This year's London Fashion Week in September took a turn toward circularity, with its first scheduled show dedicated solely to pre-owned apparel.
The growing interest in circularity among designers demonstrates how some in the field are resisting the trend towards increased waste, plastic use, and disposability—practices that have elevated the apparel sector to the top of the global carbon emitter rankings.
Zero-waste looks are showcased in circular fashion.
A catwalk collaboration between eBay and the British Fashion Council marked the debut of circular fashion during London Fashion Week. Known as the Endless Runway, its goal was to subvert the linear fashion production model that promotes fast discarding and minimal wear.
The show's message was that circular dressing needn't be boring or practical by demonstrating how cohesive looks can be created from various eras and styles. The ensembles drew inspiration from major UK designers from the past forty years, such as Simone Rocha, J.W. Anderson, and Christopher Kane.
The same show debuted earlier in September at New York Fashion Week, where designer and curator Wisdom Kay drew inspiration from Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren to create runway looks loosely based on classic American style.
Style for Change, this year's other circular fashion runway show at London Fashion Week, was organized by Oxfam. The event was coordinated by the charity and the used-goods app Vinted, with Bay Garnett styling the looks. For the entire month of September, Oxfam is offering every item of clothing seen on the catwalk for sale through its Vinted shop.
Bio-based attire
The largest name in sustainable fashion to show at London Fashion Week, Patrick McDowell, also showcased biobased creations in addition to circular catwalk pieces.
Inspired by the life of queer British artist Glyn Philpott, McDowell's runway collection, which debuted at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, featured faux mycelium leather, dyes free of petrochemicals, and a large portion of deadstock fabric.
Despite only having graduated from Central St. Martins five years ago, McDowell is already becoming known throughout the world as a leading figure in sustainable and biobased fashion design. His reputation is already so well-known that it has influenced the industrial biomaterials sector; just last year, the mycelium company Ecovative named him as its first global design ambassador.