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Material streams become incredibly valuable when returned to closed-loop production. The problem is that manufacturers often put a lot of effort into optimizing the current system, trying to fix the existing system but not changing it from the ground up. How can the fashion industry change and how can it build this new, emerging system? The new model of the clothing closet is about extending the use phase of a garment instead of throwing it away. This will be a competitive factor that will force manufacturers to produce sustainably.
An unusual example is Lease Jeans, a company in the Netherlands that encourages its customers to purchase a pair of jeans from its website for 6 or 12 months by paying a small amount each month, which amounts to a subscription model. The brand offers its customers the option to return the jeans at the end of their useful life. There are several options: They turn them into new products, they recycle them, they include them in their vintage line and customers get a new pair of jeans, or they can even keep the jeans if they pay a small extra fee. This is relatively new in the fashion world.
Consumers are increasingly interested in the environmental impact of fast fashion, and these concerns are just one of the aspects designers must consider when choosing yarn for their designs. Because of their structure, physics and chemistry, sustainable or biodegradable materials offer consumers many advantages, both in terms of their environmental impact and their performance as raw materials. Synthetic fibers can degrade extremely slowly and contribute significantly to the world's overflowing landfills, while bio-based resources or wool degrade quickly and without long-term damage to the environment. Let nature inspire you in designing new circular systems.
