A Breakdown Of The Fashion Lifecycle

It’s fitting that my first blog post covers the lifecycle of garments. I am a firm believer in starting with the basics. Whether you are a budding designer or simply a curious consumer it’s important to know all of the moving parts in order to understand the garment making process.

I created this infographic as an illustration of how the traditional fashion cycle moves in a linear way. The end of the cycle dissolves once the garment is in the hands of the consumer, creating issues when consumers put their garments in the trash. This traditional mentality is part of the problem that the world is facing today with climate change as the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters.

According to the World Bank “The fashion industry is responsible for 10 % of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. At this pace, the fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions will surge more than 50 % by 2030.”*

There is room for improvement at every stage of the cycle. Whether that means: using more environmentally friendly fibres and dyes, purchasing leftover material from another company*, manufacturing only the garment sizes that are ordered, manufacturing with factories that are environmentally conscious, consuming less and making sure your garments are recycled in the appropriate way.

There are opportunities for consumers to demand the change they want to see so use your dollars wisely.