DEE.JOBANPUTRA

List of Figures

Fig 1. Stella McCartney (2020). Photographs from Stella McCartney runway show. Available at: https:// www.patternindy.com/pfw-stella-mccartney-spring-summer-2020/ (Accessed: 29 December 2021)

Fig 2. Tencel (n.d.). Photograph of Tencel® fibres. Available at: https://www.tencel.com/about (Accessed: 2 December 2022)

Fig 3. Tencel (n.d.). Photograph of Tencel® fibres. Available at: https://www.tencel.com/about (Accessed: 2 December 2022)

Fig 4. Calvin Klein (2021). Reconsidered Comfort promotional photographs. Available at: https:// www.russh.com/reconsidered-comfort-calvin-klein/ (Accessed: 2 January 2022)

Fig 5. Ananas Anam (n.d.). Photograph of the process of decortication, where the fibres are extracted from the pineapple leaves. Available at: https://www.hfscollective.com/pinatex-how-its-made (Accessed: 7 January 2022)

Fig 6. Ananas Anam (n.d.). Photograph of the extracted fibres hung out to dry. Available at: https:// www.hfscollective.com/pinatex-how-its-made (Accessed: 7 January 2022)

Fig 7. H&M and Ananas Anam (2019). H&M Conscious Exclusive Collection promotional photographs including the jacket and boots crafted from silver Piñatex. Available at: https://www.ananas-anam. com/hm-conscious-exclusive-collection-2019/ (Accessed: 8 January 2022)

Fig 8. The Fabricant (2019). The Iridescence Dress modelled by Johanna Kaskowska in a photograph for Instagram promotion. Available at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-emperor-s-new-clothesdigital-dresses-sell-for-1-000s-nqrmkf9z2 (Accessed: 30 December 2021)

Fig 9. The Fabricant (2019). The Iridescence Dress in a rendered form, advertised on their website for purchase. Available at: https://www.thefabricant.com/id-digital-fashion (Accessed: 30 December 2021)

Fig 10. Heuritech (n.d.). Screenshot of Heuritech’s trend forecasting feature which utilises Instagram photograph analysis. Available at: https://wwd.com/business-news/technology/heuritech-instagramstudy-1203628665/ (Accessed: 6 January 2022)

Introduction

The fashion industry is facing expanding global scrutiny due to its adoption of quicker garment life cycles and consumerism, and the negative impacts they deliver. Plagued by these impacts, the fashion industry is now the fourth largest polluting industry in the world (Howell, 2021) and contributions to this issue include a surplus in clothing production, the manufacturing of non-biodegradable fibres and fabrics, chemical wastage and water pollution. Eileen Fisher, an American fashion designer and entrepreneur said “Becoming more mindful about clothing means looking at every fibre, every seed and every dye and seeing how to make it better” (Harvey Nichols, n.d.). Ultimately, it is not only crucial to educate consumers on the detrimental impact that fashion has on the environment but rather essential to contribute to change in the fashion industry - during and post-production. This is knowledge is crucial as the damage caused to the planet is not a light or frivolous matter; to reverse the industry’s actions and protect the future of our planet, there needs to be a change in mindset across brands and consumers alike. The fashion industry can catalyse change in the global community by altering the existing fashion model, therefore providing possibilities for less pollution and wastage, more transparency from brands, the creation and usage of sustainable textiles and educating consumers to purchase more mindfully.

Damage towards the environment caused by the fashion industry exponentially grew as fast fashion exacerbated the phenomenon of selling masses of cheap clothes and the business model rose to popularity in the early 2000s (Rauturier, 2021). Fast fashion can be defined as affordable and trendy clothing that samples ideas from the catwalk and transforms them into garments that can be sold in high street stores at an accelerated speed; these brands introduce new styles at more frequent intervals, therefore concentrating less on quality and more on quantity. As a result of the high speeds brands have to fulfil consumer demands, it has now become normality for consumers to await the latest trendy items, leading to overconsumption and increased garment wastage. From an operations perspective, fast fashion requires a highly responsive supply chain that can support a product assortment that is regularly changing, this, therefore, places pressure on the rest of the fashion industry as they attempt to deliver clothing quicker and cheaper, in attempts to compete. Unfortunately, the pursuit of luxury brands striving to keep up with the cost and speed of fast fashion brands is often unsuccessful as it is “chic to pay less” (Idacavage, n.d.). This has subsequently constructed a fashion market that is now filled with an abundance of clothing that is either sustainable but expensive or unethical but affordable - the latter being the most appealing option to the majority of the public.

Today, purchasing affordable clothing that can be conveniently disposed of is common, however, this convention did not occur overnight, in order to understand the rise of fast fashion and the toxic system of overproduction and consumption, we must reflect on history. Before the 1800s, fashion was a slow process, in which you had to source your own materials, prepare them and produce your own clothing. However, during The Industrial Revolution, garment factories proliferated and technology expanded, therefore clothing became more accessible to make (Rauturier, 2021). It was during this time in which there was a boom in the economy and birth rates, and standardised production increased, leading to middle-class consumers being more accepting of mass-produced garments. By the 1960s and 70s, young people were creating new trends and clothing developed into a form of self-expression, however, there was still a clear distinction between high fashion and high street fashion. (Rauturier, 2021). In response to the creation of trends, fashion brands had to supply with the increasing demand for trendy and affordable clothing, which subsequently led to textile mills opening across the developing world. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the trajectory of fashion production was fairly linear, with brands such as H&M and Zara leading the fast fashion movement with looks from the runway being readily available for consumers to purchase in stores within 2-3 weeks (Sustain Your Style, n.d.). Since then, fast fashion has been taking over the fashion industry and unfortunately set the standard of prices and pace of trends, making it exceedingly difficult to drive change within the industry.

Slow fashion, is a term created with alikeness to sustainable fashion, representing product development and production processes that have sustainable practices, and was coined by Kate Fletcher in 2008. This term originated as a reaction against the overtaking fast fashion movement and encompasses an awareness and approach to fashion that acknowledges the processes utilised and sourcing of textiles required to create ethical garments. Slow fashion promotes more conscious and mindful consumer habits and also considers the value of people, animals and the planet. Both the slow fashion and sustainable fashion movements have a lot of similarities as they follow the same guidelines, however, the only main difference between the two is that slow fashion focuses on reducing consumer consumption and brand production. Whilst both terms describe efforts towards an aspirational goal - to rethink our relationship with clothes - slow fashion combines a brand’s practices with consumer habits, therefore working towards creating an industry that positively impacts the planet and all people.

The efforts to take a more conscious awareness of the relationship between fashion and the planet has gained much more concern in recent decades. Nevertheless. the notion of ethics in the fashion industry is certainly not a new idea; with the first anti-fur campaigns appearing in the 1980s and numerous sweatshop factories facing scandals, leading to significant social pressure on fashion brands to integrate better monitoring on their production methods in the 1990s. When Coco Chanel announced that ‘fashion passes, style remains’ (Barry, 1965), she couldn’t have forecasted how appropriate her saying would have been over 50 years on. Nonetheless, fashion is on the brink of revolution. The growing interest in sustainable fashion has stimulated fashion houses and retailers to now work on sustainability charters that address issues within the manufacturing process, from how much water is wasted, to the treatment of workers, a clear adjustment is willing to be made. Stella McCartney, who has been a crucial pioneer for conscious design, used more than 75% eco-friendly materials within her S/S 2020 Collection (Fig.1) - this has been her most sustainable to date (Abad, 2019). Meanwhile, new designers, such as Gabriela  Hearst, are ensuring their shows are certified carbon-neutral and are building environmental credentials into their designing and manufacturing processes. It is evident that brands are becoming less interested in seasonality and are instead looking towards the future of fashion. A future that is more sustainable. (Jobanputra, 2019)


Fig 1. Three runway looks from Stella McCartney S/S 2020 Collection, 2020


The bitter truth, however, is that because fashion is ‘made from nature’ (V&A, n.d), the current state of the fashion industry abuses the planet, and the people living on it. At each stage of the supply chain, the fashion industry exerts negative environmental impacts, from water and chemical overconsumption during fibre and textile production to the emitting of CO2 during the manufacture, distribution and consumption of garments. Whilst the pressure and demands on the Earth’s resources from the industry continue to increase, we must consider new and innovative solutions to address the impact on our natural world. From zero-waste pattern cutting to the use of root structures as potential fibres, these creative answers - as well as their early acceptance into the industry - illustrate the willingness to change and become more sustainable for the future. It’s this expression of an outward-looking attitude that will prove to be fundamental in spearheading change and eradicating obscurity in the industry. However, as a society, we need to assume moral responsibility for the clothing we purchase and wear; we ought to make it our business to find out who produced the garment, how and what they were paid for their labour, as well as the materials and processes used in the production of each garment. This could pose to be difficult due to the lack of transparency but with the help of government protocols, a clearer guideline can be installed for both fashion companies and consumers alike. It is a righteous obligation for both fashion brands and consumers to accept the importance that they hold in the drive for change (Jobanputra, 2019).

Although fashion is one of the main contributing industries towards environmental damage, one of its inherent qualities is innovation and the search for new answers. With fashion concerning everyone on the planet, there has been extreme pressure placed on the industry to advance further and faster with more sustainable methods - ultimately refashioning fashion for a more sustainable future. Amidst the growing understanding and awareness of environmentalism and ethical issues amongst society, the field of sustainable fashion can appear complex and it is important to note that an entirely sustainable fashion industry is truly impossible right now due to the sparsity of brands on board to strive for change. In addition to this, tools and resources, such as new textiles and environmental impact tools have been recognised as advantageous innovations thus far, however, they are not yet ubiquitous. For brands to be considered exclusively sustainable, they need to entirely transform every aspect of their business, to reverse the current direction, and this is an incredibly intricate process (Lein, n.d.).

This dissertation explores the various ways in which brands and consumers can implement methods that slow down fashion, and explores specifically how garments are produced, used and discarded. Through detailing the environmental damage that fashion generates, it can be seen that there is a need for internal change within the fashion industry and external changes made by consumers. By presenting a disparate set of approaches to sustainability that are currently being presented in the industry, as well as those that are still in development; there is a demonstration of promising scenarios and possibilities for the future of the fashion industry.

The range of developing and existing sustainable practices will be selected from a scientific background in Chapter 1 and a technological background in Chapter 2, providing a range of perspectives and suggesting methods that can onset towards a sustainable advancement of the fashion industry. Through analysing each integration, the intention is to generate discussion and aim to not provide definitive answers, but instead pose questions on existing methods, offer refreshing alternatives and challenge how garments are produced and used. Fundamentally, as the global fashion community generates awareness of the issues presented within the fashion industry, they can come together to build a more sustainable future.

Chapter 1: Science in the fashion industry 

Science plays a major and fundamental role in the design development of fashion, as in order to truly understand sustainable fashion, and how the industry can be more environmentally friendly, one must require knowledge of biology and chemistry first. Fashion is simply not just textile and colour loosely thrown together, but rather, an organised industry driven by the knowledge and power of science, whereby the two fields work collaboratively to reach the same goal - a more sustainable future. The Executive Director of Descience, a project fusing both science and fashion, explains that the goal is “to nurture collaborations between science and fashion to create tangible science and innovative designs. Science will benefit from fashion by providing a new language for public outreach and science will open up a new world of inspiration to fashion” (Lolli, n.d.).

Behind each stage of the garment life cycle, lies an education of science in order to successfully create the final production. A new report from Lux Research states that the demand for more sustainable fashion provides a new boundary for material science and chemistry innovations within the fashion industry (Gee and Hua, n.d.). The field has been prevalent in fashion design and manufacturing for many years, and has provided outcomes that would’ve been thought unfathomable in previous years. For example, theoretical materials 30 years ago such as anti-bacterial fibres, are now readily available in the form of silver-coated nano-whiskers that lay upon material textiles. As the population reflects on the way science has enhanced the fashion industry in the past 30 years, it is not amiss to predict that the future of science can rapidly help the current climate crisis that has been declared. The growing knowledge amongst consumers and brands of the damaging textiles used in the industry, provide the opportunity for scientists to work together with fashion in order to originate refreshing textiles that have zero impact on the environment.


Sustainable Textile Innovation 

As the fashion industry continues to operate at an increasingly quicker pace, new consumption habits drive and encourage unsustainable practices. With the ease of a few clicks, a consumer has the ability to purchase clothing items at extremely low prices, in turn, leading to overconsumption and wastefulness. It is estimated that UK consumers own £30 billion worth of unused clothing, and due to the poor quality and low prices, discarding these items in landfills has become normalised - where it can take up to 200 years for the materials to decompose (Mansour, 2021). In addition to wasteful consumerism, the manufacturing of garments also harms the environment. Today, around 69% of clothes are made from non-biodegradable synthetic fibres; mainly polyester, which makes up 55% of all synthetic fibre production (Young, 2021), but also nylon, acrylic and elastane. Although these fibres are cheaper and easier to produce in larger quantities, they are predominantly made from non-renewable coal and then oil refined into monomers, this contributes to an overwhelming amount of chemical waste and carbon emissions.

The creation of synthetics relies heavily on petrochemical industries for their raw materials, meaning that the current fashion industry staple is heavily dependent on fossil fuel extraction and for the industry to shift path more ethically, this dependence must change. Extinction Rebellion believes that for sustainable fashion to move forward, the industry needs to put a halt to the use of virgin resources to create new materials, and instead “use and repurpose what we already have” (Young, 2021). For example, albeit still harmful, polyester is easy to recycle and a recycled form of this fibre uses up to 50% less energy (Young, 2021) to make and minimises the amount of plastic residing in the landfill. This reusing existing plastic-based fibres could be seen as a contribution to the reduction of unethical habits in the fashion industry, however, it is not the ultimate solution as many of these plastic-based fibres still decompose and release toxic chemicals into our waterways every time they’re washed. A more viable solution would be to follow a more innovative route to textile development by utilising science as the creation of more sustainable and ethical fabrics is crucial to the longevity of the fashion industry, as well as the environment.

Fabric selection is undoubtedly one of the most fundamental and regularly discussed structures of sustainable fashion as the impact of fibre production on the environment is extensive. It is only logical that fashion innovators throughout history have based their practice on developing new and improved fibres, and in recent years, with the introduction of advanced science and awareness about environmental issues, there has been a change in habit and a new generation of innovators are working towards utilising new methods to create sustainable textiles. For example, a “silk” dress crafted from orange peel fibres, a “leather” handbag derived from lab-grown mycelium and even clothing created from synthetic spider silk. The contribution of science in the development of fashion textiles is not as straightforward as one may think, as sustainable fashion specialist Kate Fletcher states, “we have to be aware of the impacts of our fibre choices on whole interrelated product life cycles” (Fletcher, 2014), meaning that scientific advancements must benefit the industry from cultivation and production, all the way to disposal. In this chapter, there will be a spotlight on three different scientific approaches to textile production - Tencel, Piñatex and Qmonos - and analysis of each of their impacts on the sustainable-conscious trajectory that the fashion industry is following.


Lyocell/Tencel®

Lyocell, also known by its brand/trade name Tencel, has made a significant impact on the fashion industry and the development of sustainable textiles. Developed in 1972, the American Enka Company began to progress with the creation of the Lyocell alongside intentions of creating a fibre that could compete with viscose rayon in terms of cost and physical property, but also have sustainable functionalities (Sewport, 2022). It wasn’t until the 1980s when British company Courtaulds Fibres created Tencel, based on Lyocell research that the fibre gained positive attention amongst sustainable fashion experts; the patent for Tencel is now attained by company Lenzing AG, based in Austria, where they are the largest producer and distributor of the fibre (Schibli, 2019). As Lyocell and Tencel are chemically identical, with almost indistinguishable production systems, the two terms are often used interchangeably in the fashion industry and on garment labels.

In a similar manner to rayon, Lyocell’s raw material cellulose is derived from easily grown woods such as eucalyptus trees (Farley and Hill, 2015) and the production of it is based on dissolving the wood pulp and a drying process called spinning. The process of spinning involves mixing the wood chips with solvent before drying and then pushing through small holes which in turn transforms the wet mixture into threads. These threads are chemically treated with non-toxic chemicals and finally spun into yarns and woven into a cloth, which can be used in a variety of instances such as towels, denim and clothing. The manufacturing of the fibre utilises a closed-loop system, meaning that all but 0.05% of the non-toxic chemicals and water used during the process are recycled (Sustainable Jungle, n.d.), this results in consumer assurance that their purchases are not contributing to an adverse impact on the environment. Once Lyocell has been produced, its natural colour is white, this further eliminates the need for toxic chemicals as there is no requirement for bleaching the fibre before dyeing (Fig 1). Whilst the sourcing of trees is a sustainable process, as eucalyptus trees grow between 6-12 feet a year (Angel Fire, n.d.), without irrigation and many pesticides, on areas of land no longer suitable for food farming, Professor Susanne Sweet - research manager for Mistra Future Fashion - cautions that “It’s about understanding the system - not just the material” (Schibli, 2019). As one of the major impacts of the Lyocell production process is through energy use, if the fibre is produced in a country where fossil fuel or coal usage is prominent, the system of production would no longer be slowing down the harm caused to the environment. Furthermore, if fashion brands decide to blend the bonds of Lyocell with plastic-based synthetic fibres, such as nylon and polyester, the fibre loses its credibility as a sustainable material; due to this, the transparency in sourcing and using Lyocell in garment production is fundamental to the progression of its acceptance within the fashion industry.


Fig 2. Lyocell/Tencel® natural white fibres
Fig 3. Lyocell/Tencel® natural white fibres

In addition to the sourcing and production of Lyocell, the properties of the material are extremely versatile as the thickness and texture of it depends purely on the length of fibre chosen for production. This means that fashion brands can utilise this sustainable material for various garments; depending on the style and fit desired for the design, Lyocell can range from a cottony texture used for activewear, to a silky soft feel, which can be used to make a summer dress. Despite its adaptability, Lyocell is mostly popular amongst athleisure clothing (Schibli, 2019) due to its breathable, lightweight and antibacterial nature. According to Lenzing AG, Tencel’s largest manufacturer, the fibre is 50% more absorbent and breathable than cotton (Rauturier, 2019), as a result of this, the fabric doesn’t need to be washed as frequently and therefore reduces both water and energy consumption. Beyond Lyocell’s positive enhancements to textile innovation during sourcing, production and use, the fibre is also highly coveted because it’s ethically disposable and 100% biodegradable and compostable (Lyocell Info, n.d.) - if not blended with other fibres. In order to ease the burden on our landfills, more biodegradable fibres need to be utilised in garment production by fashion brands, and with Lyocell’s raw material component being derived from wood, the fibre only takes several months to biodegrade, contrary to other synthetic items that take up to 200 years to decompose (Schibli, 2019). Regardless of all the benefits that Lyocell offers to the fashion industry, the vital issue of its lack of adoption in garment manufacturing arises from its costly financial value. To produce Lyocell, specifically complex science and technology is required and therefore the manufacturing process of the fibre becomes expensive. In reflection of the manufacturing costs, the consumer is expected to fulfil this in the price they pay for their purchase which commonly is more expensive than traditional fabrics in the market such as cotton. However in a study conducted by McKinsey in 2020, it was shown that 67% of surveyed consumers consider the use of sustainable and ethical materials to be an essential purchasing factor (Mansour, 2021), and therefore if the production process and great qualities of Lyocell are considered, the price of the garment should be treated as an advantageous investment.

Large fashion brand Calvin Klein has recently adopted the use of Tencel in their most recent collection of underwear Reconsidered Comfort (Fig 2), in which the brand released an assortment of minimalist and eco-friendly underwear designs. For many years now, Calvin Klein has embodied a circular fashion system approach to their business model (Tencel, 2021), meaning that the contribution of environmentally friendly textiles has been at the forefront of their design but the use of these innovative textiles in their garments has not been successfully integrated until now. Through their new collection of underwear, the brand not only offers its usual comfort and high quality but also encourages the consumer to switch to a more sustainable option and contribute to the preservation of the environment. Tencel fibres contribute to the majority of the underwear, with only the waist rubber being made from 40% recycled polyester (Tencel, 2021), therefore each garment in this collection has the ability to biodegrade and virtually revert back to nature. “This collection has more meaning than just underwear because loyal Calvin Klein customers are also able to contribute to preserving nature by choosing underwear made from natural fibres” (Mariam Tania), n.d.). A further motivation for consumers to purchase this new collection is the breathability of Tencel fibres, these fibres are unfavourable for bacteria growth and are therefore an ideal property when purchasing underwear as hygiene can be guaranteed. As the Reconsidered Comfort collection was released in August 2021, it is a relatively unfamiliar phase for Calvin Klein, however through this significant step, the brand shows further ambition to navigate towards a more economically friendly future for fashion and become an inspiration for other brands to follow suit.


Fig 4. Promotional photographs for Reconsidered Comfort by Calvin Klein, 2021


Piñatex®

New materials, processes and techniques are the formulation of a successful collaboration between science and fashion and push forward the growth of a more sustainable future for the industry. Piñatex is the result of years of work from company Ananas Anam and performs in the fashion industry as a vegan leather alternative. Similarly to Lyocell, the textile holds many benefits, however, one of Piñatex’s most valuable assets is its ability to be completely cruelty-free; although many might consider animal-derived materials as natural and biodegradable, the reality is that they are not environmentally friendly or sustainable as they assert a large amount of pressure on natural resources. This is where Piñatex holds importance, as it is derived from pineapple leaf fibres, which are a by-product of pineapple harvesting that takes place in the Philippines. There is about 13 million tonnes of waste produced by the pineapple industry globally, of which are 40,000 tonnes are pineapple leaves (Raj, 2021); the fibres used for Piñatex are extracted from scrap pineapple leaves that would otherwise be burned or left to rot.

Piñatex was created by Dr Carmen Hijosa who had spent years working amidst the leather industry and witnessed first-hand that the creation of animal leather was harmful both ethically and environmentally (Carrasco Rozas, 2017). Due to this cause for concern, Hijosa realised that there was an urgency for the production of a sustainable alternative that was free from both animals and a heavy reliance on petrochemicals. With the concept of Piñatex, Hijosa stated that “the inspiration to use the fibres found in pineapple leaves came in part from the use of this raw material in traditional delicate fabrics” (Carrasco Rozas, 2017) and utilises scientific advancements in spearheading the concept of her fibre creation. The manufacturing process of Piñatex involves using approximately 480 leaves - the waste from 16 pineapple plants - to form 1 square metre of fabric (Martinko, 2020); this isn’t overly demanding because there is already an existing amount of wastage produced from the pineapple industry and the manufacturing method doesn’t exert a great amount of pressure on the environment. The first step in turning pineapple leaves into material fibres is to collate them together from local farmers in the Philippines; the pineapple leaves then undergo a process called decortication - a process whereby the cellulosic fibres are extracted from the leaves (Martinko, 2020). In order to reduce the CO2 emissions generated by the manufacture of Piñatex, the decortication process is carried out at the farm that the pineapple leaves are harvested at, further providing greater motivation for brands and consumers to advocate the growing popularity of the fibre in the fashion industry (Raj, 2021). Once the fibres are extracted from the leaves, they are then washed and dried to remove a molecule called Pectin which is responsible for the leaves’ stiffness. By removing this molecule, the fibres of the pineapple become similar to that of cotton and allow the texture to be manipulated and soft, which therefore enables the fibres to be hooked with thousands of needles and subsequently becoming non-woven mesh called Piñafelt (Martinko, 2020). The final step in the manufacturing requires processing the raw Piñatex materials in Spain, where the final textile gains its surface and sturdiness of real leather through being coated with Global Organic Textile Standard certified dye - meaning that the dye is produced safely - and water-based polyurethane coating - which makes the fabric water-resistant, lightweight and flexible. (Håkansson, 2021). During this entire process, there is a stable use of science throughout in order to maintain sustainability; for example, the biomass left over after the decortication process is used as organic fertiliser by the local farming communities due to its nutrient-rich nature which closes the loop of the material’s production (Lauren, 2019). Moreover, the system used to make this vegan alternative avoids the use of toxic chemicals completely and demands less water than the creation of animal leather (Jones, n.d.), warranting favour when it comes to choosing a leather.


Fig 5. Decortication process of Piñatex, n.d.
Fig 6. Drying the extracted fibres, n.d.

Piñatex not only holds advantages over animal leather during its manufacturing stage as it is 9 times less impactful to produce (Håkansson, 2021), but it also proves to be worthwhile in its physical properties because the fibre demonstrates better qualities both for the fashion industry and the planet. One considerable benefit of the material is that this vegan alternative to leather is more sturdy, water-resistant and tear-resistant due to the PU coating on the fibres; hence meaning that a consumer’s purchase of a garment made from Piñatex would maintain for a greater amount of time and would ultimately reduce frequent purchasing consumer habits. In addition to this, although the material is not 100% biodegradable, the base of the material - made from pineapple leaf fibre and corn-based polylactic acid - is biodegradable and this base makes up 95% of the overall composition (Håkansson, 2021). Ananas Anam, the manufacturer of Piñatex, stated that this is an area that they would like to improve on and that two of their future goals are “controlled degradation” and recycling by shredding fibres (Martinko, 2020), which is regarded as a sign of progress towards a more sustainable future of design. Along with the ordinary properties of animal leather - strength and durability - Piñatex is also said to be breathable, soft and malleable, and also can be printed on, sewn and cut with ease, therefore, allowing the fibre to be applicable for a variety of fashion garments. The sustainability of Piñatex also extends to its social impact as when farmers sell the pineapple leaves to Ananas Anam for textile creation, the growing of the fruit becomes much more profitable. The manufacturing of the fibre has essentially modelled pineapples into a co-product and supports farmers and their communities in the Philippines economically.

Fig 7. Jacket and boots made from Piñatex for H&M’s Conscious Exclusive collection, 2019

Over the years, Piñatex has won numerous prizes as a result of its unique and sustainable characteristics, and it was the first raw material to win the Innovation Award in 2015 (Fashion United, 2017). Thus far, the fashion industry has displayed a positive and inviting reaction to the use of Piñatex and many fashion brands such as H&M, Puma and Hugo Boss have been using vegan leather in hopes of reducing their environmental impact. A particularly significant phase in the fashion industry was the adoption of Piñatex in H&M’s 2019 Conscious Exclusive Collection; which was inspired by the beauty of the natural world and utilises a wide variety of natural materials and exerts low impact on the environment (Ananas Anam, 2019). The fast-fashion brand has been delving into the capabilities of sustainable fashion for an extensive period, however with the incorporation of Piñatex, and several other vegan materials, in this collection, in this 2019 collection, the brand can finally access the opportunities to be able to reduce its carbon footprint. Creative advisor at H&M, Ann-Sofie Johansson stated that the brand is “thrilled to introduce new plant-based sustainable materials to create high-performing, beautiful and fashionable pieces that are statement-making yet so easy to wear” (Camilli, 2019) and believes that their consideration into sustainably ethical materials, alongside their in-store recycling system, will be a turning point in the trajectory of the brand. In this Conscious Exclusive Collection, H&M have only included a jacket and pair of boots that use silver Piñatex (Camilli, 2019), however, with further collaborations of the two companies in the future, there is the potential for the fibre to gain further popularity and continue to develop their manufacture in a manner that doesn’t compromise its important mission - which is to maintain environmental, ethical, social and economic sustainability.

Chapter 2: Technology in the fashion industry 

Technology is defined as “(the study and knowledge of) the practical, especially industrial, use of scientific discoveries” (Cambridge Dictionary), a definition that encompasses almost all of the ways fashion is created. “Even if you don’t like the idea: Technology rules the world because it changed the world” (Lagerfeld, 2016). The fashion industry has continually been at the forefront of innovation — from the invention of the sewing machine to the breakthrough of e-commerce, the industry has always been progressive and cyclical. Technology is an invaluable tool used throughout the journey of a garment’s life cycle, facilitating from sourcing materials through to distribution; it is an essential component of the fashion system we have today. Without technological developments in areas such as farming, textile production, manufacturing, logistics, retail and disposal, the global supply chains and production systems we have today, could not exist. Undoubtedly, these developments carry positive and negative consequences. Although technology provides contemporary solutions to realise visions and engage with fashion, it also contributes to extensive environmental degradation where ecological and human impacts are rarely taken into consideration. However, in recent years, more fashion technology companies have realised the severity of the environmental climate and have begun to develop technological advancements that work towards a more sustainable future for fashion. Regardless, it is considered that whatever technology can create, technology can reverse or improve, therefore with the correct improvements, the negative effects of technology on the fashion industry can be overturned.

Over the last two to three years, technology companies have played an accelerated role in the fashion industry, and one of the most influential applications of technology is to retail, in the form of e-commerce. In fact, e-commerce delivered redeeming features during the pandemic, and many would suggest that it was the most fundamental aspect in keeping the fashion industry running. When the entire world faced the fallout of lockdowns, physical stores were forced to close and digital was the only way consumers could access and shop fashion. However, e-commerce is not without negative impacts to nature; shipping individual products to customers incurs a higher environmental impact than in-person shopping, and on average 40% of online purchases are returned (Byers, 2020). Nonetheless, the expanding role of technology in fashion has not only concerned customer-facing initiatives, there has been growth in all areas of the fashion business model. Another example of which, being within the manufacturing process, a stage of the garment life cycle that generates a vast amount of wastage due to material offcuts, cancelled orders after manufacturing has begun and unsold items.


VR / AR Digital Fashion

Immersive technology - virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) - has the potential to reconstruct the system that the fashion industry already presents by improving the relationship consumers have with their clothing. Despite some being sceptical about the addition of technology to fashion, the majority of people believe that the future of VR and AR in fashion has massive potential, as there have been several examples of disruptive technologies that have impacted industries positively, the most memorable example being the iPhone. Whilst more consumers and brands are beginning to realise the harm the fashion industry causes on the environment, there is driving force in new opportunities for forward-thinking brands to envisage the future of fashion - a future that has the potential to be profitable if the merging of our physical and digital lives is understood.

In a social climate blending Zoom calls with the Metaverse and sustainability, the concept of a digital wardrobe doesn’t seem unattainable. Digital fashion allows people to purchase virtual clothing they can wear in digital photographs or online in gaming skins, without the obstacle of going into a physical store. It made its first appearance in 2019, when Dutch startup The Fabricant and augmented reality artist Johanna Jaskowska collaborated to create a digital dress, named Iridescence (Fig 3). This dress was eventually purchased at £7800 by Richard Ma, CEO of QuantumStamp, for his wife Mary as he “recognised it was an investment” (Godwin, 2019) and there was a future for digital fashion. Since 2019, the collaboration between technology and fashion has been adopted in the form of digital fashion by brands such as Balenciaga, Alexander Wang and Selfridges; in which consumers can purchase digital garments/skins. Leading the forefront of digital fashion e-commerce is brand Dress-X, a platform similar to ASOS, in which consumers can purchase clothing designed by different brands, however, all the garments reside in the Metaverse. Consider The Fabricant’s monthly release of their digital garment - an intricate design, free to download, but without the correct channel of usability. Dress-X provides a simple solution, where at the point of sale, consumers are required to upload a photograph of themselves, onto which the digital garment is placed, ready for sharing online. Co-founder Shapovalova stated that “digital fashion is the new fast fashion. If we really want it fast, it should be digital” (Roberts-Islam, 2020), which encourages the initiative that the digital world moves faster than the physical world, and in a climate where consumers are increasingly becoming more impatient, an environmentally-friendly approach in the form of digital fashion seems to be more appropriate.



Fig 8. The Fabricant’s Iridescence digital dress modelled
Fig 9. Rendered dress

In addition to this, digital fashion contributes to the reduction of garment wastage. According to a study by UK banking company Barclaycard, almost 1 in 10 British people admitted to having bought clothes only to wear them once, intending to post on social media and then returning back to the retailer (2018). As it is human instinct to seek out novelty, digital fashion can satisfy the same self-esteem boost that fast fashion provides for people, without the wastage of physical garments. If physical clothing only serves the purpose of being used in a consumers’ digital presence, by posting on social media, then it would be a more suitable alternative to utilise digital clothing rather than physical. Whilst reducing the number of garments that end up in landfills, digital fashion simultaneously offers a more ethical approach to sampling and shipping - which when completed digitally, offers reductions in resource consumption and textile wastage. In a study carried out by Dress-X, using emissions data from an Ericsson report, it was found that designing a men’s white t-shirt emits 6.5kg of CO2e into the atmosphere, whereas spending one hour to create a digital version of this garment only emits 0.312kg CO2e (Roberts-Islam, 2020). This leads to the conclusion that when creating one digital garment, “the carbon footprint is 95% less than the average production for a physical garment” (Roberts-Islam, 2020).

Virtual fashion is certainly reinventing the industry for consumers, whilst also maintaining the desire for uninterrupted fashion newness. The growing concept of digital fashion has yet to gain popularity with the majority of consumers and there is a large amount of scepticism attached to the trend, however, its current use and introduction to the industry has thus far already made a significant impact due to its countless sustainable traits. It is expected that existing physical fashion brands should observe the traits of virtual fashion as there is anticipation towards the blend of technology and fashion, as well as an advancing potential in the use of VR and AR - an industry expected by Goldman Sachs’ to reach $182 billion in revenue by 2025 (Smith, 2020).


AI Trend Forecasting

Artificial intelligence refers to the ability of robots and computer-based technologies to carry out tasks and generate results that would normally be performed by human beings (Muskan, 2021). It is a constellation of multiple technologies collaboratively working to enable machinery to understand, sense, act and learn with the same ability as human beings. With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) to the fashion industry, tailoring garments to a consumers’ specific wants and needs has never been more effortless - this allows more accessibility for consumers to purchase garments that express their individuality more accurately. The use of AI in fashion is changing the industry and playing a fundamental role in the various key divisions from design and manufacturing to retail; and fashion retailers have turned to the technology to improve their business efficiency, replace the fitting room and predict future trends. Although these two fields - fashion and artificial intelligence - have regularly misunderstood each other, in recent times, this has begun to change as people have become more appreciative of the creativity in both.

One of the most influential ways that AI is being used in the industry is as an advisory role (Zisk, 2021). Fashion brands are currently reshaping their approach to design and manufacturing by anticipating what consumers want to wear and predicting future trends. With technology now capable of replicating human intelligence, artificial intelligence can now be used to help businesses with trend forecasting — a process that is typically laborious and time-consuming as it involves monitoring current and past data from fashion designers, influencers and consumers. Nonetheless, as businesses shift the responsibility of forecasting over to artificially intelligent digital assistants, the data becomes exceedingly more accurate which reduces the amount of clothing produced and then unused. For fashion brands, by obtaining this sort of data, they can then access information that aids them to plan collections and strategise quantities of manufacture. As we consider that overproduction is a large issue within the fashion industry, with over 40% of garments currently being sold at markdown (A.Balchandani, 2021), there is an urgency to reduce the garment wastage that ends up in the landfill. These heavily discounted garments encourage consumers to purchase items of clothing that aren’t necessarily essential to them, ultimately being thrown away after a few uses. Moreover, as the garments are sold at a markdown, there is a large source value and profit leakage from a business model perspective, which is an unfavourable disadvantage. With the use of AI trend forecasting, manufacturers can forecast what the demand for each style might be by volume, therefore minimising unsold and discounted inventory and reducing overall inventory levels by 20-50% (G.Byers, 2020).

For many decades now, fashion has been seen as a form of self-expression and a way of projecting one’s choices and preferences, including views on societal and political issues. As “fashion is always a reaction to the environment” (C.Kurnik, 2021), clothing aids people in outwardly showcasing who they are and manipulating how they would like to be viewed. With the rise of the fast fashion epidemic, fashion cycles have become rapidly shorter and consumers nowadays own 5 times more clothing than in previous generations (Sustain Your Style, n.d.). This fast-paced industry has now caused popularity amongst micro-trends - these are typically cheap and disposable and fall out of demand within a couple of months (Byers, 2020). Unfortunately, as more consumers engage with these micro-trends, the timelessness of garments decreases and the fashion industry loses its attention in creating detailed and finer clothing in a strive to meet consumer needs. Although the fashion industry needs to take more influence from the slow fashion movement, it is almost impossible to eradicate the concept of trends as trends are what keep the fashion industry operative; instead, it would be a better alternative to utilise artificial intelligence to forecast the demand, therefore reducing on overproduction.

A successful example of a company bridging the gap between AI and fashion is Heuritech. Founded on the basis that artificial intelligence can innovate and bring new light to the already established fashion industry. Frequently in fashion, there is a separation between the creatives and businesspeople, and Heuritech believes that through the use of AI, the two areas can advance with full understanding of each other. The artificial intelligent systems used by Heuritech can assist any fashion business through predictive analytics that can give insights into trends, consumer purchase patterns and inventory-based guidance. In the past, in order to get the best trend forecasting accuracy, fashion brands would have to base their data off of sales numbers and fashion shows, however whilst these metrics remain useful, Instagram has become a new creative space in which consumers and designers share their interest in fashion. In acknowledgement of this, Heuritech developed an image recognition technology that analyses fashion images, rationalises the data and provides quantitive results. This provides designers the ability to employ a prediction model that is well-suited to assist in the creative and making process by providing a means for creatives to justify their decisions with definite data. Heuritech’s statement is “forecasting to avoid overstock” (Heuritech, 2020), and the AI technology at their business also addresses the sustainability issue of the fashion industry that several innovative designers are aiming to solve by reducing apparel waste and improper collection planning. In fact, Heuritech claims that 50% of forecasting errors can be avoided with the use of their artificial intelligent systems (Heuritech, 2019) - this is what producing more sustainably means to their brand. By combining creative, human skill with Heuritech’s AI technology, fashion brands can minimise overstock, streamline production and optimise their turnover.

According to a study by Hive and IMRG, 75% of fashion brands will be investing in AI over the next 2 years (Marr, 2021), this is promising for the future of sustainable fashion on the basis that fashion brands and retailers are able to utilise AI for its benefits on the environment, as oppose to its exploitation on consumer personalisation, mindless purchasing and profit generating. Furthermore, AI trend forecasting could be a useful tool in slowing down the occurrence of trends and reversing the current climate of the fashion industry. Through spotting trends ahead of their popularity, overproduction can be reduced and materials can be ordered from manufacturers in accurate quantities. However, there is a possibility that brands can become selfish and utilise the efficiency of AI trend forecasting to exploit consumers. For the industry to change trajectory in a positive light, fashion companies need to approach AI trend forecasting from a sustainability and environmentally friendly mindset rather than a consumer-exploiting and profit-making mindset. Ultimately, as a society, we need to re-evaluate how we utilise trends and combine this with the intervention of technology, because if this is successfully achieved, trend resources can become one of the pillars of a circular and sustainable fashion system (Wharry, 2018).


Fig 10. Heuritech (n.d.). Screenshot of Heuritech’s trend forecasting feature which utilises Instagram photograph analysis.

Conclusion

Sustainable fashion is a burgeoning area in the fashion industry and has the potential to be a successfully popular area of interest in the future as the industry continues to advance. As the world becomes more reliant on science and moves towards a technological sphere, it is undeniable that these two sectors have a critical role to play in the growth of the fashion industry. Science has the ability to house more contemporary ways of garment production with methods that cause less, or no, damage to the environment and technology is able to provide the correct tools of consumption so that fashion brands are able to decelerate the increasingly rising consumerism. Although both science and technology have played a large part in the fashion industry to date, it is important to consider that with the advancement of the two fields, the goal is not to minimise manual labour but to work in synergy with the fashion industry to benefit the different communities involved in the production of a garment. I believe that Piñatex is an incredibly effective scientific approach to the design of sustainable textiles as the production of the fibre aids the local farming communities economically and environmentally to be able to continue with growing pineapples. There are still faults in the sustainable system of producing Piñatex, however, I believe that other sustainable textile innovations should take inspiration from the social, economic and environmental impact that the creation that this textile has to offer. In addition to this, as the population adopts more and more technology into their everyday lives, I believe that the introduction of Digital Fashion will demonstrate a natural acceptance in the near future due to its ability to meet consumer demands and satisfy the needs of social media fashion.

It is evident that the fashion industry is in need of a quick fix to reduce the harmful habits that have become apparent in the industry in recent decades and there are various routes that can be followed in order to drive change. These changes are to be made by both consumers and brands alike, however, driving change amongst consumers urges to be more of a challenge as it will take a lengthier amount of time to educate society on why current habits are destructive to the environment. Instead, it would be a sensible and achievable alternative for fashion brands to supply more ethical garments that are produced in a more sustainable manner. For this to happen, I think that greater transparency is required from fashion brands; both luxury and fast fashion brands alike need to take into account a garments’ intrinsic beauty and longstanding emotional value as 80-90 per cent of the sustainability of the clothing is determined by the design stage (R.Cho, 2021). I believe that this shift in mindset is in exigency as we work towards a more sustainable future for fashion - a future in which the quality of a garment’s design, environmental and human impact are of primary importance.

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