Cover Though it is under fire from critics, leather is one of the materials that can be derived from reusing waste. (Photo: Getty Images)
Though it is under fire from critics, leather is one of the materials that can be derived from reusing waste. (Photo: Getty Images)
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The textile trade show’s fashion director shares the environmentally friendly trends and new technology she’s excited about
The Première Vision textile trade show in Paris brings together 1,246 exhibitors to share their innovations and inspirations in ready-to-wear and accessories for the coming seasons. Beyond showcasing new visions in design and creativity, the aim is also to support the sector as it transitions to become more sustainable, through concrete solutions in terms of sourcing and eco-responsible production. Desolina Suter, fashion director of the show, speaks about the materials that will soon be in our closets.
Première Vision often functions as a kind of incubator for those in the fashion milieu to draw inspiration for their next collections. What major trends do you foresee for the spring-summer 2024 season?
It is a season that sees an exploration of a synergy between pragmatic approaches and utopian ideals, and that places ecology at the heart of creative expressions.There’s a growing appetite for products that make sense on both economic and environmental levels.
An idealism of sustainability, anchoring environmental concerns even more deeply at the heart of our creative processes. We can speak of a new creative dynamic oriented towards a future guided by common sense and adaptability, linking new problems to traditional solutions, with quality and authenticity being the new pillars of sustainability and circularity.
In contrast to these expectations, we are witnessing an instinctive creativity that draws on the strength of materials and the power of colours, synonymous with rarity and quality. A search for meaning that moves away from the ephemeral. There is no single vision, no one solution: our resilience encourages us to welcome the unknown and to be more nuanced in our approach.
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This event is also an opportunity to discover the materials that will make up the collections in stores tomorrow. What are some of the most striking environmental innovations in that regard?
Circular initiatives show the greatest level of commitment. They allow for the recycling of clothes at the end of their life and for the creation of new fibres, then for the development of new fabrics to reduce the impact of textile waste and use less resources—renewable or fossil-based.
But in the textile industry recycled clothing still accounts for an overly low percentage. This is why we are seeing an increase in the number of new, more environmentally friendly materials as a result of research and innovation. For example, for the past three years, we have been talking about mycelium, cactus, apple, grape and other waste from the food industry, used for textiles.
Can these new materials be produced on a large scale?
These developments currently represent a niche market. However, some food industry waste recycling processes have the potential to become key sources of raw materials for the production of new textile fibres.
More and more people in the fashion industry are turning to waste, in whatever form, to design clothes. Can waste really become a new-generation raw material to make fashion less polluting?
Yes, thanks to chemical or mechanical processes that transform such waste. Chemical processes mainly employ polymerisation to make synthetics which would no longer come from fossil resources, but from chemical solutions based on non-toxic solvents.
Above An artisan cutting leather in a workshop. (Photo: Getty Images)
An artisan cutting leather in a workshop. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Research on these types of alternative materials is accelerating. But can’t more old-school natural fibres, such as linen and hemp, also be a sustainable solution for the industry?
Diversification of natural raw materials is a good lead. Cotton is the most used natural fibre in the world, but its cultivation has a negative impact on soil and consumes a lot of water. We are seeing an increase in regenerative agriculture initiatives, going even further than the principles of organic farming.
While this holds promise for the future, the use of other plant fibres, requiring less water and few or no inputs, is among the array of virtuous solutions. All bast fibres—flax, hemp, nettle, ramie—are really interesting in this respect. Kapok, which is still not used enough, should also be considered. This fibre, which is very similar to cotton, comes from the flowers of a tree that requires very little water to grow.
The essentials of leather and denim are subject to a great deal of criticism. Are there any major innovations that concern these two materials?
For denim, we need to focus on two aspects: composition and washes. The diversification of plant-based materials, with cotton/linen or cotton/hemp blends, is one potential approach. Fashion, which currently favours stretch-free characteristics, also makes it easier to consider recycling denim. We are seeing more and more proposals for blue knits or weaves where the colour is derived from the recycling of indigo fabrics.
This makes it possible to obtain colour without adding pigment. Laser washes, which don’t use water or chemicals, have also become widely available in recent years, and this is a real advance in the matter. For leather, keep in mind that 98% of leather comes via the food industry, and that it is, by nature, an industry based on the reuse of waste.
In Europe, and in other areas, via the Reach, LWG, and ZDHC certifications, it is quite possible to identify and only select leathers that meet strict standards regarding the use of toxic products. Tanning techniques are also evolving, as are hide traceability tools that make it possible to identify whether the chain of production in question respects animal welfare.
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Artificial intelligence allows the fashion industry to venture into the metaverse and improve the online experience, but can it also be used for sustainability?
Artificial intelligence should be able to aggregate data from calculations on impact across the entire chain, from the production of raw materials to the end of life, and this on all aspects—energy consumption, water, chemical waste—to establish objective assessments on the sustainability score of products.
One of the problems is that the notion of quality versus sustainability is not yet sufficiently taken into account in the calculation models. So results would be biased.
When talking about technology we also talk about 3D printing. There have been some use cases in fashion, but nothing really on a large retail scale. Is this a viable solution in the near future?
Here, you’re talking about a very profound revolution. It would be somewhat comparable to the transition that took place at the end of prehistory, in the pre-medieval period, when fabric largely replaced animal skins for clothing. Could there be something equivalent [with 3D printing] in the near future? It’s difficult to make projections, as currently all transformations are accelerated by technological developments.
There is also a great deal of talk about smart clothing, capable of communicating or monitoring one’s health. Are these gimmicks or real textiles of the future?
This already exists, but it’s still in the prototype stage and currently only for rather specific uses. For example, clothing that captures solar energy via the fabric to power GPS systems for expeditions taking place on high mountains. It's not about gimmicky gadgetry but rather a niche micro market. This could be extended to the mass market, for example to charge smartphones. Technology is bound to bring new tools, new needs, and new ways of living that we haven’t yet imagined.
This interview has been translated from French.
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