Specials

Free returns have been central to the expansion of digital fashion marketplaces over the past decade. Asos has adjusted that formula by imposing charges on frequent returners and introducing transparency around individual return behaviour. The decision highlights tensions between convenience-driven consumption and sustainability commitments within fast fashion systems.

Global trade in secondhand clothing has expanded dramatically over three decades, intensifying scrutiny over quality, classification, and waste leakage. As volumes rise, weak border controls risk shifting disposal burdens rather than extending garment lifetimes. A new regulatory framework proposes technical standards, sorting mandates, and traceability rules to align trade flows with circular outcomes.

From July 2026, large companies will no longer be permitted to destroy unsold apparel and footwear placed on the EU market. The restriction, adopted under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, links surplus inventory to public disclosure and regulatory oversight. Disposal shifts from a private adjustment to a documented compliance issue with broader supply chain implications.

The wildlife fashion industry promotes crocodile, python and ostrich products as sustainable and supportive of species conservation. A recent study challenges that narrative after regulators and CITES were unable to provide independent scientific data substantiating conservation benefit claims when formally requested. The findings shift scrutiny from industry assurances to the evidentiary standards underpinning permissive wildlife trade policy.

Virtual fitting rooms promise easier clothing choices for people with physical disabilities, yet adaptation depends on more than technical access. Evidence from a large study shows that confidence, convenience, and enjoyment shape willingness to use these systems, reframing inclusive digital fashion as a question of experience, not novelty.

Sustainable fashion is increasingly shaped not only by how garments are made, but by how they are sold, used, and cared for. A recent study argues that, as pressure mounts to reduce environmental and social harm, retailers are turning to service-based models that prioritise longevity, transparency, and engagement over volume, repositioning retail as a critical driver of sustainability.

Waterless dyeing has historically struggled with fibre limitations, slow cycles, and inconsistent shades. Recent industrial trials now suggest those constraints have been fixed. Swapneshu Baser, Managing Director of Deven Supercriticals explains how architectural changes in dye placement and process flow transformed supercritical CO₂ from a niche alternative into a viable, scalable dyeing medium for mainstream textiles.

The economics of reuse are under strain as ultra-fast fashion floods markets with garments never designed to last. In this environment, circular systems are absorbing rising costs without corresponding value. Steven Bethell, Founder of Bank & Vogue and Beyond Retro, outlines how low-quality imports are destabilising charities, recycling infrastructure, and material integrity across the secondhand ecosystem.

An under-utilised local natural resource — the seaweed from the Red Sea — is being developed for the first time into an innovative, fully traceable sustainable fabric by the Fashion Commission of Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and fabric manufacturer Pyratex. Fiona Symes, Chief Operating Officer at KAUST Beacon Development (KBD), the consultancy arm at KAUST, shares details on the project.

In an era where authenticity is increasingly elusive, the ancient, hand-engineered craft of zari is caught in a deepening crisis. Pure zari, painstakingly wrought from silver, gold and copper in Surat’s shrinking cottage clusters, is now overshadowed by an ever-expanding tide of cheap metallic substitutes. As precious metal prices soar, purity wavers, and fakes flood the market, the last generation of real-zari makers confronts a future as fragile as the filaments they draw.