Later this week, London Fashion Week returns to the capital, once again showcasing the best of British and international design talent. However, this year marks a significant turning point in the event’s history. For the first time, the British Fashion Council has introduced eco-conscious requirements, signaling a bold step toward addressing the mounting environmental impact of the fashion industry. These new measures reflect growing pressure on brands to embrace sustainability, from reducing waste and carbon emissions to adopting ethical production practices.
Inspired by this pivotal shift, Kirsteen Gordon explores the opportunities and challenges facing the fashion industry as it strives to become more sustainable. In this article for The Evening Standard, she examines how designers, retailers, and consumers are adapting to the evolving landscape of ethical fashion—and whether these efforts are enough to create meaningful change.
This article is the second in the Cambridge Green Growth series, a year of thought leadership in green growth innovation in Cambridge.
Yet while the possibilities are huge, so is the challenge. Research and development (R&D) into sustainable fashion practises requires ongoing financial investment, and while intellectual property can help businesses secure financing, competition for investment has never been more fierce. It can also take many years for R&D to reach commercialisation, and without investment accelerating these processes into operability, smaller businesses are financially barred from implementing the changes needed to their supply chains – while large brands hide behind facades of sustainability.