The challenge
Like any other sector, the fashion industry is not impervious to the
threats presented by the world’s uncertain future, including climate
change, resource scarcity, vulnerable economic conditions, changing
consumer behaviour and so on. The challenge to the fashion industry then
is in understanding these threats and taking appropriate action to
safeguard its future, protect the environment and improve the lives of
its customers, workers and suppliers around the world.
What we did?
Using futures thinking techniques and with the support of Levi
Strauss & Co, we created four vivid scenarios exploring how climate
change, resource shortages, population growth and other factors will
shape the world of 2025 and the future of the fashion industry within
it. They explore every aspect of the industry, from production of raw
materials, through manufacturing and sale, to use and end of life.
Each scenario was designed as a tool to challenge companies’
strategies, inspire them with new opportunities and help them plan for
the future, as well as a way to help students understand the challenges
of the future and come up with ideas for sustainable products and
services. We’ve brought each of the four scenarios to life in these four animations.
Impact
In 2009, we piloted a Fashion Futures module with students from
the London College of Fashion’s MA Fashion and the Environment. Since
then it has been used by more than 300 fashion colleges around the
world, from Germany to China to North America.
Fashion Futures scenarios also provided the framework on which we
built Cotton Futures, a set of targeted scenarios and a toolkit for use
in the cotton industry. As part of that project we also developed a
vision for the future of a sustainable cotton industry which has since
sparked workstreams within multinational fashion brands.
Our work continues to have an impact, and both Fashion Futures and
Cotton Futures were recently with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition in
the USA.
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