Fashion. For a future.

Tag: Slow fashion

  • High intensity shoppers are causing a returns problem.

    High intensity shoppers are causing a returns problem.

    If you are on the sustainability track, chances are you are curbing your consumerism. However for 27% of UK clothing shoppers, over consumption is becoming a chronic problem. A survey commissioned by WEFT identifies ‘high intensity shoppers’ (defined as shoppers who buy at least two items of clothing/shoes per month): this cohort makes up 27% of UK shoppers and they are responsible for half of all clothing purchases. The average number of purchases per month for this cohort is 5.5 (and 7 items for luxury customers).

    What’s more, these shoppers have become problematic for brands and retailers, particularly in the luxury segment. High intensity shoppers are known to frequently engage in “free rental” by wearing and returning items: a third of high-intensity shoppers surveyed admitted to purchasing, wearing once, and returning clothing for a full refund; this behavior is twice as high among luxury brand customers. 

    The ability to resell items efficiently through preloved platforms may also be part of the reason why over-consumptive behaviour is on the rise: the WEFT research found a fall in repair and rental use in line with a rise in second hand sales. The gamification of shopping, either through advertising that encourages purchasing behaviour (‘get it before it goes’, ‘one time only discounts’, countdown timers) or through the addictive nature of resale apps, is creating a form of shopping addiction. In February, the European Union opened an investigation into fast fashion giants Shein and Temu over concerns about their allegedly addictive design. Recently, a jury found Meta and Google liable for harm caused by the addictive qualities of their platforms’ social media platforms. It’s not hard to imagine the same logic applying to retailers. “I know I should just stop, but I can’t,” says Amy, 31. “I worry if I don’t buy it I will regret it later.” Amy admits to buying up to 25 items per month, but sees rental and resale platforms as a way to excuse her behaviour, “even though I know it’s all got a bit out of control.” 

    While Amy says she is not one of the shoppers who engage in ‘free rental’, there is anecdotal evidence that luxury consumers, tired of high prices and labouring under the assumption that big brands can afford it, see buying, wearing without removing the tags, and then returning product under the premise of ‘it didn’t fit’ as fair game. One multi-brand shopping site admitted the behaviour has been on the rise for several years now. For customers looking to create fashion content, this ruse has become increasingly popular. Net-a-Porter have taken to publishing the following statement as a form of discouragement: “We monitor the number of returns made by customers in order to check whether the purchase of products is pursued for consumer purposes and is not, on the contrary, pursued for commercial, entrepreneurial or professional purposes, and/or is otherwise related to fraudulent intent.”

    The rise in online shopping has made the returns problem more acute, as shoppers resort to ‘bracketing’ – buying clothes in multiple sizes, with the intention of returning what does not fit. A report from the British Fashion Council in 2023 which surveyed a wide range of retailers from Jimmy Choo to John Lewis, found 30 per cent of online purchases are returned, versus 10 per cent of those bought in physical stores. Fashion’s returns challenge has been exacerbated by the rise of the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) model, which has enabled consumers to purchase items without the immediate payment – streamlining the ability to purchase, wear and return without ever having to pay a penny.

    Returns are estimated to have cost the UK fashion industry at least £7 billion in 2022, generating approximately 750,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Processing returns is costly, as the brand has to pay for reverse shipping (often subsidized), inspection & repackaging, restocking or liquidation, customer service and lost resale value (especially for seasonal fashion). Many brands have shortened the window for returns from a month to 14 days, and begun charging for the process. Two years ago ASOS launched a £3.95 returns fee after it admitted the behaviour of 6% of high intensity shoppers was in part responsible for a £100m hit to profits: shoppers who were frequently ordering, then returning ‘a high proportion’.

    So what happens to all these returned items? The BFC report found that half of all returns are resold at an average discount of 40 per cent; three per cent of returns remain unsold, of which half are sent to landfill, a quarter are recycled and a further quarter incinerated. The EU has now banned the incineration of unsold clothing, but it is still allowed in the UK. For high street brands, the cost of processing returns can be a barrier. “One Spanish retailer is well known for sending returns to a UK warehouse for donation or destruction – the cost of sending it back to Spain to be repackaged and reprocessed is not worth the time and money,” revealed one operations insider. 

    Over 30% of manufactured clothing is never actually sold for wear and needs a circular solution. Separate research by WEFT (undertaken to prepare the UK government for Extended Producer Responsibility regulation) has indicated that a significant number of clothes shoppers would be happy to pay a 50p tax per item on clothing to contribute to circularity initiatives – and some happy to pay up to £5. “We went to nearly 3,000 shoppers and our analysis showed that up to 50p, it makes almost no difference in their choice of what they buy, both with higher and lower priced items,” says Gerrard Fisher. “Once you get over 50p, the purchase level goes down and they start swapping to items that are cheaper or are more expensive but have a lower fee.”

    If the fee is introduced, it would only be charged to the customer the first time that product is placed on the market. “If it’s a reused item the fee isn’t charged, so it will be interesting to see what happens with returns,” says Fisher. “As brands are trying to reprocess [returned] products, we might see a choice for a brand new product, or one that’s been returned that’s cheaper because there’s no fee.”

    If this regulation goes ahead in the UK, and the hope amongst circularity advocates is that it will, the cost will be driven by the high intensity shopping cohort, but born by all of us.

    Tiffanie is an author, activist and founder of the Rule of Five campaign and the sustainable luxury concept @agora-ibiza. You can read more of her work on Substack at It’s Not Sustainable

  • The Forever Label

    The Forever Label

    PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals used across the textile industry for water resistance, stain resistance, and durability.

    They are commonly known as “forever chemicals” for a reason: they do not break down in the environment and accumulate in the human body over time.

    But this information on chemical ingredients does not reach the consumer at point of purchase.

    Our solution is simple.

    If it lasts forever, label it.

    Join us as we demand transparency with the Forever Label.

    What is the Forever Label?

    Consumers are unable to make informed choices about the clothing they buy without access to transparent information.

    The Forever Label will provide consumers with the information they need to understand the chemical ingredients in their clothing.

    We are asking for transparency.

    The same basic standard of disclosure that already exists for allergens in food, financial risk in investment products and ingredients in cosmetics.

    We are calling for mandatory disclosure of PFAS on all clothing and textile products sold in the EU.

    • On a physical hang tag.
    • On the website listing.

    Everywhere a consumer encounters a product they should clearly see whether PFAS has been used.

    The label forces brands to take accountability for harmful chemicals while encouraging consumers to consider the environmental impact before purchase.

    Why now?

    France and Denmark are at the forefront of regulating toxic chemicals in the fashion and textile industry with targeted bans on clothing, footwear and cosmetic products.

    In Denmark, from July 1st 2026, the import and sale of clothing, footwear and waterproofing agents containing PFAS are prohibited.

    In February 2026, the UK released its first ever PFAS Plan to protect people and the environment from harmful “forever chemicals”.

    But consumers still cannot identify the presence of these chemicals in their garments because brands do not disclose them.

    While regulation continues to develop, disclosure is still necessary so consumers understand where PFAS is present.

    Consumers deserve to know what’s in their clothes.

    Sign the petition

  • People First, Planet First at United Repair Centre

    People First, Planet First at United Repair Centre

    Not too long ago, the idea of throwing away a garment simply because it was well-worn or needed a bit of mending was as ludicrous as disposing of a diamond ring because it needed a good polish. Over the last fifty years, however, the rise of throwaway culture and fast fashion have conditioned consumers to forgo mending in favour of binning.

    Globally, 120 million tonnes of clothing were discarded in 2024. The EU alone generates 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste annually, including 5.2 million tonnes of clothing and footwear, and roughly 78% of it winds up in a landfill site or is incinerated.

    But on a tree-lined street in Amsterdam, a few dozen men and women are working to reduce the amount of clothing that is tossed – one garment at a time. They are tailors at United Repair Centre (URC), a B2B clothing repair company that is equally dedicated to helping clothing and people reach their full potential “Our mission is to repair the clothing industry by putting people first,” says Thami Schweichler, the founder and CEO of URC.

    Though the company was founded in 2022, its ethos and mission can be traced back to 2015, when Schweichler founded Makers Unite. That year, over 800,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Greece via the Aegean Sea, leaving hundreds of thousands of life vests on Greek beaches. Schweichler, together with a collective, gave the bright orange vests and some of those who wore them a second chance by employing refugees in the Netherlands to create upcycled travel products.

    Ultimately, nearly 10,000 vests were turned into tote bags, laptop covers and travel pouches by 71 refugees who went through a coaching programme to help them train for employment in the Netherlands. The products were sold online and in museum shops throughout Europe. By 2017, companies such as Tommy Hilfiger and C&A were asking for bespoke upcycled goods for the European market.

    In 2020, the City of Amsterdam organised a series of working groups to discuss various government initiatives, one of which is for the city to become fully circular by 2050. Representing Makers Unite, Schweichler joined the textile working group, which also included Patagonia, whose European headquarters is in Amsterdam. When the luxury outdoor brand suggested creating a shared repair service to reduce the amount of textile waste, the idea immediately resonated with Schweichler, who says that migration brings deep and diverse skillsets to Europe, particularly in the textile industry, which has declined over the past decades.

    “I realised that there was a lot of possible job creation in the sector and wanted to connect it with the skillset of migrants. It was a gigantic economic opportunity actually,” Schweichler says. 

    Brands needed to provide repair services – for warranty, as part of their business model and in anticipation of EPR legislation – but there was a fragmented, outdated and decreasing repairability sector in Europe.

    Schweichler went back to Patagonia and said he wanted to become a repair provider for them under two conditions: that he could share their group lens with other brands and use their expertise to help repair products at large scale; and that he could connect the repair programme with a social inclusion programme.

    Two years later, URC was launched as a collaborative partnership between the Amsterdam Economic Board, Makers Unite and Patagonia, funded by private investment. 

    Schweichler applied his proven model of training migrants and refugees to the new venture and Patagonia provided its technical expertise and network. Schweichler’s mentor Paul Kerssens became a co-founder, bringing expertise in commercial scalability.

    Today URC works with more than 30 global brands including Patagonia, Lululemon, Levi’s, The North Face, Arc’teryx and Jansport, handling repairs for Europe and the UK. 

    Roughly two-thirds of the brands use URC’s streamlined platform, so customers requesting repairs communicate directly with the repair centre, which has workrooms in Amsterdam and London (with Paris and Germany coming in 2026). URC’s operations in Amsterdam and London are already profitable and to date, have repaired more than 75,000 garments, reducing 404 tonnes of CO2.

    Equally importantly, the Certified B Corporation employs 60 refugees and migrants representing 21 nationalities. Though the majority were already trained tailors in their home countries, many have gone through URC’s training academy. Those who complete the free one year course and achieve the required productivity level are guaranteed a job at URC, but the job is really the beginning.

    Many of the tailors come from terrible backgrounds, having lost their homes and families. United Repair Centre focuses on creating an inclusive community to build a new future together. Schweichler says “It’s amazing. People say, ‘I didn’t know I could do anything. Now I know I can be a tailor and I have value’,” adding that it’s not about integrating people into societies. “It’s making sure that they are included, and I think there’s a big difference. They’re part of something bigger.”

    Jaimie Seaton has been a journalist and writer for more than 20 years.

  • Is London Fashion Week Ready for Mandatory Sustainability?

    Is London Fashion Week Ready for Mandatory Sustainability?

    From Autumn/Winter 2026, London Fashion Week will formally adopt Copenhagen Fashion Week’s Sustainability Requirements, starting with the season running from Thursday 19 to Monday 23 February 2026. 

    The UK capital continues to be a source of experimental and forward-thinking design with initiatives such as the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN programme, which has launched the likes of Jonathan Anderson and Alexander McQueen, giving young designers resources to scale innovation and tap into new audiences.  

    From this season, participation comes with conditions, not pledges, with NEWGEN designers incorporating the full stipulations of Copenhagen Fashion Week’s (CPHFW) sustainability requirements.  

    The BFC announced the roll-out in January 2025, requiring all NEWGEN brands to meet 18 minimum criteria across six areas of the value chain.  

    Yvie Hutton, Director of Membership & Designer Relations, BFC says: “Together with CPHFW, we are adopting a framework that empowers emerging designer fashion businesses to lead the way and contribute tangibly to a more sustainable and responsible industry.” 

    As part of the requirements brands must have a formally approved sustainability strategy in place, covering both environmental and social factors, and guidelines and structures in place to provide equal opportunities and hiring processes to promote diversity.  

    They must also agree that they do not destroy unsold clothes and samples from previous collections, instead following a process in place for leftovers and waste.  

    According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 73% of collected textile apparel waste is landfilled or incinerated globally. Meanwhile Textile Exchange has uncovered that of the 124 million metric tonnes of textiles produced in 2023, less than 1% consisted of recycled textile fibres.  

    CPHFW’s sustainable requirements most notably state at least 60% of a collection is to be certified, made of preferred materials or deadstock fabric, and for the collection to be free of fur, wild animal skins and feathers. 

    LFW is the first of the ‘big four’ fashion capitals to implement the framework, supported by BFC mentoring and training. 

    Hutton adds: “We (LFW) are the first Fashion Week to ban fur and exotic animal skins.” 

    “Sustainability works best when it grows alongside the brand, not as a marketing layer placed on top of it,” says Liza Keane, a London-based designer showcasing at LFW FW26 as part of the NEWGEN cohort. 

    Keane adopts a multi-level approach to material management. At pattern-cutting stage she “actively designs to minimise waste”. Additionally, her brand up-cycles when possible and treats offcuts as surplus, “often letting the up-cycled pieces inform the shape and logic of the garment”. 

    Keane’s works with predominantly natural and recycled fibres across her whole product range and plastics used are either recycled or are biodegradable.  

    Ruined SS25 LIZA KEANE

    “Most of our range is manufactured locally with technicians we’ve worked with for years and we pay fairly for their high-level expertise. That continuity allows us to invest in quality and longevity at the construction level as well as in materials.” 

    In addition to material requirements CPHFW’s sustainability framework includes: 

    • Consumer education on the critical discussions in the fashion industry around the fast consumption of fashion, clothing, footwear and accessories 

    • Actively working to reduce the environmental impact of packaging  

    • No use of single-use props or plastic packaging used in the production of a showcase 

    LUEDER will also be showcasing at LFW FW26 within the NEWGEN cohort. The London-based label founded by Marie Lueder in 2019 creates garments with organic denim, recycled jersey and regenerated nylon. Lueder also participated in Cambridge University’s accelerator programme for sustainable leadership and has been reported to use fashion design software CLO 3D, which reduces textile waste and fabric consumption throughout the design and production process. 

    Elsewhere, Tolu Coker, also based in London, creates unisex designs focusing on deconstruction and sustainability. Coker is a British-Nigerian fashion and textile designer and uses her work to influence social change. Aware that much textile waste ends up in the global south, pushed by the industry’s desire of “newness”, Coker likewise uses upcycled and recycled materials, for example, she featured reworked Ugg boots and clogs at LFW FW25.  

    Tolu Coker photographed by Ade Coker

    BFC is committed to driving change, through the adoption of not only CPHFW’s sustainability requirements, but also through several other initiatives such as its Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) and its Low Carbon Transition Programme. However, these initiatives only go so far and the scale of circularity in the UK is far from where it currently needs to be. It is only NEWGEN designers, for example, who must adopt the sustainability requirements in full. 

    Although there is a persuading case for more considered material in the UK’s fashion and textile sector, with some brands focussing on recycling, re-distributing, repairing and renting, there is no tangible incentive for them to do so. With high costs coming from supply chain changes, recycling and next-generation materials, brands must consider the bottom line.  

    Incoming regulation such as Extended Producer Responsibility, which will add environmental costs to the market price of products, plus the introducing of Digital Product Passports (DPP) requiring brands and retailers to display transparent and traceable information on products, incentivises BFC to further support its fashion community and ensure the widespread implication of sustainability initiatives.  

    There is opportunity for BFC to go further in its efforts to educate and provide support for UK designers, brands and retailers. Durability, repairability and recyclability are core aspects of the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, and so brands and businesses need to begin their journey towards compliance now.  

    CPHFW sustainability requirements go somewhere to bringing sustainable practices, reflecting EU regulation, into focus. London has huge opportunity to showcase this to the wider global fashion industry as the first of the fashion capitals to implement the requirements in full.  

    Cecile Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week said: “With the British Fashion Council, as an influential player in the global fashion landscape, we see a lot of potential to further amplify the impact of our collective commitment to sustainability.” 

    Hutton adds: “A key part of our ongoing support for designers through the BFC NEWGEN initiative is the Sustainability Standards, which form part of the application process and focus on circular design principles, diversity and inclusion and ESG strategies.” 

    Elsewhere, London Councils One World Living programme, the Greater London Authority, ReLondon and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation announced the launch of ‘London Textiles Action Plan’, in March 2025, supporting the UK’s compliance with sustainability initiatives and like BFC building circular economies by instigating reuse and recycling of textile waste.  

    Abi Turner is a fashion and business journalist. She is Features Editor at World Textile Information Network (WTiN), having previously worked at publications including Reach PLC and Daily Mail. She started her career at fashion and beauty directory, DIARY directory after completing her MA at London College of Fashion. 

  • New Year health kick? Time to ditch your toxic activewear.

    New Year health kick? Time to ditch your toxic activewear.

    January – time to get your sweat on. But if it’s a health kick you’re after, you may want to re-examine your wardrobe. A recent study by the University of Birmingham proved for the first time that PFAS – the forever chemicals building up in our environment with links to cancer, hormone disruption and low infant birth weight – can be absorbed from clothing through the skin. On top of that, the new, shorter chain PFAS the chemicals industry is switching to following bans on longer chain fluorocarbons, are more effective at crossing the skin barrier.

    For sportswear, this raises flags. PFAS are present in many of the dyes and invisible finishes we expect of performance materials. Sportswear is often tight, we sweat in it, creating better conditions for osmosis, and the abrasive nature of workouts means the textiles rub against the skin. But when it comes to performance wear, those great synthetic textile revolutions of the 20th century – waterproof Goretex, stretchy Lycra and Spandex, ‘odour, sweat resistant’ nylons – still win out. No one wants a sports bra without support, or a running vest you can’t sweat in. So what are the options?

    There are twin evils when it comes to synthetic materials – the microplastics that these textiles shed, which we know are building up everywhere from the Arctic ice sheet to your mother’s placenta, and the chemical dyes and finishes that are used to increase their performance. “The cheaper the product, the cheaper the chemistry, and that’s where you have concerns about toxicity,” says Matthias Foessel, of Beyond Surface Technologies. Consumers have two options – going natural and regenerative, or sticking around for cleaner, alternative biomaterials.

    Let’s take the latter first – Nanoloom is one of the great hopes to replace the stretch we expect from Lycra and Spandex. Created out of the Nobel prize winning graphene discovery, Nanoloom claims to have a bonding process that allows a high percentage of graphene to be incorporated into yarn. With exceptional moisture wicking, water resistance, durability and stretch, Nanoloom is a non toxic, biodegradable alternative to Elastene. “Stretch and recovery is 100%” says co-founder Victoria Mataczynski, triumphant from a recent trial with Gymshark. The company begins commercial production next year and presents a PFAs free solution to the industry. But competition is tough: “Elastene was innovated in the 70s, so we’re expected to meet a similar standard of production and performance as something that’s been around for decades – and is super cheap.”

    “Some of the new bio-based materials coming to market now are simply better: they outperform legacy (fossil fuel based) materials, they’re cheaper at scale, they’re non toxic, and they’re carbon-negative,” says Nic Gorini, of venture capital firm, Spin Ventures. “Awareness of toxicity of existing materials is going to be a big driver in their uptake in the next decade.”

    Green chemistry pioneers Beyond Surface Technologies have two 100% plant-based water repellency products coming out this year. They also have two 100% biocarbon based moisture wicking finishes already in market: “They are state of the art,” says Foessel, “with performance and durability equal to petroleum finishes,” name checking Patagonia, Lululemon, adidas, PUMA and Fabletics, as brands trialling their cleaner approach.

    While we wait to see if these materials will reach scale, your current best option is to go natural. Don’t be fooled by the ‘benefits’ of recycled polyester – a recent Changing Markets study found recycled polyester sheds more microplastics than virgin. “We are oversold the benefits of specialist performance wear,” says Ed Brial, founder of regenerative cotton solution, Materra, now used by Mango and Ecoalf. “You can go for a run in t-shirt and joggers.” Cotton absorbs water “and can be quite heavy if not woven in the right way, but it doesn’t pick up smells like plastics do, is durable and biodegradable.” Community Clothing’s Patrick Grant agrees: “The men’s 100m record before synthetics stood at 9.95 seconds. Only very few people have run faster. Synthetic sports clothing gives only a slight performance edge.” Grant has developed Community Clothing Organic, a 100% natural, biodegradable sportswear collection, from waistband to stitching thread. Five years of innovation has produced lightweight, fast-drying cotton fabrics, a woven natural rubber and cotton elastic. What’s more it’s affordable – from £30 for a racer back vest.

    Image courtesy of Community Clothing

    Less affordable is merino sportswear, but undoubtedly wool offers incredible benefits in terms of thermo regulation, as well as superior technical advances in weaving, enabling brands like Icebreaker to achieve a 97% merino wool collection. Even more impressive is Mover, a mountaineering company whose range of Ventile cotton and 100% wool outerwear promise superior performance in extreme conditions.

    Brands like Pangaia and BAM offer semi-synthetics in the form of bamboo and corn, which derive their polymers from natural sources, not petrochemicals. Any polymer-based fibre will shed microfibres through wear and washing, but “the important question is what happens to the particles: if a material is biodegradable or compostable, shed fibres can break down under the right environmental conditions,” say Pangaia, whose 365 Seamless Activewear collection is PFAS-free, and certified under OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100. If you are looking for a good stretch legging and sports bra, they offer better options than anything petrochemical derived, and what’s more are finished with the brand’s trademark natural PPRMINT™ oil for odour resistance. 

    Image courtesy of PANGAIA

    When it comes to footwear, the matrix gets more complicated. Shoes often contain up to 20 component parts, and durability is the priority. No one wants a mushroom leather running shoe that falls apart in a few months. At barefoot health brand Vivobarefoot, durability is the priority. “With all the effort and resources it takes putting shoes together, they need to last a long time,” says Charlotte Pumford, Vivobarefoot’s sustainability lead. Instead, shoes are designed for disassembly and repair.

    That said, the company is constantly trialling new materials, working with NFW’s natural rubber Pliant and leather alternatives Mirum and Hyphalite, as well as algae derived leather alternative, Algenesis. But until those biomaterials compete on durability, recycled polyester wins. “Everything is tested robustly against European and California specific legislation, which is pretty strict,” says Pumford, “although we go beyond just legal limits.” Prioritising foot health and limiting impact is a constant balance: “Our mission is to reconnect people back to nature: we enable feet to biomechanically do what they are meant to do.” Professional athletes, personal trainers and fitness experts agree, and while there are now over 90 barefoot brands following in Vivo’s wake, “using less certified and cheaper materials, we remain stoic in our mission.”

    “People do not react well to wearing shoddy plastic on our bodies. We should be worried and concerned,” says Brial, “for human health, planetary health, and the health of workers.”

    “Polyester took 50 years to get there, with a really big oil lobby behind them and lots of evil marketing to get people to use it,” says Vivo design consultant Aisha Kuijk. “We have to form a rebellion – our own lobby – to push it through. We have something to fight for!”

    Tiffanie is an author, activist and founder of the Rule of Five campaign and the sustainable luxury concept @agora-ibiza. You can read more of her work on Substack at It’s Not Sustainable

  • MFW’s Return Sets a Progressive Tone

    MFW’s Return Sets a Progressive Tone

    With a ten-year hiatus now firmly in the rear view, the conclusion of Manchester Fashion Week’s self-assured revival marks the beginning of a whole new chapter, showcasing an impactful, sustainability-driven ethos that has eluded major fashion weeks like London and New York.  

    Although, of course, it isn’t really elusive if you aren’t even looking for it.  

    With its focus on sustainability – present in both the engaging panel talks and the main event runway – and a renewed commitment to the grass roots, MFW’s return was a wake-up call: there is so much to see when you look North.  

    Rightly, then, the tone was set on day one by a panel which proclaimed Manchester to be a “catalyst city” – not ephemeral, as the status quo London set might suggest, but critical in establishing a future for fashion and the fashion industry globally.  

    Here, Eco Age CEO John Higginson made a statement that would resonate across the week: “Manchester is a city of makers and innovators. This week is about doing the work in public. We are connecting heritage, skills and innovation to build models that last. 

    “Runways matter, but measurable impact matters more. If we leave this week with clearer commitments on local production, circularity and fair work, then we have done our job.” 

    “The re-emergence of Manchester is really important for the UK’s fashion industry because we need to showcase sustainable alternatives – different ways, not just of making fashion but consuming fashion.” – Carry Somers, Founder of Fashion Revolution

    Focusing on Manchester’s more egalitarian approach, the event’s Executive Producer, Gemma Gratton, aptly adds: “Manchester leads when it is practical, honest and bold. We built this programme around learning as much as showing. Education, workshops and open debate sit alongside the runway because that is how real change lands.” 

    ADORAFLORA by Drew Kent at Manchester Fashion Week 2025, Photographed by Ines Bahr.

    Where the panel’s optimistic, open dialogue laid the groundwork, Liverpool-born designer Drew Kent built on that foundation with ADORAFLORA: a layering- and modularity-driven statement on what Kent calls “eco-fabulous queer maximalism.” 

    Speaking to Eco Age, Kent notes the fashion industry’s historic imbalance, touching on a key theme of MFW: “A lot of the time people here are from working class backgrounds, like myself, and I feel like you can tell that throughout the collections. Sometimes, with massive amounts of funding, you don’t get the same vibe showing through.” 

    And perhaps nowhere, across three triumphant days dedicated to a city’s enduring spirit and evolving approach, was this democratic ethos clearer than when volunteer Pip was handed a garment and an invitation to walk by Safia Minney MBE in a clear subversion of fashion’s archaic power structures.  

    “Safia is an incredible innovator and voice for female artisans in fashion supply chains across the world. To work alongside her styling each of the pieces was such an honour,” offered Pip. Both elated by the experience and emboldened by her part in the presentation, she adds:  “Manchester is rooted in craftsmanship and diversity. The rebirth of MFW signifies Manchester’s allegiance to sustainable fashion and the opportunities for innovation that’s brewing in the city.” 

    Elsewhere, Manchester-rooted Janey Cribbin’s latest collection, MANCUNIA UGLY, repurposed upcycled automotive interiors into genderless apparel artefacts. Her work here reflected earnestly on Manchester’s history of DIY car culture and its unapologetic maximalism without ever diverting into nostalgia, putting the future at the fore with a focus on material circularity.  

    V.A.LE AW25 Haute Couture at Manchester Fashion Week, Photographed by Ines Bahr

    Salford-based label V.A.LE, created by designer Viet Anh Le, notably delivered another presentation which deftly and articulately connected haute couture with deadstock materials, proving that luxury and waste are not a necessary or inevitable partnership.  

    In presentations by the likes of Ślipa and À Couvert, much weight was given to the craft of handmade fashion – both as a tribute to the city’s enduring legacy on that front and to mindfully-made garments’ place in a more sustainable fashion ecosystem.  

    On this theme, Fashion Revolution founder Carry Somers offers Eco Age some further insight: “The re-emergence of Manchester is really important for the UK’s fashion industry because we need to showcase sustainable alternatives – different ways, not just of making fashion but consuming fashion.” 

    MFW also pulled from Liverpool and North Wales, with deadstock outerwear outfit BEPO and slow-made label MAKE IT WET each proving that London is far from the be-all and certainly not the end-all where fashion’s most forward-facing work is concerned.  

    Bepo AW25, created by Ben and Natalia Taylor, photographed bt Ines Bahr at Manchester Fashion Week 2025

    Working on this same understanding of a need to break accepted norms, “Fashion’s Unfinished Empire” – a workshop led by Safia Minney MBE and (un)sustainability consultant Lavinia Muth – focused on dismantling the colonial legacy and mindset ingrained in the industry’s supply chains.  

    Later, an event hosted by the Future Fashion Fair – led by Carry Somers, with Safia Minney of Fashion Declares and Eco Age’s own Paul Foulkes-Arellano – opened up a dialogue with the public in a crucial element of engagement, far from the usual exclusionary nature of the world’s various fashion weeks. 

    “Manchester will always do things differently. When you’re on the outside of what people consider the epicentre, you develop your own way of doing things.” – Meme Gold, artist and designer

    In speaking with attendees of all kinds, one thing becomes clear: not only was MFW’s return not a blip, it was also not to be deemed a renaissance for the city.  

    Instead, as designer and artist Meme Gold notes, the event highlighted people that have too-long been given too little of the spotlight: “Manchester will always do things differently. When you’re on the outside of what people consider the epicentre, you develop your own way of doing things. We keep it moving without everyone else’s cogs and wheels. That’s just the fabric of the city, that’s what we do.” 

    MFW paints its home city as a genuine leader, rather than an outlier. Not an anomaly or an oddity, but an aspiration.  

    Karl Smith-Eloise is Features Director for Eco Age. He has worked as the EMEA Editorial Lead for HYPEBEAST and Editorial Director of FUTUREVVORLD, as a contributing editor to Highsnobiety, and for the fashion house FENDI. He now focuses exclusively on Earth-forward and ethical avenues in fashion, footwear and the broader culture.

  • A Colour to Dye For

    A Colour to Dye For

    Colour isn’t just a matter of taste – it’s a matter of toxicity. Synthetic, carcinogenic colour is killing us, and it’s killing the planet too. 

    Nowhere is this more relevant than fashion, where 800,000 tonnes of dye is used every single year and 90% of all clothing is dyed synthetically, using around two thirds of all dye produced. 

    In just one example, synthesised indigo contains formaldehyde, aniline and hydrogen cyanide. All chemicals which, in any other context, we would know to stay well away from. Yet we put them on our skin. 

    Why?  

    Dr Benjamin Droguet, Founder & CEO of next-gen pigment innovator Sparxell, speaking exclusively to Eco Age, explained: “The fundamental chemistry behind the colours in our daily lives hasn’t evolved since the 19th century. We’re still relying on the same toxic dyes, mined metals, and mineral-based pigments that were developed at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution,

    The talk of London’s recent Future Fabrics Expo, Droguet’s company isn’t just opining on the problem – it’s producing the solution. 

    Sparxell’s collaboration with designer Patrick McDowell is proof not only that plant-based pigments are effective, but also that they’re beautiful and desirable on an aesthetic level. 

    Patrick McDowell’s collaboration with planet-based pigment innovator Sparxell, showcased at London’s Future Fabrics Expo 2025.

    “Pigments and dyes are foundational to fashion,” notes Julie Verdich, Director of Partnerships and Product at Octarine Bio, a Danish innovator in the space. “They shape aesthetics, identity, and desirability — but the way we produce and use them hasn’t meaningfully changed in over a century.” 

    It’s a familiar story where fashion is concerned, petrochemical materials having become the industry standard and a sustainability scourge. 

    When it comes to pigment, however, the problem is much less widely discussed. And, on the rare occasions that the issue is given airtime, the focus is often on the ultra-pervasive Carbon Black. 

    “Carbon Black is a heavy petroleum burned at really high temperatures. It’s essentially soot from oil. “It’s a great colorant for things like paints, plastics, inks and cosmetics.” explains Scott Fulbright, CEO and Founder of algae dye innovator Living Ink. 

    It is also a known carcinogen and the result of a resource-intensive and environmentally destructive process.

    “Synthetic dyes are cheap, predictable, and industrial, which works if you’re trying to make hundreds of thousands of identical products.” – Saeed Al-Rubeyi, Story mfg. Co-Founder

    By comparison, we rarely hear about how water from garment production is “returned” to nature, filled with heavy metals, powerful chemicals and microfibers. These polluted waters impact soil health, infiltrate and decimate waterways and are known to seriously harm wildlife. 

    “The global textiles and apparel sector utilises approximately a quarter of global chemical output, and upwards of 8,000 synthetic chemicals, across fibre, yarn, dyes, washes, finishes, and other upstream processes. Dyes themselves account for approximately one third of fashion’s upstream negative impact.”

    For every tonne of textiles produced, 200 tonnes of water is used. Even after treatment, 90% of discharged dye reportedly remains chemically unchanged. “The textile industry,” Droguet adds, “uses over 10,000 different chemicals in colouration processes, releasing 1.5 million tonnes of toxic dyes into the environment annually.”

    That’s poisoned water, coming right back to the planet and back to people. So, why isn’t it a priority? 

    “When people hear ‘plastic pollution,’ they immediately visualise tangible objects like bottles and bags,” Droguet agrees, “But people don’t think about what goes into creating that beautiful pair of blue trousers or that attractive gold and glossy wrapping. They see the end result, commoditised and standardised, not the chemical process behind it.”

    An insight into Story mfg.’s natural dyeing processes – a far cry from the mass-produced, synthetic standard for the fashion industry.

    Consumers, however, are just the final part of a long chain. Asked why switching up the pigment process in favour of more natural elements isn’t a fashion industry priority, Story mfg. co-founder Saeed Al-Rubeyi points to a systemic issue: “Because it’s hard, expensive, and slow. That’s everything most brands try to avoid. Synthetic dyes are cheap, predictable, and industrial, which works if you’re trying to make hundreds of thousands of identical products.” 

    Known for their “slow fashion” approach and a preference for working with what the planet has to offer, Story mfg. is committed to not following that same pattern: “We use natural dyes because they make sense: ethically, environmentally, and aesthetically.”

    This same mentality led London-based Patrick McDowell to his collaboration with Sparxell: “We wanted to showcase the pigments in the most beautiful and compelling way so we created a beautiful one-off gown with a special floral placement highlighting the pigments link to the natural world.” 

    Droguet adds: “We’re replacing this outdated chemistry with bio-inspired solutions that work with nature rather than against it. Our bio-inspired approach harnesses the same structural colour principles found in nature (think butterfly wings and peacock feathers) – brilliant, vibrant colours that are completely non-toxic and biodegradable. It’s time the colour industry caught up with what nature perfected millions of years ago.”

    For McDowell, though, it was most vital to “show the world that this innovation is available and accessible to the industry,” he says, highlighting the fact that meaningful change almost always comes from within. 

    “Pigments and dyes are foundational to fashion… They shape aesthetics, identity, and desirability — but the way we produce and use them hasn’t meaningfully changed in over a century.” – Julie Verdich, Director of Partnerships and Product, Octarine Bio

    Designer and director Jeff Garner is well-versed in the problem of pigment. His documentary film, “Let Them Be Naked,” is a deep dive on this complex issue and one of very few such reports intended for the broad audience which most needs to hear it. 

    He told Eco Age: “There is a war at hand between the balance of the needs of the individual and the needs of the community, between selfish desires and stewardship – short term versus long term.” 

    Considering the potential for a more conscious framework, Garner adds: “Regulators of our fashion industry have applied the end-of-pipe solution, attempting to require the manufacturers to follow protocol… but this does not work. We need a solution on the front end: to reward companies for working to resolve and implement change themselves. Regulations are too hard to enforce and susceptible to corruption. If the design of the system was good, regulations wouldn’t be necessary. A new system needs to be put in place!”

    In shifting the pressure onto the system and onto their peers this way, Garner, McDowell and their collaborators are setting both a precedent and a challenge. 

     The only question now is will they accept? 

    Karl Smith-Eloise is Features Director for Eco Age. He has worked as the EMEA Editorial Lead for HYPEBEAST and Editorial Director of FUTUREVVORLD, as a contributing editor to Highsnobiety, and for the fashion house FENDI. He now focuses exclusively on Earth-forward and ethical avenues in fashion, footwear and the broader culture.