Highlights from TheIndustry.fashion LIVE: Remodelling Fashion for a Circular Future

For fashion to achieve its goal of full circularity, the industry needs to go back to basics and rethink everything from sourcing and supply chain, company culture, delivery and distribution, to retail and e-commerce practices, business and financial models, and re-commerce channels.

During TheIndustry.fashion LIVE: Remodelling Fashion for a Circular Future, brands and retailers such as John Lewis, Farfetch, Dr. Martens, Primark, Paul Smith, Mint Velvet, COS, Oliver Bonas, The White Company, Charles Tyrwhitt, Reformation, and more gained actionable insights to help them drive a more circular fashion business.

Hosted in partnership with supply chain specialists Bleckmann, the event invited fashion industry professionals to learn from brands, retailers and industry experts from the likes of Selfridges, Marks & Spencer, Pangaia, Urban Outfitters and Hardly Ever Worn It (HEWI), amongst others, about the key steps for implementing a successful sustainability strategy, how luxury has embraced circularity, the importance of creating a company structure and culture to support a circular model, and more.

The Sessions

Keynote presentation - Cyd Connects

To kick off the day's event, Aisling Connaughton, Co-founder of sustainability consultancy Cyd Connects, led a thought-provoking presentation on the importance of a circular economy.

Since the industrial revolution, we have been living in a linear economy. Consumer lifestyles have made the planet a 'take, make and dispose' world, and the model of mass production and mass consumption is testing the physical limits of the planet and threatening the stability of our future - it is therefore unsustainable.

Connaughton emphasised that brands and retailers must move to a circular business model, whereby every business tracks and measures their impact. One way to do this is through B Corp.

Administered by nonprofit B Lab, this is a certification that covers over 300 questions on governance, workers, communities and impact on the environment. Not only does it allow brands - from Allbirds to Mulberry - to assess their strategy and adhere to strict standards, but it also provides an accreditation to spotlight this.

Connaughton believes B Corp certification should be the basic standard that all businesses meet. "Sustainability is more than just climate change," she emphasised. "It means to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Brands and retailers need to track and measure. If you can't measure it, you can't improve it."

The key steps for implementing a successful sustainability strategy

For the second session of the day, Kristina Bull, Partner at consultancy QSA Partners, began with a presentation sharing insights into the habits of high-intensity shoppers.

As part of this, Bull revealed that frequent shoppers are significantly more likely to have undertaken behaviours such as purchasing an item pre-loved or vintage, repairing or altering clothing, using a clothing rental service, or purchasing items with organic or recycled materials than the average shopper. This is heightened for the luxury market, with high-intensity shoppers even more likely to have undertaken many of these behaviours.

However, perhaps unsurprisingly, these shoppers are also far more likely to purchase an item specifically to wear once without removing labels and then returning it for a refund. "Two in three consumers across luxury are doing this," Bull revealed. "However, these consumers are also more likely to rent across luxury, which presents an opportunity. Brands must ensure they're renting the right product; so new products, not stuff they can't sell."

Bull was later joined by Hans Robben, Program Manager at The Renewal Workshop, which is part of Bleckmann, to uncover the key steps for implementing a successful sustainability strategy.

The discussion explored how brands can harness circular practices to achieve longevity, including garments through repair and renewal services. "One of the easiest ways for brands to start doing something with their sustainability journey is to begin with their damaged returns," said Robben. "We can rescue up to 50% of damages coming in through The Renewal Workshop, so it's important for us to show brands there's still value in these items."

Robben revealed that odours, missing buttons, torn seams and makeup stains are all common issues that don't require complex intervention in order to restore their quality. "Keeping clothing in use for as long as possible is important, and Bleckmann helps contribute to that process," added Bull, supporting the company.

How luxury has embraced circularity

Major luxury brands are actively embracing the circular economy and prioritising sustainability in their core strategies. Rachel Reavely, Strategic Business Partner & Advisor at Hardly Ever Worn It (HEWI), was joined by Ella Gould, Head of Sustainability & Innovation at Selfridges, and Laboni Saha, Founder of womenswear brand L Saha, to discuss luxury's move towards circularity.

Pre-loved luxury is booming. Meanwhile, the wider market is experiencing a slowdown. Only last week, LVMH reported a decline in sales - and it's not the only company to be hit by challenges in the sector. As a result, Gould believes the opportunity for circularity - particularly resale - in the luxury market is huge. "It's the biggest area luxury brands could be playing in," she said.

"It's important to meet the customer where they are," added Reavely, who understands the benefits of resale firsthand. As an online marketplace for buying and selling luxury designer brands, HEWI has paved the way for pre-owned fashion since its launch in 2012.

The panel later discussed the views of different generations around circularity, with Saha sharing - from her own experience - that mature customers expect you to take care of those things, whereas younger customers typically ask more bold questions about the sustainability of a product. "We are careful about how we position the brand. Our messaging to the consumer always encourages them to be more mindful about the way they're consuming products."

Fireside chat: How circularity has moved up the fashion agenda

After hearing about how circularity has moved up the agenda for luxury brands, Eva Kruse, Chief Global Engagement Officer at Pangaia, looked at the wider industry, the progress it has made, the change still needed, and how Pangaia is helping to lead this movement.

As part of this, one key message from the session was that companies cannot solve the sustainability issue alone. They need to work together for the benefit of the whole industry, not just their individual brand.

This change also needs to be driven by the industry. While some consumers do count sustainability as a top priority, generally it is not the main deciding point behind people purchasing fashion - even the more conscious Gen Z. As mentioned in the previous panel, it almost always comes down to desirability - something Kruse agrees with.

"The change needs to come from the industry, making products that are equally sustainable and desirable to consumers," explained Kruse. "Consumers don't buy clothes to save the world; they never have and they never will. That's why change needs to be driven from within."

Pangaia is one of the companies pioneering this change. Having first launched in 2019 to make better materials and solutions more widely available, it later decided to launch as a brand to showcase material innovations through its own clothing line. Today, the brand is bigger than the materials science side, but both remain central to Pangaia's mission to demonstrate innovation and drive a more circular industry.

Creating a company structure and culture to support a circular model

For the penultimate session of the day, Lindsay McKerchar, Senior Head of Technical, Ethical & Sustainability at Urban Outfitters, and Ella Andrew, Knowledge Exchange Manager & Policy Lead at The Centre for Sustainable Fashion, touched upon the importance of creating a company structure and culture to support a circular model.

McKerchar emphasised the significance of educating and training teams across the whole business. For Urban Outfitters, it started with an internal training programme related to sustainability and, following its success, later launched a more in-depth programme with The Centre for Sustainable Fashion.

So, how did this work? The training began with the brand's designers, offering a collaborative, nurturing environment for teams to get creative and come up with ideas. This was followed by sessions for its buyers, tech teams, merchandisers and marketers. "Each team received similar training with a lens relative to their functions. It worked really well - you just need to make it very collaborative and involve all levels of seniority," said McKerchar.

"Urban Outfitters were so open to share and bring creativity to this experience. It was amazing to see all the ideas sparked in the workshops come to fruition, as well as all the teams getting involved because achieving circularity should be a collaborative process for the whole business," added Andrew.

Keynote Interview - Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer has been leading the way with new and exciting products and services since its inception 140 years ago and its approach to ESG underpins the British department store's promise to always source and make its products with care.

For the final session of the day, Katharine Beacham, Head of Sustainability at M&S, spoke all about this promise, including the retailer's ongoing partnership with clothing repair service Sojo.

"Made well, made to last" is central to the development of Marks & Spencer's fashion offering, and the launch of its repair service with Sojo earlier this year only adds to the lifetime of a garment.

The partnership attempts to bring repair services to the masses, all with the aim of getting more people on board with circular habits and tackling the fashion waste problem. To access this, customers just need to visit Marks & Spencer's dedicated repair page online, making it accessible to consumers nationwide.

Echoing the messaging of the day, Beacham ended the session by offering some advice to the eager listeners in the room. "It's all about collaboration. Reach out, talk to others - you can learn so much," she concluded.

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