Futurewear: Disrupting a Linear Economy
Futurewear is the collision of two fundamental consumer industries, technology and fashion — it expands upon pre-existing criteria set forth by international fashion councils while also taking into consideration the birth of a more forward-thinking consumer.
In summer 2017, Marine Serre won the LVMH Prize, marking a huge milestone for upcoming key players in the world of high fashion. Her bold patterns and innovative ideas have turned the heads of both Karl Lagerfeld and Nicolas Ghesquière. I mention her brand here because it is important to understand that she created precedent for what is to be expected of a responsible and sustainable fashion house of the future.
Other industry key players have recently taken notice of this rising effort to re-establish the culture of fashion. Brands like Off-White, Dior and Prada have all began to utilize aspects of technicalwear and streetwear to extend additional functionality to their designs. Along with those two, designers are beginning to incorporate aspects of minimalist, cybergoth and lunarcore styles previously only seen within the street fashion community.
OVERVIEW
With many apparel brands sticking to traditional processes of manufacturing and distributing goods, the consumer should always be in the loop concerning the quality associated with the brand’s supply chain. Futurewear promotes transparency and allows consumers to be informed about where the brands that they consciously invest their hard-earned money in.
This is providing unparalleled growth within areas of sustainability related to fast fashion and haute couture. These two niches tend to have the most significant impact on the environment and will need to, at the very least, monitor more closely their supply chains as the effects of resource scarcity become more prevalent. It is a term that is not often used/covered by major media and has only been publicly adopted by unique brands such as Marine Serre and Napajiri.
Futurewear places an emphasis on ensuring that the consumer remains informed on the sustainability practices of the brands that they purchase. With an approach similar to that of the circular economy, goods are designed with product lifecycle in mind. Designers and clothiers are now able to source textiles made from recycled pieces or alternative materials (such as hemp or bamboo).
With a “planet first” mindset, brands promoted as futurewear have the tendency to promote upcycling amongst their consumers. There is an entire ecosystem of designers who specialize in upcycling garments and breathing new life into existing silhouettes. Further confirming the idea that future forward means empowering communities to assist in moving brands forward.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY [CSR]
Efforts in sustainability stem all the way back to 1987 with the introduction of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Their primary focus is on these three specific areas within fashion:
- Social Justice
- Environmental Preservation
- Economic Prosperity
Pressure in the recent decade has forced many global firms to implement CSR activities to ensure transparency with their consumers. The CSR multidimensional model breaks down into four components. The philanthropic component ensures that brands behave as good corporate citizens and contribute to the community. The ethical component keeps brands ethical and doing what is fair or moral while avoiding harm.
The legal component makes sure that brands follow the law and provides goods and services that meet legal requirements. The economic component ensures that brands are making acceptable profits and creating a basis for maintaining all of their other responsibilities.
MOVING THE NEEDLE
With sustainability being the primary indicator of a futurewear brand, there are also additional factors that play into a brand fully adopting futures. Intelligent design and innovations that extend the limits of what is possible within fashion are also leading indicators of a futurewear label. Intelligent design is the adoption of techniques that simplify the overall design process to limit a brand’s overall environmental footprint. A leading example of this can be seen with Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation owned start-up, Stitch 3D, who is revolutionizing the sampling process through digitization.
Design teams will now be able to design and present collections virtually. This eliminates the need to waste resources on physical samples and better streamlines the overall process as a whole. Futurewear is based on the hybridization of four major components in fashion; social responsibility, digitalization, sustainability and luxury brand consumer awareness. With many luxury brands sticking to traditional views on manufacturing and producing goods, the consumer must become more aware of the quality associated not with the brand’s material, but rather the amount of integrity the brand has to stand up for what is right.
Futurewear provides consumers with the tools necessary to inform themselves on where to consciously invest their hard-earned money and brands the guidance needed to avoid pitfalls related to sustainability efforts in the future.
