With sustainability being the hottest topic at this season’s fashion weeks all over the world, all eyes are on designers paving the way towards a brighter, cleaner and more ethical industry, from the newly-appointed LVMH Sustainability Advisor, Stella McCartney, to the Swiss rising star of sustainable fashion design, Kévin Germanier. However, the very nature of fashion trends is wreaking havoc on our planet, creating an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually from the industry, and this rate is growing rapidly, when, in fact, about 95 per cent of the textiles that are sent to landfills each year could be reused or recycled. It all seems very grim, and it is. We have left our future generations with the job to solve this problem and it is not an easy task.

On the positive side, we are seeing an increasing amount of fashion brands switching up their practices to become more sustainable, and incorporating circular initiatives within their companies to make a positive impact, including established brands such as Gucci, Prada, and Levi’s, implementing great measures in their pursuit for a sustainable title. In my opinion, big players in the industry need to be setting the right examples. Educating emerging fashion designers on circular fashion design methods and techniques, including up-cycling, zero-waste and reconstruction, is the key towards a more sustainable fashion industry.