Brooks et al. in their paper Fashion, Sustainability, and the Anthropocene discuss how Anthropocene influences current circular fashion tendencies. As cited by Brooks et al.,- “In response to fears about the environmental impacts of clothing production and consumption, a new approach—closed-loop recycling—has gained prominence among forward-looking industry leaders”. Namely, as the authors found out, it addresses the practice of recycling the apparel goods inside the stores such as H&M, which is the second-largest retailer in the world. As Cecilia
Brannsten project manager of the UK Sustainability Team explains,- “Basically, we want to change the mindset of the customer [so they] see their old clothes as a resource rather than throwing them into the garbage or letting them pile up at the back of their closet.” When customers give their no longer wanted clothes for recycle, they get a 15% discount voucher to use in H&M stores for each bag of clothing they brought to the store in all 53 markets. After the handed clothes sold by the H&M to the secondary market for the company that performs an international take-back system. Now, these used clothing are exported to low-income countries as it is the most profitable way to dispose of.
Authors connect these practices to the wider historical setting of the Anthropocene. They state that the development of international garment economies is actually interwoven with the history of human-environmental interactions. According to Brooks et al, -“A strength and weakness of the Anthropocene concept is the way in which it can provoke audiences to think about what a future world will look like while also painting a picture of inevitable change and recognizing the “godlike agency” of humans. And yet, one of the most problematic issues with the Anthropocene is that it homogenizes humanity. Modern life is depoliticized, reducing the accountability of, for example, those in North America and Europe who have done the most to shape global environmental change through enjoying the benefits of hyperconsumption since 1945.” But there are some researchers who see Anthropocene in a positive way, for example, Erle Ellis claims that “we must not see the Anthropocene as a crisis, but as the beginning of a new geological epoch ripe with human-directed opportunity”.
Hopte & Poldner (2014) in their paper David and Goliath in sustainable fashion: strategic business alliances in the UK fashion industry strategic alliances analyze different models of strategic alliances present in the UK sustainable fashion industry nowadays.
According to the authors, there are four types of alliances that are presented in the chart below:
These alliance networks have common goals and projects and help each other to achieve them, although as described in the chart the scope of their work is different. Thus, these companies like Topshop, RED, and others achieve goals together with other forces that make it easier for them. Although it has its own limitations such as joining the company with the same age group.
Poldner & Veenswijk (2011) in their research ModaFusion on the global catwalk: a narrative approach to studying the ethical fashion industry studied the international organization ModaFusion, based in Rio de Janeiro and others. They explored how ecopreneurship is practiced among them and how they are realized taking into account the cultural patterns and practices. As Figure 1 from their article shows for Moda Fusion organizations in order to achieve all the standards of Ethical Fashion it is important not only to use eco fabrics but also work with poor communities, provide fair wages, care for tradition and cultural aspects such as race, domestic violence, sex and etc. In addition, for design, it is important for them to care for traditions and cultural aspects.
Ivanova and et.al (2013) in their paper Touch and Feel Signals That Make a Difference discussed the dynamics of development of one of the world’s first and best eco-fashion brands- Osklen, that was founded by Oskar Metsavaht in Brazil in 1989. They discuss the “brand de-composition and re-composition of signals for six collections—from the simplest to the most complex.”
Through analyzing 6 collections of Oskar Metsavaht they claim that even though there are various complex differences between traditional and environmentally and socially conscious consumption, but “we” overcome those differences by translating the common pattern of the functionality of signals.
Moreover, authors believe that “well-intended efforts to construct multi-sensorial signals can be socially beneficial and economically profitable; we can only hope such efforts will multiply.”
Hvass (2015) in his paper Business Model Innovation through Second Hand Retailing, examines how reselling products of the fashion brand by itself can enable sustainable business model adaptation. The case study based on leading Swedish fashion brand Filippa K started by Filippa Knutsson and Patrik Kihlborg in 1993. The brand owners started reselling their unsold garments in an attempt to prolong their life and in an effort to a sustainable model. According to Hvass (2015) Co-founder of the brand,- “Filippa Knutsson has described her company with the following words: ‘Inspired by my own needs and of those around me, I set out to build a brand that has substance and truth, not dependence on the superficial trends of the fashion industry’.
Since the inception of its circular model, the company keeps being a leader in sustainable fashion brand by providing:
∙ Long-lasting products through design and quality
∙ Styles and materials that live for more than one season
∙ Prolonged life-cycle of products through fitting services and repair
∙ All products longer selling opportunity in the store
∙ Second life through reuse and recycling
Overall, the author found out that premium quality products fashion brands have the potential to integrate resell models into their business models and value propositions. Moreover, resell activities give additional value to the brand and makes customer relationship with the brand closer, facilitate gaining more customer groups and generate income with used garments or collection samples. All these can be achieved though, given the product’s high quality, strong brand awareness, and market maturity.
Gurova and Morozova in their article A critical approach to sustainable fashion: Practices of clothing designers in the Kallio neighborhood of Helsinki studied the practice of “sustainable fashion” in the Kallio neighborhood of Helsinki by clothing designers and seamstresses. Also, they studied what kind of challenges they experience and interpreted them. As authors found out sustainable fashion effort in the Kallio neighborhood of Helsinki have several impacts on society, rather than being profitable:
∙ Influence consumer patterns and habits and create opportunities for consumers to be more eco-friendly.
∙ Social impact- small-scale entrepreneurship creates jobs in times of austerity
∙ Creates opportunities for new products on the market.
On the community level impact these designers influence:
∙ By committing commit to the production of symbolic culture and reinforce the attractiveness of a neighborhood involving various social groups.
∙ By creating space for the exchange of ideas and knowledge.
∙ By contributing to the development of their neighborhood as a vital, vibrant, and lively place.
∙ By creating a unique cityscape, which offers an alternative to the ubiquitous transnational corporations.
∙ By adding new products and being entrepreneurs of taste, the designers diversify the faces of fashion in the city.
