Hey Guys,

i was just reading an article on “The Independent” which talked about the famous designer Stella McCartney and her recent collection that hit the catwalk in Paris Fashion Week. The clothing the models wore to showcase her fashion designs were made from second-hand materials. Her catwalk design gave a second life to t-shirts and other worn garments that quote – “were going to get thrown away or burned or landfilled”

So I would love to talk about the fact that a fashion designer, who has been worn by several celebrities with her clothing being priced at the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for her pieces, has recycled old garments. These will likely be worn by people worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

She has been one of the first ones, if not the first, to show featured upcycled clothing at Paris Fashion Week. This will likely be the start of a new era, were designers will show a focus on “giving a second life to clothing” instead of just throwing them away.

In class, we have talked about the fact that a new business model needs to take place. The linear system is not working, also known as the cradle-to-grave model. Instead, she is proposing using raw materials from recycled garments. This is a clear example of process innovation, where the designer is changing the usual process to a new one. This will save many natural resources as well, including water, and other raw materials.

We are seeing over and over again that sustainability is trending, and this is a great example that a closed-loop will be the new black among major fashion brands.

References:

Ritschel, Chelsea. (2019, March 5). Stella McCartney Show Featured “Upclycled” Clothes During Paris Fashion Week. Retrieved April 2, 2019 from <https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/stella-mccartney-upcycle-paris-fashion-week-sustainability-a8809271.html>