December in Fashion, Condensed.
The hidden links between fracking and fashion, beauty and survival in India's garment factories, and when did throwaway culture become big business?
Hello there,
Happy New Year! It’s a long newsletter rounding up December, so I’ll keep my introduction short and sweet. In the past two years for the end of year newsletter, I’ve tapped fashion industry experts for their hopes and predictions of the year ahead — you can read 2024’s edition here. When I re-read the musings of my fashion friends and colleagues, I’m reminded that we’re playing the long game.
Will 2025 be the year that we see drastic improvements that vastly reduce fashion’s impact on people and the planet? I don’t think so. But this is the nature of system-level transformation — it takes time. We’re rebuilding an industry that will be unrecognisable from our linear, exploitative business model, and we might only see the fruit of this labour years down the line.
Obviously, we don’t have the luxury of time, so I’m eternally hopeful that we will see genuine progress on meeting climate targets, addressing overproduction, embedding circularity and ensuring the rights of garment workers and producers this year.
Some exciting news to share with you — I have joined Good on You as a columnist, where I’ll be writing monthly articles on the intersection of fashion, sustainability and business! You can read my first piece on the future of brick and mortar retail below. Stay tuned for more in 2025!
On that note, see you next month.
Meg
Things I Did Write
Reimagining Physical Retail: Where the Future of Shopping Actually Happens for Good On You
After a decade of algorithmic recommendations and infinite-scroll fatigue, physical retail is offering something the digital world can’t quite crack. Those at the cutting edge of this transformation show how stores can become spaces for building sustainable businesses—creating clear opportunities in an industry racing to evolve.
My stories from 2024 (all for Vogue Business)
The Overlooked Child Labour Problem in Fashion’s Supply Chain
Jasmine Farms Supplying Estée Lauder and L’Oréal Linked to Child Labour
Will Impact Investors Turn Their Back on Fashion?
Legislation is Coming for Fashion’s Supply Chains. Are You Ready?
Things I Didn’t Write
Factory Flowers - Beauty And Survival In India’s Garment Factories by Nandita Shivakumar & Nikita Joseph for Tansy Hoskins
Why Fashion Isn’t Making Climate Progress and What Needs to Change by Kenneth Pucker for the Business of Fashion
South Korea: Children’s Coat from Temu Contained 622 Times The Legal Limit for Toxins by Meghan Hall for Sourcing Journal
Industry Experts Set Out Fashion’s Sustainability Priorities For 2025 by Amy Nguyen for Forbes
Many Happy Returns: Sustainable Startups Are Turning A Profit From Your Unwanted Clothes by Alice Fisher for the Guardian
When Did Throw-Away Culture Become Big Business? by Daphne Chouliaraki Milner for Atmos
Navigating the Evolving Era of Greenwashing Regulations in the Fashion Industry by Dr. Sonja Hoffmann et al. for WhiteCase
Who Pays For The Crisis? Purchasing Practices Analysis - December 2024 by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
To Fight Forced Labor, Shein and Patagonia Dig Into the Atomic Makeup of Their Clothes by Dylan Tokar for The Wall Street Journal
The To-Do List
Collective Action Reimagined: A Call for Fair Process and Supplier Inclusion in Fashion’s Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives by Transformers Foundation
Transformers Foundation has always put out excellent reports and the latest one outlines how all players in the industry can ensure that the MSI model is truly impactful and inclusive.
Fracked Fashion: The Hidden Links Between Fracking and Fashion by Stand.Earth
We know that polyester is fashion’s material of choice, but where does all this plastic come from? And how is fashion fuelling the petrochemical industry’s fracking habit? This Stand.Earth report has a fascinating interactive supply chain map that illustrates the deep connections and companies implicated.
How to Make a T-Shirt with Cotton Sourced in America by Jason Kelce
I’m literally the last person to know anything about Jason Kelce or American football, but I do know he’s a big deal! This 25 minute documentary about his journey to produce Made in the USA apparel is super interesting, and will hopefully reach a lot of people.
One-Earth Fashion by Public Eye
This new Public Eye report gives a comprehensive overview of 33 major challenges facing fashion, as well as transformation targets that the industry could adopt to tackle these. Super detailed and solution-focused!