California Apparel News

Leaders from across the fashion industry have joined together with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to create a new book that aims to inspire a transformation of the fashion industry.

“Circular Design for Fashion” brings together fashion-industry leaders to set the fundamental principles of circular design, focusing on how to redesign the whole system as opposed to just developing single products and services. It explores how creatives can implement circular-design principles by viewing waste and pollution as design flaws.

The book showcases example case studies of circular design with insights from over 80 early practitioners of circular design in the fashion industry, such as Gucci, Vivienne Westwood, Kevin Germanier, H&M Group, and thredUP. It also debunks several myths held about circular fashion, including the theory that recycling material is the only approach to creating and sustaining a circular economy.

“Every year, the fashion industry produces more and more clothing that is worn less and less. This wasteful and polluting way of doing business is fueling climate change and biodiversity loss and cannot continue in the long term. But, as this book shows, circular design gives us an incredible opportunity to change that and build a thriving fashion industry where waste and pollution are eliminated, products and materials are circulated, and nature is regenerated,” said Elodie Rousselot, circular design program manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is an international charity that develops and promotes a circular economy to address various environmental issues. The foundation has led various initiatives such as the Jeans Redesign program, which encourages brands to transform how jeans are made based on the principles of a circular economy.

The book is available for $46 at the foundation’s website circulardesignfashion.emf.org.