Last week we spent a lovely day at the DEFRA Sustainable Clothing Roadmap conference, interspersed with champagne lunch at London Fashion Week, then party central in the evening. It was a brilliant mix of celebration, fun and very serious sustainability work. The growing presence of Estethica and the sustainability brands at LFW is awesome to see and our factory collaborators Filippo and Orsela from From Somewhere, as usual did a brilliant job. Highlights of the day included a presentation from a Dutch consortium showing off a brilliant new machine to both separate waste textile and create new thread, even in short fiber denim. This prompted the man from Tesco to say, ’we’ll buy that from you tomorrow’! Unfortunately the machine isn’t quite ready yet but will be later this year so look out for organic/reuse mixed cotton jeans in your local superstore soon.
The thing that was exciting was a feeling of ‘coming of age’ for the sustainability textile and fashion sector. There is still a very long way to go but much to be encouraged by. The speed factors are collaboration, collective communication and clear messaging. Collaboration across the supply chain, so reuse and upcyclers like us, work with producers and primary manufactures closing loops. We need the retailers to understand all the bits in between, the benefits of getting involved and helping to create a complete ecosystem solution of production, manufacturing, consumption and reuse.
Also needed is a clear definition of what that ecosystem is for and what it means for all the stakeholders, this is yet to emerge and needs to be developed. We would like to see a shared pot of cash created to develop a campaign around the issues and real solutions today and what the growth of these going to scale, means for our future – the comms output all stakeholders can use in their work, meaning a single issue-based message is shared by all developing a collective identity for consumers.
There are definite steps forward but there needs to be so much more. Hopefully the retailers will start to combine forces soon as without them working together, (which doesn’t have to impact competitive advantage) scale just isn’t possible. Also, as a couple of quotes during the day including a direct threat, demonstrated there is no hiding from these issues any more and if you publicly say you are ‘doing sustainability’ as a big brand, you have to do it.
Levis were on show with Forum for the Future revealing their futures work for fashion – go check it out. Tesco showed a film working with our friends Goodone and From Somewhere, upcycled lines going into stores very soon. And favourite shock quote of the day was the minister from Defra calling out Primark at the Estethica speech, ‘lovely to see so many brands here today, although one is clearly missing, Primark’. Very funny and painfully true.
So in short, lots of interesting stuff, not enough real movement to scale yet, the sector needs to collaborate more and a collective message created and communicated. All topped off with amazing sidecars at a Courvoiser party and ethical dancing with the EFF at the Hospital. What a lovely day.
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