Sustainability Pulse #64
Sustainability Trends & News Worth Exploring — January 2nd, 2023
Before we dive into the 2023 news and predictions, let's take a moment to revisit some of the latest updates on sustainable fashion. Additionally, let's quickly overview what we can expect in the fashion and technology industries this year. As a whiz in these fields, I'm happy to share my insights with you.
The year fashion finally faced its social impact
Social sustainability gained momentum this year, but experts say there is much more to be done, especially on garment worker rights in the supply chain, and diversity and inclusion in head offices.
These are the top fashion tech startups in Amsterdam
The fashion industry is constantly in flux, with new styles and trends emerging every season. But in recent years, the industry has been shaped by one thing more than any other – technology.
2022: The Fashion Technology Rearview
To mark the end of 2022 – a transformative year in fashion technology – our writers got together to look back at our most popular features from each calendar month, and to consider where things have changed this year – as well as where they haven't.
Digital innovation in 2023 – 3 focus areas that Luxury brands should prioritize
As we head into 2023, luxury retail and high-end accessories brands continue to grapple with a changing economy, evolving digital transformations, and the increasing purchasing power of Gen-Z and Millenials. While strategic planning, creating clarity and tuning out all the noise is critical.
Prada, Moncler, And Other Top Fashion NFT Drops Of 2022
From Prada to Louboutin to Tiffany, this year saw some of the best luxury NFTs burst onto the Web3 scene. The start of 2022 witnessed the industry slowly warming up to the idea of non-fungible tokens. But many consumers remained cynical, branding labels' Web3 efforts as PR marketing stunts with unclear or short-term values. Now, as the year draws to a close, luxury's biggest players are officially embracing the virtual assets with open arms.
Epsilon Eta partnered with BU Closet opens sustainable fashion show
Epsilon Eta, Boston University's multi-gender professional environmental fraternity, held their first ever "trashion show" — a fashion show showcasing sustainable fashion — partnered with BU Closet, in Metcalf Ballroom on Sunday.
YEAR IN REVIEW: SUSTAINABLE GAINS (AND LOSSES) FOR DENIM
A report by retail analytics firm Edited showed that denim makers continued to replace conventional cotton fibers with other natural alternatives. Although cotton remains the number one fiber of choice for denim, organic cotton saw an increase of 17 percent year-over-year, recycled cotton a 125 percent increase and hemp and 15 percent jump.
Renewcell at COP27: "We need to create circularity in all product flows — we want to do it for the fashion industry"
During the UN climate conference COP27, Renewcell participated in the COP27 Climate Hub, an on-site and digital broadcast hosted by We Don't Have Time from Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. Patrik Lundström, CEO of Renewcell, joined the broadcast from the Swedish hub at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, to talk about a new factory for upcycling textile waste into renewed, circular material for the textile industry.
DPC Conversations: Simon Kim, CEO, CLO Virtual Fashion
Released in the first-ever DPC Report 2022, this executive interview with Simon Kim, of CLO Virtual Fashion, is one of a twenty-part series that sees The Interline quiz executives from major DPC companies on the evolution of 3D and digital product creation tools and workflows, and ask their opinions on what the future holds for the the extended possibilities of digital assets.
Balenciaga's child ad scandal to Kanye West's antisemitic meltdown: The 7 biggest fashion industry fails in 2022
As if rising costs from the Russia-Ukraine war, supply chain disruptions from the pandemic, and a looming recession didn't make 2022 difficult enough for the fashion industry, many clothing retailers made the year just a little bit more difficult by saddling themselves with public relations nightmares.
Meet Rayana Edwards, the amazing entrepreneur giving unemployed and uneducated South African women a new future in fashion
Rayana Edwards is the director of Harem Consult, founder of Sari for Change, mother to five daughters, an entrepreneur, sustainable fashion consultant, life coach, and community change agent.
Tackling fast fashion and retail's sustainability problem | Interview with Save Your Wardrobe founder Hasna Kourda
The fashion and retail industry has gotten a pretty bad reputation for its contribution to sustainability. With the rise of fast fashion that has taken over the world in recent years, retailers are producing an immense amount of garments, at a crazy-fast pace, and as a result, are exploiting people and the planet.
Big Data Analytics: Reshaping and systematising the fashion industry
Analytics can help retailers understand what customers want and need, anticipate trends, optimise inventory levels, improve customer service and ultimately drive sales and profits.
Did weak 'social audits' fail abused workers in Tesco's supply chain?
One of the UK's most profitable supermarkets has been accused of allowing workers in Thailand to toil in appalling conditions
Supply chain migrant garment workers sue Tesco
Supermarket giant Tesco is facing a landmark legal case from former migrant garment workers at a Thai factory in its supply chain who claim they were made to work 99-hour weeks for illegally low pay in dangerous conditions.
A total of 130 former workers of the VK Garment Factory in the city of Mae Sot are suing Tesco for 'unjust enrichment', and also auditors Intertek for alleged negligence in failing to uncover their plight.
Disparity in cotton prices impacting Indian textile industry
The prices of raw cotton in India are currently at least 10-14 per cent higher than prices in international markets, and this disparity is impacting the Indian textile industry. Stakeholders are therefore urging the government to remove the 11 per cent import duty imposed on cotton to create a level playing field for the domestic industry.
Now that we've covered the latest news for 2022 let me take a moment to share my wishes for you in the new year. As an expert in fashion and technology, I hope you took some time during the holidays to focus on cultivating a personal style that's authentic to you rather than just accumulating more clothing. May we prioritize quality over quantity in this new year and make conscious choices about what we bring into our wardrobes.
With that said, let's move on to the 2023 retail predictions, consumer behavior forecasts, and tech predictions. Here's what I'm expecting to see in the coming year...
2023 Fashion Forecast: Casual, But Make It Stylish
Museum goers of all ages donned ensembles befit for the uber-trendy borough. Slouchy overcoats in vibrant colors, loose menswear-inspired trousers, neon-colored sweatshirts, oversized blazers, tweed jackets, leather pants, messy hair, baseball caps, micro designer bags on chain straps, chunky black boots and lots of white sneakers.
5 consumer behaviors that will define retail in 2023
"The sky isn't falling," according to The New Consumer and Coefficient Capital's "Consumer Trends 2023" report. But consumer habits are changing as a result of high inflation, shifting attitudes around COVID-19, and the battle for digital attention. Here are our key takeaways from the report.
7 Customer-Experience-Related Predictions For 2023
Digital adoption has been a dominant lifestyle force over the past decade, accelerating in importance in the past 2 to 3 years. [In 2023] The CX scales will tip, with more than 80 percent of customers starting their journeys through digital channels rather than in-person interaction
Vietnam's textile-garment exports may touch $48 bn in 2023
It looks like Vietnam's textile and garment exports are expected to range between $47-48 billion in 2023, according to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS). However, the market is not expected to recover in the first half of the year, regardless of the scenario.
Shein, Boohoo and Missguided are humiliated by abuse claims and business failures, they must resolve to change
All the big online brands were embarrassed by damaging revelations in 2022, including the UK-based firms Missguided and Boohoo. But no matter how many times reports continue to expose the ways these companies’ cheap clothes are made and dispatched, often by workers enduring exhausting hours for very little pay, will it lead to any change in 2023?
LEVI’S INSTAGRAM FLOODED WITH CRITICISM AFTER WORKER SAFETY CAMPAIGN
It was an entirely different story on Instagram though. Levi’s Dec. 6 post hawking its Baggy Boot Jeans prompted 246 comments by Wednesday afternoon, the majority of which lambasted the brand for not signing. User lindseythrifts, a clothing reseller, wrote, “It’s disgusting that your company values jeans more than the 4 human lives that were lost in your factory.” And I.sa_ma commented, “Your workers should be protected and not dying for fashion! What are you doing besides spending all the money on greenwashing?”
Vera
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