The fashion industry – from material sourcing, through supply chains to washing and waste – is estimated to be responsible for 8-10 per cent of global carbon emissions (according to the United Nations), while McKinsey’s Climate on Fashion Report suggests that the industry is on its way of exceeding the 1.5-degree pathway set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and to stay within this limit (of 1.5- degree pathway), it has no option but to reduce its GHG emissions to 1.1 billion metric tonnes by 2030 and work on decarbonisation initiatives.

The disposable nature of consumption as fuelled by fast fashion has only compounded the problem. According to WRAP, global production of clothing has doubled between 2000 and 2015, while the average number of times clothing is worn fell by 36 per cent, thanks to big brands launching hundreds of collections every year along with low-priced, affordable garments flooding the market.

Upcycling: The future in fashion!

The current model is extremely wasteful; the industry is basically a conveyer belt that takes enormous amounts of resources and creates clothes which are only worn for a fleeting time before being dumped into landfills.

As the pressure to adopt sustainable practices increase, brands and retailers are finding ways to introduce upcycling or what is called creative reuse into their production process as part of which pre/post-consumer waste material is repurposed to create new garments, transforming them into higher-quality selection through design and value additions as part of circular fashion approach.

Names like RE/DONE (focusing mainly on denim); Urban Outfitters (it has its very own upcycling spin-off called Urban Renewal, which uses surplus materials or deadstock and transforms it into fashionable clothing), ASOS (ASOS Reclaimed line is influenced by classic shapes, style icons and old-school street brands) are just cases in points.

It’s just not the global biggies, the Indian fashion industry has also hit upon this new drift now as many are embracing the principles of upcycling with a newfound vigour. Take for example sustainable fashion brand Doodlage (which claims 100 per cent of its collection is upcycled or recycled), Bengaluru-based ethical fashion brand Pomogrenade, Gujaratbased label RaasLeela, The Second Life, Patch over Patch, etc.

Upcycling also brings in new opportunities for the manufacturing industry through the use of textile wastage to create different garments, enables in restoring and repairing preowned clothes, refurbishing through dyeing, bleaching and washing besides using the end pieces to make attractive kidswear.

With the concept of upcycling continuing to gather pace, Apparel Sourcing Week (ASW) 2022 through a dedicated panel discussion, will delve deep into the issue of upcycling, touching upon the various aspects like how designing deadstock can aid to reduce fashion waste, implementation of overstock strategy, how multi-stakeholder marketplaces can address the issue of deadstock, the need of transparency between stakeholders and so on.

Did we miss out on anything? Yes, it will also answer all your queries pertaining to scope for upcycling with respect to the Indian fashion retail sector, reverse supply chain management, and not to forget the probable impacts on garment manufacturers (in the long or short term) on account of upcycling.

Please drop in at Sheraton Grand Whitefield, Bengaluru, on 1-2 July 2022, to be a part of this insightful and thought-provoking discussion at the second edition of Asia’s muchawaited sourcing event.