at the bigger picture.
Can we say that modern businesses prefer long-term over short-term? For sure the business environment is more and more rewarding companies that think ahead and do not fail to consider existing or potential risks. What has happened in finance is striking and is based on the concept that long-term benefits outweigh the short-term pain.
Khadi is an Indian fabric par excellence. Hand-made from start to finish it has for centuries been the livelihood of rural communities. But the industry is in decline. Interview with Shailini Seth-Amin, CEO of MoralFibres, a company set to re-invent Khadi.
In Medieval times the location of a tannery was heavily based on the requirements of a nearby river or stream, cattle which could supply the hide, and of course oak trees which would supply the bark needed for the tanning process. In the present, because of the demand for luxury at the cheapest possible prices, the industry is pushed out to where it is easier to ignore the moral and environmental reek.
After 10 years in the make, CETI, the European Centre for Innovative Textiles, was finally inaugurated in October 2012. The aim of the research centre is to give the textile industry a platform to research and prototype innovative textiles that can be used in sectors like: Medical, Sport & Leisure, Hygiene, and Protection sectors representing 25% of technical textile manufacturing industry; building and civil engineering that account for 10% of the production; transport making 26% of the market volume (and 15% of the market value) of technical textiles.
How can environmental sustainability benefit from small and micro units? And, how can it be ensured that the associated skills sets are unique, yet valuable to the global fashion industry as a whole? Through 3 case studies from South-East Asia we show how different potential solutions could look like.
The second Future Fabrics Expo was hosted at the London College of Fashion on November 7th – 9th 2013, and was attended by a rather large number designers, buyers and students. Roughly 650 fabrics with a reduced environmental impact stemming from around 50 textile mills world-wide, were showcased, along with inspirational and/or interactive videos and information panels.
Arabel Lebrusan trained in the art of jewellery in the most prestigious European schools, and has collaborated throughout her career in projects with international companies such as Swarowski. Today, she leverages all her experiences and her knowledge about artisanal techniques, apply them to contemporary designs.
ntil the late 80s, fashion retailers and brands would typically have two main collections a year: spring/summer and autumn/winter. Then, in the 90s things changed dramatically. Increased competition saw retailers incentivising customers to visit their stores more frequently.
In the luxury segment, production focuses on highly complex garments and low order volumes that might involve just five pieces per style which makes sourcing very challenging. The approach currently pursued by European high-end apparel brands to address the problem is that of ‘High End Fashion Cluster‘.
In Tunisia, like across most of the Maghrib region, textiles, their significance and methods of production remain a firm part of the country’s identity and history. A portrait.
In a recently published consumer study 52% percent of U.K., U.S. and Canadian consumers believe that businesses’ alignments with social...
