Common Threads

While these scenarios or visions conceptualize varied futures, all share some common features:

1.

2. The limitless growth and human exploitation that currently characterizes the fashion industry are precluded in all visions. There is simply no future in which these characteristics are sustainable or could be made tolerable, though these scenarios entertain the possibility of growth in material throughput, which could realistically occur as the use of secondhand and recycled materials expands.

The term “fashion” is used throughout this report. In some places this term is used as a noun in reference to matters of “dress” or “ appearance” or “adornment” that involve clothing and accessories. In other places, this term is used to as an adjective to characterize a system that facilitates newness and change, which is considered a fundamental human need that is often situated alongside creativity in the practice of dress. Neither use is intended to connote “trend” following, characteristic of the “fast fashion” system or to signal anything antithetical to sustainability.

3.

A change of practice among affluent fashion consumers today, wherever they reside in the world, is considered a keystone to transformational change in this report. In all scenarios, there is an underlying logic of wealth redistribution that is assumed to have become more socially just. The most drastic changes (relevant to consumption volumes) are expected from the wealthiest 20-40% of the population in most OECD countries, while clothing users in less affluent economies may continue growing their consumption until the levels are compatible with satisfying their basic needs.

4.

The fashion industry is not expected to lead transformation in any future scenario. While businesses have an important role to play and must be responsive to clothing user demands, it is unlikely that industry will lead radical transformation toward sustainability because of prevalent capitalistic goals that prioritize profits over social fairness and environmental health. Alternatively, scenarios in this report explore government or userled change.

6.

In all scenarios, the price of clothing is expected to rise, considering the well-documented diminishing of natural resources. It is also assumed that a move toward sustainability requires a more accurate accounting of the real environmental and social costs associated with clothing production. In some visions of the future, rising prices are navigated through subsidies while others reflect a stronger consumer demand and purchasing power that result from a more equitable distribution of wealth

7.

Visions presented are considered “ideal”, representing a positive, Utopian perspective. We have imagined together, at some level of detail, how a sustainable lifestyle could evolve four different ways, highlighting good practices and positive changes. We acknowledge that all futures will embody tradeoffs and downsides, yet, we do not elaborate here. Further work could explore paths towards different visions, as well as possible negative implications of each vision and ways to overcome them. This work represents a starting point.