The future of fashion

A conceptual analogy on the fashion industry past to present

 

When reflecting on the world that we live in, it is clear that there are some fundamental issues with how current society functions and the compromised longevity of our future. As a child the idea of the future and how technology would play a pivotal role was a given and what it looked like, was open to possibility.

As time has continued, the role of technology is undeniable. 

Aligned with the link between technology and the future world, are the roles of identity and society. Both have developed with a degree of social consciousness that may not have been as urgent or as widespread across the breadth of society as before. This new lens for an individual’s impact, be it on the planet, is evident in key decisions surrounding what we eat, where we live, what we invest in and support, as well as what we purchase. Choices are being made with an understanding that key decisions regarding basic elements of life are a reflection of who we are and what we stand for. 

When looking at fashion industry, we are perhaps at the forefront of a pivotal moment of possible change, a moment of transition. We are experiencing a deep need for solutions, and for the first time ever, have the possibility to make real lasting developments that will shape the future of our industry and the planet;

all thanks to technology, large scale education, and transparency. 

The way we think about clothing, its role, how it can be used, and its purpose is both archaic and futuristic. On the one hand we are faced with fast fashion brands like Shien, who churn out billions of dollars of clothing year on year, with no acknowledgement nor accountability of their impact, on the other hand we see a growing demand for change from the consumer, who is more educated on where their clothing is coming from, what their own impact looks like.

We have the power to push for change through consumption and purchasing behaviours.

A SHIFT IN CONSUMERISM

When we talk about evolving consumerism, we must consider the initial societal shift in which consumers became encouraged to purchase not when they needed something, but when they wanted to or had the ability to purchase. This shift in perceived “need” is not a new concept, with evidence of consumerism dating back to the mid 18th century, born as a result of an increase in wages and disposable income.

Along with ”need”, three other moments in history can be linked to the concept of consumerism, ultimately the perfect storm of supply and demand theory, where  manufacturing of ready to wear clothing, planned product obsolescence, and technological advancements were able support the growing demand to purchase.

In the late 1800s we saw the birth of “ready to wear” (RTW) clothing. A transitional moment in which the ability to purchase mass produced off-the-rack clothing in department stores was made possible.  Prior to this society was more acquainted with a couture based fashion approach, where the process of purchasing clothing meant having one off pieces made by a seamstress, purchasing pattern kits and fabric, to then construct the pieces yourself, or perhaps a hybrid between RTW and couture, purchasing stock pieces to then have them tailored to fit your own measurements.

Today we are still able to have pieces made by a seamstress, however the cost associated with this is significantly more than if you were to opt for purchasing a ready made piece.

Along with the birth of RTW clothing, another key shift in societal norms has been the concept of planned product obsolescence.  A concept of needing to purchase replacement parts, products having a set “lifespan”, and the idea that if you sold a product that would last forever, with no further demand, a supplier would quickly run out of business. Despite only dating back to the early 1900’s, this concept has been normalised by society, to the extent that you can see planned product obsolescence in almost every single area of production. The most common being perhaps with a well known brand who use regular programmed technological and functional upgrades that result in the rapidly reduced lifespan of their product. A more common and everyday example would be the simple shampoo bottle, where the plastic material is produced intentionally with a set lifespan for the bottle to break after the lid is opened and closed a specific number of times.

In fashion, one of the more common planned product obsolescence examples we can consider is the use of high quality fabrics being paired with weak sewing thread that is prone to breaking, giving the desired quality look of the garment, but with a reduced lifespan to support replacement.

Technology and the wide spread wealth of information and advancements it has given society, is perhaps the greatest yet most damaging key to the current transition in consumerism. Be it the birth of the computer in 1942, or perhaps the start of the internet in the 1960s to 1980s, technology has seen its most rapid exceptional change over the past 50 years. 

Technological advancements have meant that the fashion industry has not only been able to support and maintain mass produced clothing, but also at the root of this process, has focused on producing fibres that specifically cater to society's needs for low cost, seasonally relevant trend-focused pieces. The availability of information has also meant a rapid rise in systemic societal mass education, who now have access to more detailed information from multiple sources in real time. Consumers are more informed than ever before, on where their clothing comes from and the impact that their choices have on the planet, allowing them to make a decision on the type of consumer that they want to be. 

With the means to supply and the growing appetite for consumerism, the birth of ready to wear clothing, planned product obsolescence along with evolving technology, have all led to one of the most significant moments of change for the fashion industry to date.

A transition driven by a society that has the ability to consider, purchase, and behave with informed consideration as a whole.

Diagram 1: Kayley McDonald

 

With the modern consumer having access to significant amounts of information, some of which was previously limited to technical teams or considered company specific proprietary information, which is now available to the consumer at the click of a finger. Up until this moment in history, when faced with making a decision related to purchasing, there has never been a more informed consumer than at this current moment.

 

FUTURE WORLD SOLUTIONS

The shift from unconscious consumer to hyper conscious consumer, has meant that the shift in HOW and WHAT we produce and sell is inevitable, and therefore the fashion industry must adjust to keep pace with this ongoing change. Just as it has taken over a century to arrive at our current state, the solution and ever changing nature of society and technology will mean that any possible positive change, will too be a continual and evolving process. 

There are many angles that we can look at possible change in relation to consumerism: through the lens of the consumer, the lens of government, and the lens of manufacturers. In order to accommodate all three parties, a viable solution is to start at the initial moment of conception – design, and with that the fibres that are used to create the final products being worn and purchased. 

Consumerism is not slowing down, thus instead of looking at dealing directly with consumerism, we can instead look to adapt the effects that it has on society and the planet as a whole. Society has been driven to enjoy purchasing, and so appealing to the growing segment of hyper conscious consumers, will allow the fashion industry to remain relevant, socially conscious, and ideally help to solve direct environmental impacts that will challenge the future viability of fashion’s supply chain sustainability - Modern textiles are the key to this future.

When thinking about modern textiles, and what these could look like, the spectrum is extremely wide. Society commonly thinks of a sustainable textile as a natural fibre such as cotton, linen or wool, or increasingly in popularity, fibres such as bamboo or hemp. Modern practices are identifying fibres which have a significantly more minimal and ecological footprint than that of more commonly used fibres, however further untapped opportunity may exist when we look at the possibility of creating textiles from natural waste.

The creation of a modern hybrid fabric that is not only natural in material, sourced without ongoing impact to the environment, but also engineered using technology to create a fibre that is un-compromised in functionality, and is able to satisfy the growing sustainability demands of the hyper conscious consumer.

FUTURE FIBERS

The concept of using waste to create fabric is not necessarily groundbreaking, however I believe that there is a future where we are able to do so from natural materials. There are examples of vegan leathers created from tea, as well as endless potential to explore this area of textiles further. Not only solving a parallel environmental problem around waste and depleting resources, but also a potential to develop fabric made from the natural vegetable and plant waste on a mass scale. 

FROM WASTE TO WEARABLE

With over 92 million tons of Fashion Waste thrown away year on year, with the majority of that ending up in landfill, the fashion and food industries have more in common than we may believe.

Similarly to fashion, the agricultural industry has some serious issues when it comes to sustainability and waste. To account for pests and weather affecting conditions, farmers often plant more crops than consumers actually demand. Not only this, but the waste to harvest ratio in order to grow the necessary crops is equally as damaging. On average for every kilo of food harvested, 1.5 kilos of waste residue is also created. This waste residue is currently burned or worse, left to rot, significantly damaging the environment with its greenhouse gasses. 

With brands like Piñatex®, Bananatex, and Parblex already creating fabrics from Pineapples, Bananas and Potatoes, the question is not if it is possible to mass produce fabric from food waste, but how to start. 

By converting the by-product of the food and agricultural industries, we are able to maximise the opportunity to create sustainable, wearable fabrics, without the same environmental impact of current pre-existing “green” fabrics. By removing the necessity to “harvest” the plant fibres, and instead partner with established organisations or perhaps large scale farming companies, and offload their “waste” product on a mass scale, the opportunities for future fibres are enormous. 

In order to satisfy the needs and wants of the growing hyper conscious consumer, a circular approach to textile engineering is the only viable solution to the future of fundamental and lasting change within the fashion industry. 

Just as with anything new, education is the key to allowing this transitional shift to take place on a mass scale. Average consumers require time to adapt to possible differences between the fibres that they currently purchase and those produced from food waste. However a future where all fabric that is produced is made from bio-waste is not only possible but realistic. 

In order to bypass the standard transition from old to new practices, governments must enforce mandates and place heavy taxes on organisations that use traditional non sustainable nor renewable fabrics. By setting a global standard when it comes to environmental impact, such a change would aid in the current lack of consideration when it comes to production and manufacturing sustainably. 

As consumerism evolves and the hyper conscious consumer takes charge of the future of fashion, design and textiles, organisations need to rethink their approach to sustainability, and their commitment to positive change if they want to have a place in the modern world.

-Kayley Cameron McDonald