The future of fashion: ethical, sustainable, online

The future of fashion is set to be more sustainable, ethical, inclusive and all about the internet.

In this section we explore how the way we buy, choose and expect our clothes to be designed is changing dramatically and give an insight into a career in fashion design so you can plan your future in fashion.
For more on how technology is affecting fashion design read an article on The future of fashion

Sustainable and ethical fashion

Anti waste

Mark Liu launched Zero Waste, a range of women’s fashion that didn’t cut off an waste any materials, at London Fashion Week in 2007. By using a cutting technique designed to save the fabric typically wasted in pattern cutting (approximately 15% of the material) and sewing each garment to make waste into interesting details, Liu reduces waste and manufacturing costs.
www.stique.com

Recycled materials

From Somewhere re-thinks the fashion industry's rubbish, reclaiming and up-cycling as a design solution to an environmental problem. It's a sustainable fashion label run by Orsola de Castro and Filippo Ricci that makes womenswear collections with luxury designer pre-consumer waste - such as proofs, swatches, production off-cuts and end of rolls.
The operating principle behind the label is simple: what happens to the fashion’s industry’s production surplus and leftovers at the end of each season?
They call what they do “up-cycling” rather than recycling, and design is the way they turn scraps into beautiful clothes that take into account the balance between consumption and disposal.
In October 2008 From Somewhere won the Designer of the Year and Innovation RE:Use award at the RE:Fashion awards.
www.fromsomewhere.co.uk

Organic materials

John Patrick ORGANIC designs tailored, inspired eco fashion collections for men and women. Inhabitat describes Patrick’s work as the “next bold step for sustainable style and future-forward design”.
Patrick was one of the first designers to develop a direct relationship with organic farm collectives in Peru, where he travelled early in his career to learn more about the production of cotton and handspun alpaca wool. Since then, Patrick has helped increase the use of botanical dyes, recycled fabrics, and organic wool yarns, while revitalizing traditional techniques such as hand-weaving and whole-animal leather production.
www.johnpatrickorganic.com

Fairtrade

The Fairtrade Foundation, which awards the Fairtrade mark, defines fair trade as being “about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world”. It strives to ensure companies pay sustainable prices and operate in a fair and just manner when in business with those who are often the most put upon in society.
People Tree is one fashion designer / retailer that takes fair trade seriously. Most of the brand’s organic cotton carries the Fairtrade mark and is working towards getting approval for its remaining producers.
“Fair Trade enables producers in the poorest communities of the world to work their way out of poverty, and look forward to a more positive future for themselves, their families and their communities,” says People Tree spokesman Antony Waller.
“For consumers they know that buying Fair Trade products means that they are an active part of the solution of world poverty, and are helping to send a strong message to multinational companies to rethink their trading policies in the developing world.”
People Tree has experienced growth across its online and wholesale business during the recession as people look for quality garments that they feel good about and can wear from season to season.
“Distrust in the financial markets has led people to question business practice and we have seen great support for companies like People Tree who are 100% fair trade,” says Waller. The company has recently collaborated with Harry Potter star Emma Watson on a line, which has helped the brand reach a younger audience.
www.peopletree.co.uk

Thrift

Taking a thrifty approach to the fashion you buy and wear can be a consuming pastime. Hunting through racks of clothes in a charity shop and coming up with a designer find is not unheard of. There is also the added bonus of knowing that your purchase has helped put money towards a good cause. In these recessionary times, the low prices are another appealing trait of charity shop shopping.
Oxfam is a prime example of a charity shop that has explored the nation’s passion for a bargain. Oxfam opened its first charity shop in 1947 on Broad Street, Oxford. It was the brainchild of the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (later Oxfam) and was set up to help Greek civilian victims of World War II. The charity now has more than 700 stores across the UK, stocking everything from clothes to cutlery donated by the public and organisations.
In September 2007, Oxfam launched its first online shop, which now makes more each week than any of the charity’s individual high street stores. It followed this in 2008 with a collaboration with High Street behemoth Marks & Spencer. Under the clothes exchange scheme the public can donate unwanted M&S clothing to Oxfam and receive £5 M&S vouchers in return. So far the scheme has raised £2m for Oxfam.
Oxfam opened three boutiques in 2008 across London featuring selected vintage pieces alongside Fair Trade labels and pieces redesigned by fashion students. Jane Shepherdson, chief executive of Whistles and former brand director at Topshop, consulted on the scheme on a pro bono basis. A further four stores have since been opened across the UK.
In keeping with the trend towards online shopping, the charity plans to open a section dedicated to vintage clothing, supported by blogs and advice, in April 2010.
www.oxfam.org.uk/fashion

Inclusive fashion

Sitting on a hospital ward in a gown can often heightens a patient’s feeling of vulnerability. The Department of Health and the Design Council have teamed up to overcome this issue with their Design for Dignity scheme. Patient gowns are just one aspect of hospitals that are being addressed by selected design teams under the scheme, which will tackle ward layouts, toilet and washing experiences in hospitals and more.
American fashion designer Ben de Lisi won the chance to redesign the traditional hospital patient gowns so that they significantly reduce the risk of physical exposure, cater for differences in patient size, cultural and religious preferences and are appropriate for a range of activities including sleeping, resting journeys to and from the toilet/bathroom and leaving the ward.
Prototypes of the new gowns were revealed in Spring 2010. Find out more about the project at www.designcouncil.org.uk/dignity

Online fashion

Fashion shows are evolving. The rise and rise of social media has meant that images from catwalk shows are now sent out minutes after a show finishes via Twitter so the public no longer has for magazines to hit the shelves months later. Comment swirls around the internet on blogs, forums and fashion websites about the collections well in advance of the clothes hitting the shelves.
“By streaming their shows online, brands take ownership of this real-time fashion communication, in an environment which they can influence, instead of letting others do it for them,” says the Business of Fashion founder Imran Ahmed.
According to Ahmed , the amount of brands streaming their collections online is growing from season to season. Some have even experimented with the process for A/W 2010.
“However this implies significant change for the fashion system as a whole; when shows happen, when clothes are sold, and how they reach the consumer. We are only at the beginning of the internet revolution in fashion.”
Whether this means brands will abandon live shows is unclear. Replicating the experience of watching a show live and the energy they emit suggests that for the moment the show will go on.
Fashion retail has already been a huge success online. Whether it’s maternity wear and baby clothing on offer from Jojo Maman Bebe or upmarket designer clobber from Net-a-Porter, the quality of the fashion designs they sell must be complemented with an efficient transaction process, and a bit of brand sparkle for a fashion retailer to stand out online. Read more about how Net-a-Porter survived the dotcom bust thanks to its approach to service design.    Amanda hunt..