The fashion business is evolving through technology

As humanity’s imprint on Earth continues to become more and more formidable, businesses all over the world are finally making the much-needed steps to a more sustainable future. The technology industry is all about renewable energy these days. The automotive business is in the process of creating entire fleets of fully-electric vehicles, effectively phasing out fossil fuels. Even the most unexpected industries are being given a revitalisation focused on the ensured longevity of Earth, including the fashion business. Sustainable fashion has been the talk of the industry for the last few years, but even as the topic has been given attention from the masses, it is the select few names in the fashion business that have taken it a step further and embodied sustainable fashion into their brand values. Some of the biggest names in fashion, including Stella McCartney, have been working towards achieving and maintaining sustainable fashion for years. While this is encouraging to note for the future of the business, it is also worth noting that the rest of the world is only just now playing catch up with the pioneers of the planet-friendly movement in fashion.

Being in the business of fashion is incredibly competitive, and consumers are the sole bosses of the industry. The brands that sell the clothes are essentially just the middle men (and women) in an intricate business empire that thrives on catering to the consumers wants and needs. Without the eager buyers, even the biggest fashion brands in the world have no power. It has happened before and it is happening now. Any fashion business in operation now is being forced to rethink their values, outlook, and brand message, as new generations bring with them a stronger voice for the environmental impact of the fashion industry. According to multiple studies and estimates of recent years, the fashion business alone is solely responsible more up to ten percent of the globe’s CO2 emissions, twenty percent of the world’s industrial wastewater, twenty-four percent of insecticides, and eleven percent of pesticides use globally. The impact is staggering and it is impossible to ignore any longer. Luckily for us – and future generations – the fashion business is all about sustainable choices and materials these days (finally). Welcome to the future of business in fashion; from Earth to the earth.

There are a great many revolutions in the sustainable fashion business, including wool sneakers made from New Zealand sheep wool, pineapple leather (yes, really), banana silk (created using the stems of banana plants), and fruit-based fibres. Consumers in up and coming generations want to buy from, trust in, and support fashion brands that value the planet and all its inhabitants. The motion happening in the fashion industry currently is similar to the one that kicked into high gear years ago in the cosmetics industry. Cosmetics brands like Lush, Arbonne, Nude by Nature, and Too Faced either were born as cruelty-free businesses in cosmetics or fine-tuned their processes and made the eco-friendly switch. As big brands began to change their tune, so did others and now the cosmetics industry is making continuous changes and moving towards a more cruelty-free, environmentally conscious future. The changes happening in the fashion business currently mirror that of the past cosmetics industry movement. Industries like cosmetics and fashion are centred wholly around the consumer, with the consumer being the all-powerful player. Nothing is successful without the approval and support of those that invest in it.

With some even going so far as to claim that sustainable fashion is the new name in ultimate luxury, it comes as no surprise that the world has tipped sustainability as the future of the fashion business. Consumers want to engage with and invest in products by brands that not only realise and understand the impact of their very existence on the planet, but try to minimise their negative impact and expand their positive impact. It all centres around ensuring that the planet that future generations exist on is a bright, healthy one – and that is exists at all. The fashion business is the latest industry to be affected by sustainability movements, and it is reshaping entirely to realign focus with what is best for all and for everything, Earth included. Even the most timeless and most loved fashions like women’s Italian shoes and leather jackets are expected to get a sustainability-focused revitalisation in the coming years.

Earth has faced devastating consequences of being exposed to humanity’s relentless pursuit of continuous advancement. While the damage has been done, with entire species going extinct and the very planet’s climate changing in part due to our existence and propulsion to excel, businesses of all kinds and entire industries are making more environmentally-conscious choices. The fashion business is steadily moving towards a more environmentally-friendly future, and to see the industry beginning to fine tune its moral outlook is encouraging (to say the least). The future of the fashion business is likely going to be sustainable beyond any previous expectations; from Earth to the earth. It is an exciting time to be alive.