United Kingdom

New research shows that UK shoppers support small, visible Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) charges on clothing to fund textile recycling and promote sustainable fashion. Transparent communication and simple labelling could help drive a circular economy without deterring consumers from making purchases.

The UK Government has been urged to adopt a variable EPR system to support and safeguard textiles manufacturing businesses by designing and selling more circular products, and by offering circular services like repair and reuse.

Nonprofit WRAP has warned that if the UK’s used textiles sector goes under, charities, local authorities and consumers will have to pay the cost of dealing with unwanted used textiles.

The Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN) has come out with a landmark report detailing two years of industry-led collaboration to accelerate the UK’s transition to a circular fashion ecosystem.

Is virtual fashion a sustainable fix or just another short-lived trend? Could virtual-only clothing be a cleaner opportunity for the fashion industry? A new study from the University of Portsmouth delves into the growing phenomenon of e-fashion — digital garments worn in virtual environments — and found these intangible items could help bridge the gap between fast fashion and environmental sustainability.

The care label is evolving to meet the changing expectations of Europeans as a key element in guiding consumers on how to care for their clothes, according to the GINETEX Barometer. Between the need for simplification, the addition of new symbols or the integration of digital tools, there are several potential levers to improve its effectiveness and legibility.

The future of sourcing and circularity in the UK holds promise, contends a UKFT report that explores opportunities for growing domestic fashion manufacturing along with a comprehensive analysis of current sourcing trends as also future prospects for apparel manufacturing.

Retail has become cybercrime’s favourite playground. From Target’s catastrophic 2013 breach to British Airways’ record GDPR fine, the past decade has been a brutal education in digital vulnerability. Yet, as this April’s M&S incident proves, many still haven’t learned their lesson.

The future of fashion isn’t synthetic. It’s natural. It’s regenerative. And The Sheep Inc brand embodies and symbolises ideas from a carbon-negative supply chain, premium merino wool garments and regenerative farms to that word which is at the core of many debates in the fashion world: transparency.

In response to the evolving fashion landscape, the British Fashion Council has decided to cancel the June edition of the London Fashion Week and instead scale back to more targetted programmes in London and Paris, in a bid to create strong foundations to amplify the British menswear business.