Pauliina Martikainen, an investor who works with technology companies at pre-seed and seed stage across Europe, spotlights how technology and fashion will interact in the coming year
As we head into 2022, technology and new digital-first services are reshaping the way we produce and consume brands — and the biggest change they will make in fashion is in sustainability. How can the fashion industry justify its growth in a world that’s already very thinly stretched for resources and pushed to the brink with pollutants, waste and rising emissions?
Like the bright poppy patterns on a Marimekko dress, we cannot ignore the trends emerging in tech and the new league of groundbreaking brands driving this move towards sustainability. Never before has this shift been as rapid as it will be in 2022 – so here’s my forecast for the upcoming year.
Sustainable materials and processes will hit the shelves like never before
You can’t talk about fashion without addressing its ugly upstream. I know that drinking water comparisons have become somewhat of a cliché, but they really drive the point home: if growing the cotton needed to produce a single pair of jeans consumes as much water as one person would in 10 years, the equation is hardly sustainable. The fashion industry is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global emissions, over half of which comes from material production and processing.
Brands like Adidas and The North Face have begun to embrace new materials and natural cotton substitutes like the SPINNOVA® fibre, created from wood pulp using 99 per cent less water and zero harmful chemicals. Meanwhile, Paris-based Ever Dye is helping fashion brands like Petit Bateau ditch petrochemicals and drastically reduce their carbon footprint with a dyeing process that’s five times faster and 15 times less energy consuming than traditional methods.
In 2022, solutions like these that improve the way we source, treat and reuse materials will finally move from labs to collections.
Marimekko is among a number of major brands to have begun working with SPINNOVA®.
New platforms will bring overdue transparency to supply chains
The textile industry spends a whopping $6-8 billion on samples alone while 35 per cent of all materials in the supply chain end up as waste. To put it bluntly, the industry has a pretty serious efficiency problem when it comes to working with manufacturers and material suppliers. That’s on top of the ethical sourcing challenges the industry has succumbed to for decades.
Related: How a rapper and a recycling company are sparking conversation about music's carbon footprint
Material Exchange is an example of a global digital fashion sourcing platform tackling this very issue. They connect multiple players across complex supply chains and provide a database of digital resources needed to choose, source, develop and manage materials during the product creation process. Brands can filter suppliers and materials based on sustainability metrics, improving transparency, efficiency, and ultimately, sustainability.
In 2022, marketplaces like this will become more mainstream as consumer demands for transparency mount.
Digital fashion will become a (metaverse) wardrobe staple
From virtual runway shows to AI-generated avatars and digital clothes — digital fashion is proving to be much more than a fad. Iconic brands from Dolce & Gabbana to Balenciaga and even Nike, who just acquired the virtual sneaker company RTFKT Studios that makes NFTs, have entered the metaverse, and fashion houses like Tommy Hilfiger have committed to creating, developing and selling samples of their apparel collection digitally from Spring 2022 onwards. Digital fashion platforms like Swiss-based The Fabricant are building online communities enabling anyone to co-create, own, wear and trade fashion in the virtual realm.
On the one hand it’s lowering the wall between high fashion and the average consumer, while on the other, it’s also allowing consumers and brands to lean into a new kind of sustainable "experimental culture" that we’ll only see more of in 2022.
Stunning in that Stine Goya dress will become easier in 2022 thanks to rental platforms such as It's Re:Leased.
Renting clothes will no longer be just for special occasions
Even if we’re spending more time in the virtual world of fashion, leaving the house without pants will still be a fashion faux pas in 2022. Fashion rental platforms like Swedish It’s Re:Leased advocate access over ownership, allowing conscious consumers to limit the size of their wardrobe without stifling their ability to express themselves through fashion.
While we’ve all probably rented a statement dress or tuxedo in the past, the new year will see rental platforms grow from one-time occasion wear to subscription services catering to everyday clothing needs. Smooth UX and accessibility are vital pieces of the puzzle to help consumers change their consumption habits – just like they have for entertainment, transportation and even healthcare.