The fashion industry, once synonymous with creativity and expression, now grapples with its own demons:

The Dark Side of Fashion

Fashion’s current trajectory is not just concerning—it’s downright alarming. The relentless production of clothing by fast fashion large corporations, not only overwhelms landfills but also poses a significant threat to our oceans, our communities, and our collective conscience. The sheer volume of garments produced by fast fashion giants has reached staggering proportions, overflowing landfills with an abundance of discarded clothes. This waste isn’t confined to developed nations; it seeps into the very fabric of communities across the globe, from bustling urban centres to remote villages. Sadly, western countries ship off their unwanted and disposed garments to developing countries such as Chile (which can be seen from space) and Africa, despite the fact that these nations do not want our clothes. In places like Chile and Africa, landfill sites groan under the weight of this unwanted apparel, serving as grim reminders of fashion’s dark underbelly.

But the environmental toll doesn’t end there.

Synthetic fabrics, common in fast fashion’s inexpensive offerings, release microplastics into our waterways with each wash, contaminating marine ecosystems and endangering aquatic life. These tiny particles, invisible to the naked eye but devastating in their impact, permeate every corner of the ocean, from the depths of the sea to the shores of distant islands, as well as in our very own drinking water.

Yet, perhaps even more harmful than the environmental devastation is the human cost of fashion’s unchecked greed. The historical context of fashion’s migration to developing nations tells a tale of exploitation and disregard for human life. From the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 in the USA to the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, tragic events have laid bare the human toll of fashion’s relentless pursuit of profit. Despite modest improvements in safety standards, the underlying issues of exploitation and inequality persist, casting a shadow over the industry’s conscience.

In the face of this mounting crisis, the fashion industry stands at a crossroads. Will it continue down the path of exploitation and environmental destruction, or will it act on the call for change? The choice is clear, and the time to act is now. For the sake of our planet, our communities, and our shared humanity, fashion must undergo a radical transformation—one that prioritizes sustainability, ethics, and compassion above all else.

The Rise of Made-to-Order

Amidst this backdrop of turmoil, a quiet revolution appears to be underway. The made-toorder fashion business model is by no means a new concept, but in our current climate is seemingly making a come-back, offering a fresh start and hopeful vision for the future of fashion. Once confined to the realms of haute couture, made-to-order fashion is gaining traction as a viable alternative to fast fashion’s destructive practices. By producing garments only upon customer request, these brands are challenging the status quo and redefining fashion’s relationship with time, quality, and consumer demand.

Benefits of Made-to-Order

Less Waste
The advantages of made-to-order fashion extend far beyond environmental sustainability. Made-to-order fashion brands create minimal waste and with that are able to prevent overproduction and overconsumption. Naturally, there’s a longer waiting period between ordering and receiving a garment. This serves as a reminder that patience is rewarded and fosters an understanding of the dedication and time invested in crafting clothing. Thus, this approach not only decelerates the pace of production but also moderates our overall expectations of fashion.

Size Inclusivity

Made-to-order fashion business models offer a solution to make fashion more inclusive for individuals who have been historically overlooked and underrepresented in the fashion industry, such as plus-sized individuals or people who have a disability, who have long been overlooked by the fashion industry. By tailoring garments to the customer’s specific preferences, made-to-order clothing offers an abundance of style options for all consumers, empowering them to select clothing that suits their unique body shapes and sizes.

Creating an Emotional Connection to Our Clothes

Perhaps most importantly, made-to-order fashion nurtures a deeper connection between consumers and their clothing. Each garment is instilled with a sense of purpose and intentionality, serving as a testament to the craftsmanship and care that went into its creation. Establishing an emotional connection with our clothing helps us to move away from the throw-away attitude we have adopted in fashion the past few decades and is a much needed direction we need to focus on if we want to make a real change.

Challenges and Opportunities

A few hurdles in made-to-order business models may arise for fashion brands. Firstly, production times tend to stretch longer compared to ready-to-wear items, resulting in extended lead times. This delay can test the patience of customers accustomed to instant gratification. 

Moreover, traditional fashion brands are adept at managing inventory based on forecasts and trends. However, predicting demand becomes a trickier task with made-to-order, potentially leading to frustrating stock outs.

Setting up a made-to-order system demands investments in technology, skilled labour, and infrastructure. Initial setup costs can mount, and profit margins might thin out compared to mass-produced items.

Dealing with consumer expectations adds another layer of complexity. Customization options, pricing variations, and delivery timelines need careful management. Balancing these diverse demands while ensuring profitability is indeed a tightrope walk.

Yet, within these challenges several opportunities emerge. Made-to-order fashion inherently champions sustainability, aligning perfectly with the growing consumer demand for eco-friendly alternatives. By producing items only upon order, excess inventory and unsold products typical to ready-to-wear fashion are significantly reduced.

Made-to-order production can also offer benefits in terms of cashflow, ensuring sales are made before going ahead with production, thus avoiding the lag between spending and payment. This makes the model more manageable for launching and sustaining a business, eliminating the necessity for external investment.

Moreover, this model offers a wealth of data, enabling a deeper understanding of individual consumer preferences and needs, thus improving inventory planning. Another tool to ease adaptation to demand fluctuations and simultaneously mitigate the risk of product delivery delays involves virtual prototyping, such as CLO-3D and other technologies enabling the automation and digitization of garment design and production processes.

Embracing a made-to-order model can set your brand apart in a saturated market. It signals innovation and customer-centricity, drawing in consumers who prioritize transparency, sustainability, and uniqueness.

Conclusions

As consumers increasingly prioritize sustainability and ethics in their purchasing decisions, the fashion industry finds itself at a crossroads. The rise of made-to-order models offers a compelling vision for a more sustainable and equitable future—one where fashion is not just a commodity, but a form of self-expression and creativity. By embracing these models, fashion brands can not only reduce their environmental footprint but also foster deeper connections with consumers and drive positive change in the industry.

The path forward may be challenging, but the potential rewards are boundless—a future where fashion is not just beautiful, but truly sustainable. If you have any inquiries or wish to explore made-to-order production further, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with us. We can discuss your needs and determine if our services align with your requirements.

Inge Duiker

 Puoi ascoltare qui l’articolo: Sfida di moda sostenibile

La sostenibilità del nostro stile di vita è una caratteristica che ha diversa intensità per ognuno di noi. C’è chi ancora non ha iniziato, chi è da tanto tempo che considera l’impatto delle sue azioni quotidiane, chi si è fermato perché non riesce a fare di più. Questo vale sia per i consumatori sia per i designer e le aziende. Pensiamo che sia sempre più utile rispettare il livello di sostenibilità di ognuno, invece di giudicare e criticare. Il rispetto, la comprensione e il supporto possono portare a miglioramenti con maggiori probabilità delle offese e dei toni accesi. In fondo fa parte anche questo di un modo di vivere più etico.

Con l’intento di avvicinare alcuni amici al mondo dell’abbigliamento più sostenibile e per mostrare come sia divertente e possibile evitare lo shopping di fast fashion, nasce l’idea di creare una sfida di acquisti di moda in un posto con slow fashion. Coinvolgo Beatrice, Sara ed Eugenio un sabato mattina. Seguendo il suggerimento di Eugenio ci troviamo al Wunder Mkt, da Base a Milano. È un mercato di abbigliamento, accessori, oggetti di design e altro, con proposte di artigianato, vintage e second-hand. 

Abbiamo realizzato un video per poter mostrare com’è il Wunder Mkt e per raccontare com’è andata la sfida dei tre amici. Alla ricerca degli outfit si è intrecciata la scoperta delle storie di chi nel mercato lavora, è uno degli aspetti che più ci piace della slow fashion: lenta nella produzione, lenta nell’acquisto, soffermandoci ad ascoltare i racconti di chi ha creato ciò che compriamo, come e perché lo ha realizzato, nel caso del vintage e dell’usato perché lo ha scelto, da dove viene. Ci siamo divertiti e… nel video puoi scoprire chi ha vinto la sfida!

Un mercato di indumenti artigianali e usati è una modalità di iniziare un cammino di consumo più consapevole, insieme a tante altre possibili strade di cui vi parliamo in questo video. La sostenibilità é un sentiero che percorriamo con impegno, ognuno secondo quanto riesce a fare e negli aspetti che sente come prioritari. È uno stile di vita, un modo di vedere il nostro ruolo nel mondo, di pensare alle conseguenze delle nostre azioni quotidiane.

Nel video vediamo lana e viscosa, possiamo puntare il dito su un aspetto o su un altro. Ricordiamoci però che stiamo camminando tutti su quel sentiero con velocità diverse, cercando di trovare un compromesso tra le difficoltà e a volte i costi (in termini di tempo e di risorse economiche) da una parte, il desiderio di ridurre il proprio impatto ambientale e sociale dall’altra. C’è chi balza in avanti e chi procede a piccoli passi. Ci impegniamo a spiegare e divulgare in merito alla sostenibilità dei diversi tessuti e processi produttivi. Ma rispettiamo chiunque avanzi.

“La sostenibilità non è un punto di arrivo. È un commitment”.

Maria Sole Ferragamo (in un video proiettato alla mostra Sustainable Thinking).

English – A handmade and second-hand market: we involve 3 friends in a more sustainable fashion challenge!

The sustainability of our lifestyle is a characteristic that has different intensity for each of us. There are those who have not yet started, those who have considered the impact of their daily actions for a long time, those who have stopped because they cannot do more than that. This applies to both consumers, designers and companies. We think it is increasingly useful to respect everyone’s level of sustainability, instead of judging and criticizing. Respect, understanding and support can lead to improvements more likely that with offenses and bright tones. After all, this is also part of a more ethical way of life.

With the intention of bringing some friends closer to the world of more sustainable clothing and to show how fun and possible it is to avoid fast fashion shopping, the idea was born to create a challenge of clothing purchases in a slow fashion place. I involve Beatrice, Sara and Eugenio on a Saturday morning. Following Eugenio’s suggestion, we met at the Wunder Mkt, at Base in Milan. It is a market for clothing, accessories, design objects and more, with proposals for handmade, vintage and second-hand goods.

We made a video to show how the Wunder Mkt is and to tell how the challenge of the three friends went. In search of the outfits, the discovery of the stories of those who work in the market intertwined, this is one of the aspects we like most about slow fashion: unhurried in production, unhurried in purchasing, pausing to listen to the stories of those who created what we buy, how and why they made it, in the case of vintage and second hand why they chose it, where an item comes from. We had fun and… in the video you can find out who won the challenge!

A market for handcrafted and used clothing is a way to start a more conscious consumer journey, along with many other possible ways that we talk about in this video. Sustainability is a path that we follow with commitment, each according to what he manages to do and in the aspects he feels as priorities. It is a lifestyle, a way of seeing our role in the world, of thinking about the consequences of our daily actions.

In the video we see wool and viscose, we can point the finger at one aspect or another. But remember that we are all walking on that path with different speeds, trying to find a compromise between the difficulties and sometimes the costs (in terms of time and economic resources) on the one hand, the desire to reduce their environmental and social impact on the other. There are those who jump forward and those who proceed in small steps. We are committed to explaining and spreading about the sustainability of the different fabrics and production processes. But we respect anyone who advances.

“Sustainability is not an end point. It is a commitment”.

Maria Sole Ferragamo (in a video shown at the exhibition Sustainable Thinking).

Puoi ascoltare qui l’articolo: Audio-à-porter – Alpaca, Ladina e Simona 2

-Seconda puntata- Proseguiamo con l’intervista a Ladina, di Alpacas la Foppa, nella splendida cornice delle montagne della Valmalenco. Se avete perso la prima parte, dove abbiamo raccontato delle peculiarità degli alpaca, potete leggerla qui: Prima Puntata

Desideriamo mostrarvi quali prodotti in lana di alpaca propongono: in un video (che trovate più sotto) Simona e Ladina ci spiegano quanto e perché queste creazioni siano preziose e pregiate. Desideriamo anche affrontare con l’allevatrice Ladina il tema dell’impatto della tosatura sugli animali. Qui gli alpaca vivono serenamente e accuditi con grande amore da lei e la figlia Simona. 

Vieniamo alla domanda spinosa sulla tosatura: quanto è invasivo il procedimento per tosare la lana? Quanto causa sofferenza?

È abbastanza invasivo, non si può dire che sia gradevole per l’animale. Perché per garantire la loro incolumità dobbiamo legarli, in modo che non si facciano male mentre tosiamo. Proprio perché come dicevamo sono animali preda, essere legati è l’ultima cosa che desiderano, perché pensano: ‘Se arriva un predatore, come faccio a scappare?’. La tosatura invece non causa dolore. Piano piano con attenzione e molto accuratamente (anche per non sprecare neanche un pochino di lana) con una macchinetta, così come noi tagliamo i capelli, tosiamo gli alpaca in primavera per non far sentire loro il caldo estivo.

Con l’amore che avete per questi animali, immagino con quale premura e accortezza passiate la macchinetta per non far male in alcun modo! Dopo la tosatura cosa accade?

Spediamo la lana in Francia, perché in Italia non troviamo un produttore che si occupi, per piccole quantità di ogni tipo di tinta separatamente, di: lavarla, asciugarla, cardarla e filarla in modo ottimale così da ottenere soffici gomitoli. Lasciamo la lana del suo colore originale, tingiamo solo quella di Rodrigo naturalmente (con un prodotto di derivazione organica). Quindi i gomitoli marroni, neri e bianchi hanno proprio la tonalità del pelo degli alpaca da cui è presa la lana. Non viene usata nessuna sostanza chimica per frantumare le fibre e rendere il filato morbido, è soffice per natura.

Cosa troviamo qui ad Alpacas la Foppa?

Le fattorie didattiche. Ne organizziamo di due tipi: per le scuole, con spiegazione della lana dalla tosa alla tintura naturale (con i fiori) e facciamo il feltro da portare in classe; d’estate per le famiglie, secondo un calendario stabilito (2 giorni alla settimana con l’uscita con gli alpaca, 2 giorni invece il laboratorio su un tema scelto ogni anno, come la lana, il formaggio, la tintura, i semi delle piante). L’argomento principale è la natura e utilizziamo sempre la lana nei lavoretti con i bimbi.

La vendita di prodotti. In negozio o contattandoci via mail. Dalla nostra lana nascono articoli, che facciamo realizzare, come:

• piumoni, in cotone naturale e imbottiti con la lana di alpaca (Nda: sono sofficissimi, abbastanza sottili ma caldi!). 
• cappelli, scaladacolli, guanti, sciarpe, fasce e calze fatti a maglia.
• creazioni all’uncinetto, come i piccoli alpaca; dagli scarti della produzione a maglia, sono riprodotti ognuno con la propria lana. Per esempio, Fernando con la sua bella e lucente lana nera.
• solette per scarpe, in feltro di lana d’alpaca e cuoio.
• babbucce, cappellini e copertine per i bimbi.

E soprattutto i filati! I gomitoli dalla lana dei nostri ‘ragazzi’.

‘La fibra d’alpaca tiene 7 volte più caldo rispetto alla comune lana di pecora, questo perché ogni singola fibra al suo interno è vuota, quindi fa da isolante termico. Inoltre, è elastica, più morbida ma anche più resistente della lana merinos e cashmere. La fibra d’alpaca non contiene lanolina, quindi non provoca quella fastidiosa sensazione di prurito e non crea reazioni allergiche’ (dal sito alpacaslafoppa.com).

Ecco qualche foto dei prodotti. Più sotto continuiamo il racconto su cos’altro sia possibile trovare qui.

Workshop di tintura e filatura.  Ladina ha la passione della tintura naturale, fa molte ricerche e sperimenta. Iperico, calendula, ortica e salvia per ottenere bellissime tinte. Inoltre con pazienza mostra come filare la lana. Da lei qualche tempo fa ho seguito questo corso, interessante e divertente! 

Se andate a trovare Simona e Ladina, raccontate di conoscere Dress Ecode!

English – The alpacas, their wool and the natural products: interview to the breeders Ladina and Simona (2nd episode)

We continue the interview with Ladina, from Alpacas la Foppa, in the marvellous setting of the Valmalenco mountains. If you have missed the first part, where we told about the peculiarities of the alpacas, you can read it here: First Episode

We would like to show you which alpaca wool products they offer: in a video (which you can find above) Simona and Ladina explain to us how much and why these creations are precious and refined. We also would like to discuss the impact of shearing on animals with the breeder Ladina. Here the alpacas live serenely and cared for with great love by her and her daughter Simona.

We come to the thorny question on shearing: how invasive is the process for shearing wool? How much does it produce suffering?

It is quite invasive, it cannot be said to be pleasant to the animal. Because to guarantee their safety we must tie them up, so that they do not hurt themselves while we shear. Precisely because, as we said, they are prey animals, being tied up is the last thing they want, because they think: “If a predator arrives, how can I escape?”. Shearing does not cause pain. Slowly, accurately and very carefully (also so as not to waste even a little bit of wool) with an electric razor just as we cut our hair, we shear the alpacas in spring so as not to make them feel the summer heat.

With the love you have for these animals, I imagine with what care and attention you use the electric razor so as not to hurt in any way! What happens after shearing?

We ship wool in France, because in Italy we do not find a manufacturer that takes care of small quantities of each type of dye separately: washing, drying, carding and spinning it optimally so as to obtain soft balls. We keep the wool of its original color, we dye only that of Rodrigo naturally (with a product of organic derivation). So the brown, black and white wool balls have just the shade of the alpaca hair from which the wool is taken. No chemical substance is used to crush the fibres and make the yarn soft, it is soft by nature.

What do we find here in Alpacas la Foppa?

Educational farms. We organize two types: for schools, with explanation of the wool from the shear to the natural dye (with flowers) and we make the felt to be brought to class; in summer for families, according to a set timetable (2 days a week with the alpaca walk, 2 days instead the workshop on a theme chosen each year, such as wool, cheese, dying, plant seeds ). The main topic is nature and we always use wool in our chores with children.

Product sales. In the store or by contacting us via email. We offer articles from our wool, which we make them handmade crafted, such as:

• duvets, in natural cotton and stuffed with alpaca wool (Nda: they are very soft, quite thin but so warm!).
• hats, neck-warmers, gloves, scarves, headbands and knitted stockings.
• crochet creations, such as small alpacas; from the scraps of knitted production, each one is reproduced with its own wool. For example, Fernando with his beautiful and shiny black wool.
• shoe insoles, in alpaca wool and leather felt.
• slippers, hats and little covers for children.

And above all the yarns! The balls of wool from our ‘kids’.

‘The alpaca fiber holds 7 times warmer than the common sheep’s wool, this because every single fiber inside is empty, so it acts as a thermal insulator. Moreover, it is elastic, softer but also more resistant than merino wool and cashmere. The alpaca fiber does not contain lanolin, therefore it does not cause that annoying sensation of itching and does not create allergic reactions’ (from the site alpacaslafoppa.com).

Dyeing and spinning workshop. Ladina has a passion for natural dyeing, she does a lot of research and experiments. St. John’s wort, calendula, nettle and sage to obtain beautiful colours. She also patiently shows how to spin the wool. With her some time ago I followed this course, interesting and fun!

If you go to visit Simona and Ladina, tell them you know Dress Ecode!