Wilde Reads – Sustainable Fashion and Textiles by Kate Fletcher

Books have a way of meeting us at the right moment. When I first came across Kate Fletcher in late 2024, I was struggling through a capstone proposal in a Sustainability Management programme that never quite felt like home. Her name appeared repeatedly in research on fashion and textiles, and I became curious. Ordering Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys felt like a lifeline, but I had no idea just how transformative it would be.

The following review is not only about a single book; it is an invitation to explore the work of one of the most influential voices in sustainable fashion and to place her writing within the growing shelves of Wilde Reads, A Sustainable Little Library.

If you are building a sustainable fashion reading list, joining a book swap in Singapore, or seeking the best sustainability books of 2025, Fletcher’s work is an essential starting point.

Why Kate Fletcher’s Work Matters

Kate Fletcher is a pioneering scholar and thinker who has shaped the conversation on sustainable textiles, regenerative fashion, and slow fashion for over two decades. Her writing is rigorous but accessible, combining systems thinking with real-world design insights. Where most fashion texts focus on trends or technology, Fletcher looks at the entire textile economy – from fibre cultivation to consumer use – and asks us to rethink what fashion is for.

Her work gave me permission to leave behind a purely commercial fashion mindset and embrace the possibility of eco-conscious fashion rooted in ecological awareness, material literacy, and cultural connection. This shift is what supports Wilde Hippi by Tala and the broader project of building new textile narratives.

Inside Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys

Fletcher’s most cited book, Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys, is a comprehensive exploration of the role of fashion in a more sustainable world. The book presents two parts: Products and Materials, and Systems and Change.

Material Diversity

Fletcher pushes against the industry’s reliance on conventional cotton and polyester. Instead of chasing a single “sustainable” fibre, she calls for material diversity – flax, hemp, lyocell, wool, bio-based fibres. This approach mirrors nature’s complexity and resilience, and it aligns closely with current research into regenerative textiles and natural fibres.

Life Cycle Thinking

One of the book’s most powerful lessons is the importance of life cycle analysis. Environmental impacts do not stop at the factory gate. From Patagonia’s cotton T-shirt assessments to Puma’s Environmental Profit & Loss accounts, Fletcher demonstrates how data-driven decisions can reshape design practice. For students, designers, or anyone running a sustainable fashion brand, this is a reminder that intuition needs to be matched by evidence. Life Cycle Analysis reminded me that design decisions must consider a garment’s end of life right from the start.

Fashion’s Dirty Supply Chain

The book does not shy away from the complexity of fashion’s supply chains. Fletcher highlights issues from fibre cultivation to garment assembly, reminding us of the human and ecological costs. She urges us to rethink industry goals: move away from endless growth and towards systems that value workers’ rights, resource balance, and transparency. In today’s Singapore, this resonates with the rise of ethical fashion labels and sustainable fashion markets that seek to reconnect makers and consumers.

The Hidden Impact of the Use Phase

Perhaps the most surprising section is Fletcher’s analysis of the use phase. Washing a pair of jeans across their lifespan consumes more energy than their production. Laundering a blouse can generate six times the impact of making it. For readers in humid regions like Singapore, this insight reframes sustainability as not just about what we buy, but how we live. Choosing low-impact care routines becomes an act of eco-friendly lifestyle change.

Circularity and Biomimicry

Finally, Fletcher addresses circular design and biomimicry. She invites designers to create garments with recyclability in mind: mono-material construction, end-of-life planning, and closed-loop systems. She also draws from nature: does a design run on sunlight, recycle everything, reward cooperation? This ecological lens remains one of the most inspiring contributions to green lifestyle innovation in fashion.

Beyond Design Journeys – Other Books by Kate Fletcher

While Sustainable Fashion and Textiles is foundational, Fletcher’s wider body of work deepens and expands the conversation. Each title builds the collection of a sustainable fashion book club or a shared library for eco-conscious readers.

Fashion and Sustainability: Design for Change (with Lynda Grose) – A practical guidebook aimed at designers and students. It provides tools, case studies, and exercises for embedding sustainability into the design process. This book is suitable for community workshops in Singapore and lends itself well to collective learning.

Craft of Use: Post-Growth Fashion – A radical rethinking of fashion beyond growth. Fletcher documents how people value, repair, and re-wear clothes, reframing use as the central act of fashion. Perfect for those seeking inspiration on slow fashion, eco-conscious living, and sustainable fashion reflections.

Wild Dress: Clothing and the Natural World – A poetic exploration of the relationship between clothing and nature. Readers who care about fashion, ecology and regenerative living choose the book for their shelves. It resonates with Wilde Hippi’s Growing Colour pillar and with the broader movement towards living sustainably in Singapore and beyond.

Earth Logic: Fashion Action Research Plan (with Mathilda Tham) – Perhaps Fletcher’s boldest work, Earth Logic is a manifesto for systemic change. The book calls on fashion to follow the logic of the earth rather than the market. Anyone exploring sustainable fashion outreach, eco-friendly fashion innovation or regenerative fashion will find the book essential. For anyone exploring sustainable fashion outreach, eco-friendly fashion innovation, or regenerative fashion, this is necessary reading.

By including Fletcher’s whole body of work, Wilde Reads becomes a place not just for book reviews, but for curated guidance on the best sustainability books available in 2025 and beyond.

Why These Books Belong in a Sustainable Fashion Book Club

Books are most powerful when shared. Fletcher’s work is not just for academics or industry insiders; it belongs in book swaps, eco-conscious book sharing schemes, and little libraries across Singapore. Imagine borrowing Design Journeys from a shared shelf in a community library, or discussing Craft of Use in a book club dedicated to conscious living.

Wilde Reads is designed to nurture this spirit of exchange. By establishing a sustainable fashion book club, donating books, and promoting collective reading, we strengthen community bonds while expanding access to transformative knowledge.

My Reflections as a Designer and MA Student

I spent two decades in high-street fashion learning to chase trends and design for mass production. Fletcher’s work challenged me and pushed me to reconsider every part of that training.

Material diversity

showed me that no single fibre can solve fashion’s problems.

Life Cycle Analysis

reminded me that design decisions must consider a garment’s end of life right from the start.

The supply chain

revealed the scale of change needed across farming, dyeing and manufacturing.

I learned in the use phase

that caring for clothes often creates more impact than making them.

Circular design

taught me to plan for recyclability from the beginning.

Biomimicry

showed me that design should follow nature’s rules, where waste for one becomes food for another.

These insights are not abstract. They directly shape the way I now approach Wilde Hippi’s pillars – from Thread:Ed’s educational content to Future We Sew’s speculative storytelling.

Final Reflections – Building Shared Shelves for the Future

If Wilde Hippi is about building a new textile economy, then Wilde Reads is about building the knowledge base to support it. Books like Fletcher’s remind us that fashion is not just about clothing; it is about systems, relationships, and values.

By curating sustainable fashion books, organising book swap events in Singapore, and creating shared shelves for eco-conscious readers, we can bring this knowledge into everyday life. Whether you are a student, designer, or simply someone curious about how to live more sustainably, Fletcher’s work offers both practical tools and deep inspiration.

Let’s fill our libraries, our reading lists, and our conversations with texts that point towards a regenerative future. Fletcher’s books are a good starting point.

Join the Conversation

What sustainability books have shaped your journey?

Would you like to see Wilde Reads host a sustainable fashion book club?

Share your thoughts, join a book swap in Singapore, or donate to build a community of shared shelves and eco-conscious readers.

More Insights on Sustainable Fashion Education and Values

If this review has inspired you to explore how books can shape our understanding of sustainable fashion, you may also enjoy two other reflections on my blog. Read Climate Fresk: Rethinking How We Learn to see how creative workshops are transforming the way we approach fashion and climate awareness. You can also explore Discover the Story Behind the Name: Wilde Hippi by Tala to learn more about the values and vision that guide my work.

I appreciate you taking the time with this post and visiting Wilde Hippi. Please share your thoughts in the comments, as your voice helps shape this platform.

Tala🌿✨