January in Fashion, Condensed.
An interview with Positive Luxury author Diana Verde Nieto, fashion's oversupply problem, and can 2024 deliver radical change for the industry?
Hello there,
A short but sweet message from me this month as I prepare to fly back to London. I’ve spent the last few months in my native Western Australia, but it’s currently 42 degrees in Perth, which means it’s time for me to tap out and return to the cold. I had such a lovely and encouraging response to December’s newsletter that featured the 2024 hopes of 11 industry experts. Optimism is essential and I’ve started the year with a renewed sense of it — although that might partly be the sunshine talking.
I wanted to share with you my hope for 2024, connected to a story I wrote for Vogue Business, which you can find below. I hope that legislation will begin to fundamentally rewire the industry in 2024.
Fashion has historically been one of the least regulated sectors, which has allowed it to get away with systemic human rights abuses, poverty wages, toxic chemicals in our clothes, and environmental degradation caused by poor water treatment and chemical management — the list goes on but I’m trying to keep it light (by my standards). So, when it comes to truly tackling these problems from a system level, legislation is the answer.
2024 is the year the industry faces a wave of incoming laws, led by the EU and the US on key issues like due diligence, forced labour, waste management and designing for circularity. Mandatory reporting for certain laws will begin in 2024, putting a slow end to the decades of voluntary reporting that had very little impact on the fashion industry. Now, it’s becoming clear that the cost to invest in sustainability solutions is less than the cost of non-compliance. And that gives me hope.
Until next month,
Meg
Things I Did Write
Legislation is Coming for Fashion’s Supply Chains. Are You Ready? for Vogue Business
This year is set to be a tipping point for fashion’s supply chains, as brands and suppliers race to comply with incoming legislation and meet 2025 sustainability goals.
Sustainability Platform Fashion for Good Rethinks Consumer Focus for Vogue Business
The fashion sustainability organisation is closing its Amsterdam museum and committing to longer-term work with its partners, according to its new five-year plan.
Things I Didn’t Write
Burn After Wearing: A mountain of used clothes appeared in Chile’s desert. Then it went up in flames. by Julia Shipley & Muriel Alarcón for Grist
Cultural Sustainability: Colonialism, Appropriation, and What Justice Looks Like by Jessica Ouano for Good on You
‘She Agreed To Work For £5 An Hour’: The Desperate Plight Of Many Leicester Garment Workers by Heather Stewart for The Guardian
Why Tax Billionaires When You Can Target Depop Girlies? by Sophie Benson for Dazed
‘It’s The Industry’s Dirty Secret’: Why Fashion’s Oversupply Problem Is An Environmental Disaster by Lucianne Tonti for The Guardian
Can 2024 Deliver Radical Change For The Fashion Industry? by Rachel Cernansky for Vogue Business
Renting Clothes Was Supposed to Be the Future of Fashion. Then Shoppers Got Bored by Sabela Ojea for the Wall Street Journal
What Are the Best Lower-Impact Fabrics and Fibres on the Market Right Now? by Solene Rauturier for Good on You
Can Leicester Beat Fast Fashion — Boohoo Included — and Save Made in the U.K.? by Jasmin Malik Chua for Sourcing Journal
The To-Do List
Reimagining Luxury by Diana Verde Nieto
The luxury sector isn’t just relevant to the 1% who can afford its products — the sector has a much wider impact, and therefore responsibility, to the wider world. As the co-founder of Positive Luxury, Diana Verde Nieto knows a thing or two about this. Her new book explores the opportunities and challenges facing the world of luxury and shares practical frameworks for transforming the industry.
Circularity Insights Report by Klarna
This new report highlights the key challenges facing the circular economy via the lens of consumer adoption. From a survey of 3,000 people worldwide, the results show a start gap between attitude and behaviour, as well as a big age divide in take up of resale, secondhand and rental.
The Fashion Values Challenge
Fashion Values is a joint venture between the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, IBM, Vogue Business and Kering. They’re looking for “creative expressions of cultures of wellbeing, applied to fashion products, services and systems” from both emerging creatives and professionals. The winners receive mentorship and tickets to the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen this May. Applications close on the 5th of February!
🚨FREE SUBSCRIBERS🚨: If you don’t see the rest of the newsletter above this line, click “Open in browser” at the top of the email or the three little dots above the “Upgrade to paid” section to read the full free section!
This month, paid subscribers can listen to my conversation with Diana Verde Nieto, co-founder of Positive Luxury and author of the new book, Reimagining Luxury.