An acceptable definition for sustainable fashion, informed by standards and baselines, could empower consumers to make more informed decisions about their purchases. With Gen-Z labelled the sustainable generation, it is time for fashion to reform.

Brain drain has long been argued to be one of Africa’s key development challenges. Drawing on interviews with 31 fashion designers but focusing on the career geography of internationally renowned Kofi Ansah, researchers show how ‘brain drain’ turned into ‘brain gain’ and consequently ‘brain circulation’, fundamentally transforming Ghana’s fashion industry. 

Ichnological evidence from three palaeosurfaces on South Africa’s Cape coast, in conjunction with neoichnological study, suggests that humans may indeed have worn footwear while traversing dune surfaces during the Middle Stone Age.

Charting a radical new standard that designs elimination of fabric waste, the Shelly Xu Design (SXD) technology uses machine-learning and AI to create patterns that use every scrap of fabric efficiently. Award-winning designer Shelly Xu tells texfash.com how she combines great design with “bleeding-edge” technology.

In July, Zero Waste Europe highlighted the emissions gap that apparel industry giants will face if no urgent action is taken by governments to prevent overproduction. The EU is yet to set concrete measures on textile waste prevention, thereby cancelling out any progress towards sustainability. The report raised questions. Theresa Mörsen, Waste & Resources Policy Officer at Zero Waste Europe, throws light on the subject.

How are DPPs going to affect the trade process? Will countries that export textiles and/or apparel to the EU see a slowdown? Or perhaps, import too. What is it that they should do? Most important, how and where do they get started? Will we see teething problems, or will those problems persist over time? There’s an urgent need for questions to be answered. texfash.com explores.

Can digital product passports or DPPs help the textiles industry meet climate goals? Some key stakeholders surmise that DPPs have a better chance of being effective if clear and cut aggressive targets are set, aligned with the 2050 climate goals.

As part of a broader objective, the EU Textiles Strategy came up with the digital product passport (DPP) for the textiles sector by introducing the concept through the proposed Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). texfash.com talks to some players in the business of solutions to get a feel of the pulse.

Pune-based deeptech startup KBCols Sciences dips into the rich biodiversity of India to tech-source microbes and cultures them in bioreactors to produce natural colours of choice, using agrowaste as feedstock. The final product—bio-colours free from microbes—are a universal drop-in-solution to dye fibres.

Investigation into Lululemon exposes major shortcomings in legislation that experts say act as window dressing.