Along with the development of fashion, there are also many criticisms of the fashion industry including its impact on the environment. In 2024, we can expect a shift in preference to sustainable fashion that has less impact on the environment. Let’s explore the trends and innovations of the ethical fashion industry.
Ethical Fashion Industry Trends
Through the development of sustainable fashion approaches, many people are more conscious of environmental sustainability. The emphasis of the ethical fashion industry includes the use of more environmentally friendly materials and supply chain management. The development that we can expect is higher consumer awareness as well as certain regulations from the government regarding the ethical approach to the fashion industry.
Now, more and more brands are adopting this ethical approach so that the fashion industry can be expected to reduce its impact on the environment. With the increasing awareness of sustainable fashion, ethical fashion is no longer a niche fashion market but another major part of the industry.
– Textile Materials Are More Environmentally Friendly
To increase sustainability in fashion, many brands are using eco-friendly garment materials. They utilize bamboo, recycled polyester, organic cotton, hemp, and other materials that are more environmentally friendly. The increased use of organic materials, as well as recycled materials, can enable fashion production processes that are also environmentally friendly.
The danger of fashion waste can also be significantly reduced if the fashion materials used are environmentally friendly.
– Ethical Supply Chain
Not only from the use of sustainable materials, the fashion industry can also take an ethical approach through its supply chain. If the fashion industry’s supply chain is managed with an ethical approach, it can ensure labor practices are more environmentally responsible.
Quite a few fashion brands are now implementing ethical practices to ensure their supply chains are sustainable enough. If supply chains focus on ethical values, the fashion industry can prevent emissions, and reduce industrial waste.
See also : Skin Benefits of Wearing Hemp Shirts
– Slow Fashion
What is slow fashion? It’s the opposite of fast fashion. In other words, slow fashion prioritizes the quality of fashion products over quantity. The slow fashion movement can encourage people to prefer clothing products that have high durability or can last a long time.
Not only from high durability, some fashion products are made with evergreen designs so that they can still be relevant if worn for years to come. The slow fashion approach can minimize the intensity of people buying fashion products. Thus, the waste of the fashion industry can also be reduced.
Many fashion brands focus not only on aesthetics but also on how to make their products usable for a long time.
Sustainable Fashion Industry Innovation
For those of you who work in fashion daily, you need to be conscious of sustainability. Fortunately, the sustainable fashion trend has grown quite rapidly as discussed above. But even though many consumers are committed to sustainable fashion, it will be useless if the fashion industry doesn’t innovate enough.
Quite a few innovations have been implemented in the fashion industry, here are some of them:
– Repairing
Improving fashion products means preserving the environment. If there is still potential to be improved, then fashion products can be modified or repaired instead of being thrown away. Clothes that have been worn for a long time can be reused with certain repair procedures and this step has been applied to many brands.
They provide a service where customers can send their pre-ordered clothing products for repair or other procedures. Some brands even accept fashion products even if they are not from their brand. Recently, more and more brands have become aware of the importance of repairing fashion products that have been worn by consumers.
Beyond traditional repair services, many brands offer online requests to make things easier. Another way fashion companies support repair is by providing DIY videos so that consumers can repair their clothes at home.
Repairs to fashion products can essentially reduce consumers’ expenditure on clothing needs. Furthermore, some brands also provide other maintenance services besides repair. So even if the clothes are very worn out, they can still be processed so that they can be worn again.
This innovation can prevent fast fashion behavior or purchasing fashion products extravagantly without full calculation. Since this is an extra service from the brand, certain costs need to be charged to consumers including shipping costs.
The length of the repair process depends on the complexity and the number of customer requests. Despite being an extra task for fashion companies, the concept is still growing.
See also : 16 Sustainable Fashion Brands For Eco-Conscious Consumers
– Upcycling
Even if it’s not repaired, you should avoid throwing it away, and try upcycling as a more environmentally friendly alternative. Upcycling means taking certain parts of old clothes, including the fabric, to increase their value or make new clothes.
Upcycling can be good for the circular economy. Clothes that are not fit to wear can be reused, reducing the rate of clothing disposal. Upcycling can also encourage product innovation or provide opportunities to improve brands.
Some brands use existing items or fabric scraps to make products. This circular design is very innovative as it reduces textile waste and increases the value of leftover fabrics.
– Rental Market
Another innovation is the rental market, where you can wear designer clothes but don’t have to own or buy them. Many influencers are interested in rental markets for fashion shows and other events. We can see the rise of rental markets on various subscription platforms.
They provide fashion rental services with easy procedures and affordable prices. Fashion rental platforms allow people to be conscious of the fashion industry’s impact on the environment including being conscious of the high price. Even some high-end brands provide rental options.
Many consumers like the idea of renting fashion products because the cost is lower and they can contribute to environmental sustainability. Although not the best solution and even less effective than the previous two alternatives, the rental market is still an innovation worth considering.
The rental market for fashion products still has its flaws, transporting clothes to borrowers may increase emissions. But for the need to wear special clothes when attending certain events, this method is worthy of being the first choice instead of having to buy new clothes.
– Second-Hand Market
People’s interest in pre-loved items is still huge and even increasing these days. People’s increasing interest in second-hand clothing could be due to their awareness of the adverse effects of the fashion industry on the environment and the fact that it is more economical as well. Buying fashion products from the second-hand market means minimizing the cost of producing fashion products.
The circulation of clothes can be longer as the innovation of the second-hand market grows. From a fashion brand’s perspective, this can be a strategic decision to stay involved in the second-hand market.
But additional strategies are needed so that they don’t get cannibalized by their new products. For high fashion brands, it is important to consider the economic aspects before making a decision.
– De-Influencing
Many influencers have given many people a high interest in certain fashions. Some may also influence eco-friendly fashion products. But de-influencing is also another way for the fashion industry to stay on the path of environmental sustainability.
So what is de-influencing? de-influencing means that an influencer explains the flaws in a product or suggests products that are not worth buying. Even if it is a viral, or popular product, de-influencing can still target the product. De-influencing goes viral because it often appears on Tiktok or other social media platforms.
Some hashtags are even synonymous with certain products that are not worth it. Tiktok itself has so much potential for influencing that de-influencing is often targeted. The purpose of de-influencing is quite diverse, one of which is to reduce the intensity of purchasing fashion products in a good way.
But de-influencing can also be used irresponsibly such as in black campaigns, and the like. De-influencing can address fast fashion culture or excessive shopping. De-influencing can have other purposes including pointing to other products as better, cheaper alternatives, or other benefits.
If the alternative product is another fashion product, de-influencing becomes less effective especially if the alternative product is not environmentally friendly. Those are some of the innovations that some brands or organizations have implemented to support the ethical industry.
What Can Fashion Brands Gain From Sustainable Fashion?
So what can fashion businesses gain by taking a sustainable approach to their industry? One of them is brand value, they can get a good reputation for implementing an ethical industry. They can increase customer trust so that many are loyal to their brand.
If brand value is well maintained, it can increase business profitability. Another benefit is that the brand can meet market demands. The number of consumers who are concerned about environmental issues is a market share in itself. If fashion brands adapt to these demands, then they have a competitive advantage.
And lastly, efficiency benefits, companies can save their costs if they can manage sustainable innovation properly. Sustainable production methods can reduce certain costs. That’s the discussion this time about the ethical fashion industry which is very important to implement to support a sustainable environment.
The amount of waste in the fashion industry is one of the main reasons why fashion companies need to take a sustainable industry approach. They can either use more environmentally friendly materials in producing fashion items or manage an efficient and well-integrated supply chain with a sustainable focus. Moreover, the culture of slow fashion must also be maintained and improved.
