Editorial: Paths to sustainable fashion—ultra-fast, on-demand, recycled, second-hand or fibre substitution?

Editorial: Paths to sustainable fashion—ultra-fast, on-demand, recycled, second-hand or fibre substitution?

Four fundamental changes to the retail apparel market have become increasingly apparent during 2024. There is a need to accommodate a rising proportion of recycled raw materials into new garments as a result of recent legislation, there has been a sudden increase in the size of the second-hand apparel market with strong backing from a number of major retail fashion brands, there has been an explosion in the number and size of new online retailers, and there has been a rapid rise in the availability and popularity of ultra-fast fashion. Meanwhile, huge amounts of investment have gone into research and development (R&D) with the aim of replacing oil-based synthetic raw materials with alternative natural plant-based or bioengineered ingredients but it has been argued that material substitution—while well intentioned—is a “dead-end street” as it seeks to perpetuate a “business as usual” response to the textile and clothing industry’s problems. In fact, it has been suggested that material substitution is “a measure to prolong the life of a system that is doomed” and that a profound transformation of our economic and living conditions is required.