Not a trace of the summer slump, on the contrary: In July, a number of studies were published that provided us with a lot of reading material on the hot days, for example on the ubiquitous topic of greenwashing, but also on textile recycling and consumption. There were some innovations on the brand side and trade fairs also took place. Read through July!
events
For many brands, retailers and buyers, 2022 is the year of physical trade fairs after a break of almost two and a half years. The desire to meet face to face again and talk about the industry was so great that even the hot weather couldn’t dampen enthusiasm.
The women’s fashion fair Pure London returned to the English capital from 17th to 19th July. Despite the extreme heat in London, she drew a positive balance after an optimistic event. Innatex, the international trade fair for sustainable textiles, which took place from July 29th to 31st, also showed the first signs of recovery.
Modefabriek took place in Amsterdam on July 10th and 11th, more compact and intimate than before, but with three new areas: The Fashion Gallery, the Young Entrepreneurs Platform and the Sustainable Shop for sustainable brands. All were well received and visitors found the atmosphere of the fair more relaxed.
innovations
Irish clothing retailer Primark further expanded its partnership with Spanish recycling specialist Recover. It launched a new line of casual wear, becoming the first retailer to use Recover’s sustainable RColorBlend fiber on a global scale.
Four textile and footwear suppliers On, Patagonia, Puma and Salomon have partnered with French biochemicals company Carbios to leverage its unique biorecycling technology to recycle synthetic fibers, improving the recyclability and ongoing reusability of their products.
Clothing supplier Brax relies on fabric production in Germany for certain men’s trousers and, from August, will be selling items under the ‘Re-Local’ label, the fabrics of which are manufactured and finished in Germany by family businesses. They are made of organic cotton from Turkey and Tencel from Austria.
Starting this fall, Gore-Tex will be launching the first products with a new, more sustainable ePE membrane that will revolutionize the entire outdoor industry as it replaces the PFC family of chemicals used as an aid to create and manufacture PTFE to make textiles water-repellent.
studies
A series of studies and surveys in July dealt with consumer behavior and the willingness to do something for sustainable products. According to a study published by Greenpeace in the last week of July, two thirds of the German population are willing to buy fewer new clothes. Also, the vast majority of 85 percent intend to wear existing clothing longer. In addition, climate and environmental protection has become an important motivation for more sustainable fashion management for well over half of the population.
When it comes to their wallets, however, consumers are hesitant, and not only in Germany: the Berlin delivery platform Seven Senders, in cooperation with the market research institute Appinio, surveyed 3,500 online shoppers in seven countries about their attitudes and expectations of sustainability in online retail 500 each in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Switzerland. It became clear that while sustainability is desired when shopping online, the majority of consumers are not willing to pay for it.
Another survey addressed the question of whether technical aids such as selfies could reduce the return rate. 61 percent of those who took part in the survey by the commerce experience platform Nosto believe that the high return rates can be reduced by online shops showing more photos and videos of other customers after the purchase. This is to help prospective buyers see how the clothes look on ‘real’ people, not just models. 59 percent of respondents think that a virtual try-on, which allows them to see themselves in the outfits they found online, could also help reduce returns.
According to the new study “Scaling textile recycling in Europe – turning waste into value” by McKinsey & Company, at least a fifth of textile waste could be turned into new clothes and a circular economy for textiles could create 15,000 new jobs in Europe by 2030 and a market size of 6 to reach 8 billion euros.
In this article, FashionUnited asked whether lingerie brands are going to go second-hand.