Rethinking Fashion for a Sustainable Future

As I continue my journey on my course in fashion sustainability, the industry’s challenges and opportunities are becoming more apparent. This past week, I explored the concept of the "Futures Wheel," a tool used in foresight studies to map out the potential direct and indirect consequences of a particular event, trend, or decision. The Futures Wheel allowed me to imagine alternate realities through the SDGs by building on our “What if” questions from the previous week.

Reframing the Future: The Role of Fashion in 2040

Through the lens of The Futures Wheel, I imagined a future where the fashion industry operates within planetary boundaries. What if fashion in 2040 were truly regenerative? A world where each garment contributes positively to the ecosystem, rather than depleting it. Some of my favourite possibilities that came from this week’s work include:

• Decentralised Energy Grid: Small-scale fashion production hubs powered by community-led renewable energy micro-grids.
• Bioengineered and Regenerative Material Alternatives: Lab gown textiles from algae, fungi and bacterial cellulose.
• Re-wilding Textile Production: Fibre production is integrated into regenerative forestry and agriculture.
• Fashion Therapy Workshops: Handcrafting, Natural dying and Weaving for mindfulness, relief and creative expression.
• Fashion Retreats: Biodiverse locations like regenerative farms, help people connecting with nature and learn.
• Cellulose and Bio-synthetics: To replace protein fibres.
• Fibre from Food Waste: Banana fibre, Orange Silk, Pineapple.
• Decentralised Fashion Economies: Communities own their supply chains instead of serving foreign corporate interests.
• Indigenous knowledge restored: Revival of handwoven and natural fibre traditions.
• Fair Profit Distribution: Garment workers and artisans become business owners dictating prices, wages, and work conditions.
• Education Renaissance: Emphasis on environmental preservation and de-colonial approaches to understanding past challenges.
• Micro-Recycling Hubs: Local small-scale fabric recycling centres that allow people to shred their clothes to scraps.
• Regenerative Ocean Farming: Food and materials, Kelp farms provide sustainable textiles like seaweed-based fabrics while restoring marine biodiversity.
• Reclaimed Ocean Plastic: Discarded fishing nets and ocean waste are transformed into new textiles.
• Merge Fashion and Textiles with other sectors: Architecture and agriculture can incorporate textile crops in their vertical farms.
• Smart textiles: Clothing that reacts to temperature changes, self-healing, carbon capturing, health technology, Bioengineered textiles embedded with vitamins, probiotics, and anti-inflammatory properties to improve long-term skin and immune health.
• Gifting economy: Clothing is shared within community networks rather than sold.
• Repurpose vehicles for mobile fashion spaces: Abandoned buses and containers are transformed into mobile repair workshops and fashion pop-ups, Portable fashion workshop.
• Fashion Tech careers: New job opportunities emerge in AI-driven design, 3D-printed textiles, and sustainable material engineering.

What are SDG’s: Sustainability Development Goals

The sustainability development goals are a global framework comprising 17 goals and 169 specific, measurable targets aimed at addressing the world’s most pressing challenges by 2030.

• No Poverty
• Zero Hunger
• Good Health and Well-being
• Quality Education
• Gender Equality
• Clean Water and Sanitation
• Affordable and Clean Energy
• Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
• Reduced Inequalities
• Sustainable Cities and communities
• Responsible Consumption and Production
• Climate Action
• Life Below Water
• Life on Land
• Peace, Justice and Strong Institution
• Partnership for the Goals

Awesome Anthropocene: A Forward-Thinking Approach to the SDGs

This week I was introduced for the first time to The Awesome Anthropocene Goals which were developed by Futerra. It is a set of 20 visionary goals built of the basis that we will have achieved the 17 SDG’s introduced by The United nations in 2015.

These goals take a visionary approach—shifting the conversation from crisis prevention to proactive transformation. They encourage industries, communities, and individuals to not only mitigate damage but also create regenerative systems that allow both people and the planet to flourish.

• Universal Decent Income for All
• Food is a source of Joy
• 100 years of Good Health
• Everyone potential is possible
• Gender is source of Joy
• All life has a right to water
• 100 Terawatts of Clean Energy
• Mission Markets and meaningful work
• Ultrastructure Everywhere
• Distributive Societies
• Everyone live in a doughnut Community
• Consumption is Regenerative
• Zero Degree Justice
• A Renaissance Below water
• Half The world is wild
• Human rights for the future
• Everyone Optimistic
• Gender Identity, Expression & Sexuality as a Source of Joy
• Space is a Collective Commons
• Artificial Intelligence Enhances Life

What is Fashion For?

Finally, we completed an exercise that began with the word “Fashion,” exploring what it means in today’s context and envisioning its significance in 2040. The following insights reflect my personal opinions.

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• Fashion is a means of personal identity.
• Fashion is driven by trends and marketing.
• Fashion is shipped worldwide, making it a global industry.
• Fashion has a complex supply chain that relies on chemicals for dyeing, finishing, and preservation.
• Fashion is dominated by cotton and polyester as primary materials.
• Fashion is made possible by skilled workers at every level of the industry.
• Fashion can produce high-quality, durable luxury goods with exquisite craftsmanship.
• Fashion can also generate low-quality, short-lived, and toxic products.
• Fashion can be produced in large-scale factories or crafted by highly skilled artisans.
• Fashion is sold in luxury, mid-range, and low-cost market segments.
• Fashion is made easily accessible through e-commerce but contributes to disposable consumption.
• Fashion blends multiple fibres to enhance aesthetics, making them difficult to recycle with today’s technology.
• Fashion has sustainable fibre alternatives, but large brands struggle to adopt them due to cost and trade tariffs.
• Fashion gives independent brands more flexibility, but they need subsidies to afford sustainable materials.
• Fashion, when produced in large volumes, generates significant waste.
• Fashion factories want to shift from mass production to smaller batches but need viable business models.
• Fashion agriculture depends on fertilisers and pesticides, and farmers need support to transition to sustainable methods.
• Fashion cuts down trees to produce viscose fabrics.
• Fashion consumes vast amounts of water in manufacturing, but sustainable alternatives exist, requiring financial support for adoption.
• Fashion is energy-intensive, and factories need assistance transitioning to cleaner energy sources.
• Fashion has sustainable alternatives, but scaling up requires systemic support.
• Fashion needs regulations to hold multinational retail brands who produce in large volume to transition to smaller volumes and take legal responsibility for their waste.
• Fashion currently operates on a global supply chain but needs support to transition to localised production.

Fashion in 2040 – A Sustainable Future

• Fashion is no longer identified as a personal identity
• Fashion is driven by creativity, purpose, and long-term value rather than fleeting trends.
• Fashion is now produced and consumed as locally as possible, reducing the need for global shipping and its environmental impact.
• Fashion uses non-toxic, biodegradable, and regenerative materials, eliminating harmful chemicals.
• Fashion has a transparent, ethical, and simplified supply chain that prioritises sustainability and fair wages.
• Fashion is dominated by bio-based, circular, and recycled materials, replacing the dominance of virgin polyester and conventional cotton.
• Fashion now supports its skilled workers and all earn living wages and operate in safe working environments.
• Fashion is now expensive reflecting the true cost of clothing.
• Fashion is designed for longevity, with high-quality craftsmanship and built-in repairability.
• Fashion is produced in a balance of artisan workshops, localised factories, and tech-driven production hubs.
• Fashion is available in diverse markets but follows ethical pricing that reflects true costs.
• Fashion is accessible through circular business models, including rental, resale, and made-to-order production.
• Fashion is fully circular, with recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable materials.
• Fashion no longer relies on harmful synthetic fibre blends, making recycling seamless.
• Fashion ensures sustainable materials are widely available and affordable, thanks to subsidies and innovation.
• Fashion has minimised waste through zero-waste design, on-demand production, and advanced recycling.
• Fashion factories have successfully transitioned to small-batch, profitable production models.
• Fashion agriculture is regenerative, with farmers supported in organic, pesticide-free, and climate-positive practices.
• Fashion no longer cuts down trees for viscose—alternatives like microbial cellulose, hemp, and agricultural waste are standard.
• Fashion operates on closed-loop water systems, making manufacturing water-efficient and pollution-free.
• Fashion runs on renewable energy, with factories powered by solar, wind, and other clean sources.
• Fashion scales sustainable innovations through collaboration, funding, and policy support.
• Fashion is regulated to ensure all brands meet ethical and environmental standards.
• Fashion thrives in localised, resilient economies, reducing dependence on global supply chains.

Final Thoughts

The fashion industry stands at a crossroads: remain wasteful or become truly regenerative. By using tools like the Futures Wheel, guided by the SDGs and Futerra’s Awesome Anthropocene Goals, we can envision a better path. This includes small-scale production powered by renewables, bio-based materials, and respect for indigenous knowledge. Through fair wages, circular design, and local supply chains, fashion can shift from depleting resources to nurturing them. Let’s keep pushing for a future where creativity, community, and sustainability guide every stitch.

Join My Sustainable Fashion Book Club! 📚🌿

Curious about the books that have shaped my journey in fashion sustainability? Dive into the inspiring reads that fuel my vision for a regenerative future. From industry insights to visionary thinking, these books are a must for anyone passionate about ethical fashion.

✨ Plus, I’m launching a new book club—a space to discuss, reflect, and reimagine fashion’s future together! Join the conversation, explore transformative ideas, and connect with like-minded souls.

📖 Check out my reading list & join the club now!

With gratitude,
Tala 🌿✨

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