N.40 | Ethical and sustainable fashion. Few simple questions besides the fashion of the moment.

In this period it is fashionable to talk about ethical and sustainable fashion, and overcoming the pun on words let's try to clarify a little.

The first point to reflect on is that clothing and accessories have been putting into practice for centuries in an intuitive, functional and effective way our desire to express our will to represent homogeneity, cohesion, specificity and eccentricity towards a social fabric or a group. In this sense, fashion is not an ephemeral reality, what changes and will change is its interpretation in terms of taste, geography and historicity.

The second point is that the fashion sector has realized that it is one of the most polluting in the world (for example, it is estimated to be responsible for 20% of the world's water waste and 10% of carbon dioxide emissions. The 85% of garments - even those never used - end up in landfills. And this is just to mention a few indicators). In this context, institutions, financial investors and consumers are gradually becoming aware that environmental and social sustainability is an important element also and above all in this sector. The transparency of fashion brands has thus become one of the key indicators, as evidenced by the data of the Fashion Transparency Index 2019 which notes that 35% of 200 brands analyzed have chosen to make the list of their top-level suppliers public.

But what are the “simple questions besides the fashion of the moment” that we can ask to concretely understand the sustainability of a product?

• Who make it?
• With what materials?
• Will it be recyclable after my use?

We at Regenesi have chosen to produce 100% in Italy, 100% with regenerated material or recovered from industrial waste and in turn 100% recyclable.