Sustainability Challenges in Fashion Industry

Introduction:
Sustainability is one of the challenges that the fashion industry faces in the current era. Considering many aspects like use of modern technology, consumer demand etc. new fashions are coming in the present time. Due to the creation of these fashions, maintaining the stability of the previous fashion has also become a matter of many challenges. As a result, many fashions are being lost prematurely as they cannot survive.

Reasons for sustainability challenges in fashion industry:
There is no way to understand at the time of creation how long a fashion will last. The durability of a fashion can be long or can be lost before any style becomes fashionable. The sustainability of fashion in the modern world also depends on a number of factors. Some of are:

The impact of technology on sustainability:
How long a fashion lasts depends a lot on technology. Technology – savvy consumers are also more inclined to spend money on environmentally conscious and environmentally friendly products. Nowadays, in this era of the fourth revolution, the fashion industries are constantly bringing new fashion to the market keeping in mind the social, economic and environmental conditions. In this case, the use of technology is more observed. It has become difficult for the textile and garment factories to not only deliver the best products and on time, but also to maintain long-term sustainability. In addition, the benefits of investing in technology are much higher than investing in industrial equipment. This increases the durability of fashion.

Impact of consumer demand on sustainability:
There are many fashion houses nowadays. The change in the market is unprecedented. At the same time, the country’s economy has changed. At this time foreign products are also coming. It’s not just the image of our country. This is normal in all countries. At the same time new investments have entered in parallel. Entrepreneurs in the readymade garment sector have also come to the domestic market with huge investments. This has also expanded the market. As a result, consumer demand is changing in fashion. Consumers are giving more importance to the trend at present. They are much more aware of sustainable fashion. As a result, it has become quite difficult to maintain the stability of fashion. In consequence of, it is difficult to say which trend will survive and which will be lost in today’s fashion industry.

The impact of the luxury industry on sustainability:
Luxury brands bring their new products to the market according to their culture as well as social aspects and changes. Luxury brands should build deeper and more meaningful relationships with their modern customers. It also expands the range of their fashion and helps in customer growth. Luxurious customers are still active in the fashion industry, thus increasing the durability of fashion. In order to maintain the sustainability of fashion, brands are now spending money on the needs of the customers. Fashion brand Stella McCartney has launched ‘World of Sustainability’ to maintain sustainability. According to their standards, many big brands are also at the bottom in terms of it. The younger generation of consumers is more aware of product components and sustainability. So it is a big challenge for luxury brands to produce sustainable products.

Popularity in terms of sustainability:
Popularity also plays an important role in maintaining the stability of fashion. If a fashion can be launched with a popular model or public figure, then its popularity among the people increases many times. As a result, its durability in the fashion industry increases. As the popularity of the people increases, so does the interest of the people. Such as Mujib style, this fashion is still very popular in the industry. Diana haircut is also a popular fashion style after so many years.

Rising prices of raw materials:
Many times the production is disrupted when the raw material of the product suddenly increases. As a result, the fashion is gradually lost from the market. Again many times employees are agitating for salary allowance. The industry shuts down when the owners association fails to pay. As a result, there are many losses in the fashion industry as well as a lot of fashion is lost. In addition, house rent and its advance increase, taxes, VAT, etc. have hindered the progress of the fashion industry.

Conclusion:
Currently the fashion industry is most influenced by the younger generation. Because they are rapidly adopting any fashion. They prefer popularity when it comes to fashion. As a result, the fashion of some time ago may not last long. A lot of times they don’t care about sustainable fashion. As a result, fashion is changing rapidly. Again, many entrepreneurs care a lot about the environment. As a result, when considering new fashions, they consider the design as well as the environment. Finally it can be said that the sustainability of a fashion in the fashion industry is a matter of long-term challenge.

References:

https://www.putnam.com/individual/content/marketOutlooks/925-fashion-industry-tackles-sustainability-challenges
https://www.grin.com/document/918688
https://www.theimpactivate.com/how-is-the-fashion-industry-addressing-sustainability-issues/
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/sustainability/5-sustainability-threats-facing-fashion
https://www.textileblog.com/environmental-factors-affecting-the-fashion-industry/

Author of this Article:
Nazifa Tabassum
B.Sc. in Clothing and Textile
Govt. College of Applied Human Science, Dhaka
Email: nazifa.099@gmail.com

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Mazharul Islam Kiron

Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. He is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.