Industry Insiders Weigh-In On The Future of Sustainable Fashion In 2021
2020 was a turbulent year for sustainable fashion.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, sustainability was high on the agenda of many fashion brands and companies. From lofty sustainability goals that lowered their environmental footprint to investments in new technologies in bio-fabricated materials, sustainability was top of mind for many. With the pandemic continuing to rage on and companies prioritize survival, many fear that sustainability will be placed on the back burner rather than built into business restructuring as brands pivot to adjust.
Plunging the $2.5 trillion industry into chaos, the pandemic put immense pressure on an already deteriorating system. Unsure of what was to come, significant retailers reacted to the global crisis early on, attempting to preserve cash by canceling or refusing to pay $16.2 billion worth of factory orders (some of which were already completed), sparking a humanitarian crisis in the Global South.
A casualty of the pandemic, lockdown and shelter-in-place orders left billions unemployed triggering a severe economic downturn. With the global economy in peril and the personal financial stability of many unknown, fashion spending plummeted a record 79% in April, leaving a growing number of businesses left with no choice but to shutter or file for bankruptcy. Consequently, as fashion spending ground to a halt, brands were left with mountains of unsold merchandise, putting the spotlight on the industry's problem with overproduction.
Amidst the derail of the fashion industry brought on by the pandemic, the death of George Floyd and the resurgence of Black Lives Matter resulted in a racial reckoning as BIPOC participants decried the indignities of the industry, forcing the fashion to recognize the deeply woven systemic racism embedded in the industry.
After decades of operating 'business as usual' despite blatant systematic issues within the industry, the pandemic forced fashion not only to acknowledge its flaws but to take action in find solutions and solve fashion's most pressing concerns.
As we put 2020 behind us and look towards 2021, what will the sustainability conversation look like? What will the industry prioritize, and how will the industry adapt under the pressure of the coronavirus? Will brands use the pandemic as an opportunity to restructure and tackle their sustainability goals with a renewed vigor? Will consumer interest in sustainability weather the economic woes of the pandemic? We asked industry insiders to share their predictions for the new year.
“In the same way that fast fashion was said to “democratize” the runway trends, social media is democratizing sustainable fashion – with a focus on open education, information access, and vibrant community exchange and mobilization.”
Kaley Roshitsh / Sustainability Reporter / WWD
"Fashion activism – focused on nothing less than systems change – will continue throughout 2021. The values shift became more apparent this year with a return to nature, support to communities of color, and shopping local and resale (or thrifting as I prefer it) becoming more prominent themes.
In the same way that fast fashion was said to "democratize" the runway trends, social media is democratizing sustainable fashion – with a focus on open education, information access, and vibrant community exchange and mobilization. In the year ahead, fashion companies will continue to be probed on their practices that chalk up hefty social and environmental costs and this pressure can wield powerful results as both citizens and investors are asking for sustainability. Now, will there be policy to match?"
“My biggest hope (prediction) is that instead of being a world of consumers, many of us will remember that we are citizens first and foremost. ”
Aja Barber / Activist, Personal Stylish & Writer
“My prediction for 2021 is that hopefully, people will slow down even more. I've always stated that it's not about having the most sustainable garments in your closet at all times, but simply wearing the clothing in your closet a lot and giving it all a good life. I think this holiday season away from our loved ones has forced us all to focus a bit and think about what truly brings joy. It was a real paired down holiday in my home. I see more conversation on Twitter surrounding consumption and fast fashion, and that's super exciting! I see more people pledging to buy less.
My biggest hope (prediction) is that instead of being a world of consumers, many of us will remember that we are citizens first and foremost. And I hope that people will keep the garment workers in the center of these conversations at all times — and the planet too."
“2021 will be the year of the independent and emerging designers, who represent the true essence of sustainable fashion.”
Livia Firth / Creative Director / Eco Age
“2021 will be the year of the independent and emerging designers, who represent the true essence of sustainable fashion, far away from disposable fast fashion and unreachable luxury fashion. There will be a resurgence of small brands which have small supply chains, work with no waste, and produce truly high quality and loved pieces we can treasure forever.”
“Consumers will likely to continue to be suspicious of greenwashing, and attempts by major brands to dress up their image with sustainable collections that will fall flat.”
Gordon Renouf / Co-Founder / Good On You
"Consumer interest in sustainable fashion grew sharply in 2019 and 2020. That trend will only build in 2021 as the number of sustainable options and the tools to help consumers find those options continues to increase. Those options include the rapidly growing resale sector and an increasing number of brands with sustainability credentials in many previously underserved product categories and price points.
Consumers are also likely to continue to be suspicious of greenwashing, and attempts by major brands to dress up their image with sustainable collections that will fall flat, especially where there is no simultaneous effort to improve the production standards of the rest of their collections.
Among smaller brands, there will be a growing distinction between those that come to sustainability from the ground up and those that are more 'single-issue' brands. The first group design every part of their business to be as ethical and sustainable as the particular types of clothes and price point allows. And for the most part, they are attuned to the diversity and inclusivity issues that affect their design decisions and marketing and distribution channels. The 'single-issue' brands typically focus on a particular animal, environmental or social concern, seemingly unconcerned about the harm caused by the BAU materials or labor practices in their supply chain. A few will have such a compelling story that enough consumers come on board, but for most, we expect them to lose out to more authentically sustainable and inclusive brands."
“I also want to see us normalizing vulnerability and failings, because whilst no one or no organization is perfect, it is time we started sharing what we have not mastered, where we are trying to be better, and where we are trying to get to. ”
Samata / Sustainability Pioneer / Educator / CEO Red Carpet Green Dress
“2021 will hold an intense focus on value and values. I would like to see the fashion industry form new more respectful, load-sharing relationships with our value chains, and commit to measuring progress with new people-centric metrics. I am talking about the care economy, quality of the environment, and the equitable distribution of revenue across the value cycle. I also want to see us normalizing vulnerability and failings, because whilst no one or no organization is perfect, it is time we started sharing what we have not mastered, where we are trying to be better, and where we are trying to get to. I also hope that we see more conversation about what value is and what our values are. We have an opportunity to show up as humankind after the year we have all had, and I truly hope that we do.”
“Next year will be a year of deep collaboration, organizing, strategy, and courage at the grassroots level. ”
Elizabeth Cline / Author and Journalist
“2021 will see ethical and sustainable fashion move beyond consciousness-raising towards action. In the U.S., we will see the passage of the historic and precedent-setting Garment Worker Protection Act in California and the beginning of the end of four decades of unregulated production, sweatshops, and brands’ distancing themselves from any legal or financial responsibility for how their clothing gets made. We will see model contract laws adopted so that suppliers are better protected in negotiating with brands, binding agreements between unions, suppliers, and brands, and the widespread adoption of supply chain due diligence laws that hold brands accountable for human rights abuses in supply chains.
The United States fashion industry will also develop a broader fashion political platform and present it to our new administration, one that offers bold ideas around sustainability, worker rights, entrepreneurship, investment, and innovation into manufacturing, fashion technology, and sustainable fiber farming. A fundamentally different industry won’t happen organically. To what extent fashion’s social justice agenda, including anti-racism, climate justice, and garment worker rights, gets integrated into fashion’s rebuild is up to us, meaning the grassroots ethical and sustainable fashion movement. Next year will be a year of deep collaboration, organizing, strategy, and courage at the grassroots level.
Corporate fashion will continue to try to shape and set the sustainability agenda. Those of us who imagine an inclusive, bottom-up fashion industry led by suppliers, makers and people of color will have to work hard to stay ahead of the big brands' continued rebranding and conscious fashion cooptation.”
“In 2021 humans everywhere will continue to see through the smoke and mirrors and realize that they are smarter than corporations think they are.”
Jordan Nodarse / Founder / Boyish Jeans
“Sustainability continues to be butchered. Brands focus their marketing dollars on promoting the 5%-10% of sustainable products they offer while ignoring the negative impact the remaining 90%+ of the product they produce causes. Commonly called Greenwashing. In 2021 humans everywhere will continue to see through the smoke and mirrors and realize that they are smarter than corporations think they are. Recycled plastic is still plastic, but most importantly, if it's so cheap that you can't believe it, well, you better believe that many others around the world suffered to make that happen.”
“A leap, an improvement, a definite change of direction as a result of the Covid magnifying lens, which has shown us how ugly our present system is, in all its dying gory glory. ”
Orsola de Castro / Author & Global Creative Director / Fashion Revolution
“I’m reluctant to predict anything, after what we have seen in 2020. Sometimes the most unexpected events happen when we least expect them and derail us beyond our wildest imagination. So instead of what I would predict, I would rather concentrate on what I would prefer: a leap, an improvement, a definite change of direction as a result of the Covid magnifying lens, which has shown us how ugly our present system is, in all its dying gory glory. Injustices of power, racial and gender discrimination, imbalances between us and the natural world, all this needs to end if we want to continue evolving.
I have said this before, and I will add it here too: we need radical equality, equity and to learn to treat each other as equals.”
“Rather than year after year discussing at nauseam the same borrowed and re-phrased ideas, in 2021, we, as an industry, will begin to chip away at a complete systems overhaul reaching every level of the fashion industry by talking less and doing more.”
Brittany Sierra / Founder / The Sustainable Fashion Forum
“After years of talk, in 2021, the fashion industry will take action.
The pandemic's casualty, COVID-19, derailed the already crumbling fashion industry and revealed just how fragile the system is. Before the global pandemic, it seemed like everyone was talking about sustainability, but that seemed to be all they were doing in many cases. For years we've known the pitfalls of the industry but were slow to change. COVID-19 showed us that business cannot continue as usual.
There is still a lot to play out as the coronavirus rages on. Nevertheless, at this moment, we have an opportunity to find innovative solutions that can be implemented and holistically embedded into businesses as we rebuild the sector. To see legitimate change and make progress, we need to do more than talk about the industry's challenges; we need to take action and implement solutions that will rebuild a more equitable and sustainable sector for both people and the planet. This systems overhaul will take time, as the industry is centuries in the making. Many of the issues are layered and deeply rooted in tradition, customaries, and legacy supply chains. Rather than year after year discussing at nauseam the same borrowed and re-phrased ideas, in 2021, we, as an industry, will begin to chip away at a complete systems overhaul reaching every level of the fashion industry by talking less and doing more.”
What do you think the sustainability conversation look like in 2021? What will the industry prioritize, and how will the industry adapt under the pressure of the coronavirus? Join the conversation and comment below.
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