This week Fashion Roundtable’s Meg Pirie interviewed four graduates ahead of Loomshed’s Textile Graduate Talk Day. The interview covers traditional folk art, sustainable dyes, hand weaving and the use of surplus British wool from mills.

With more and more crafts being added to the Endangered Crafts List, this is an important conversation in preserving skills as well as our heritage here in the UK. These graduates were particularly focused on localism and small-scale production and it was particularly refreshing to discuss textiles from an earth-first perspective and away from the tired growth model.

Amelia Twine, founded Sustainable Fashion Week in the UK and also chairs Fashion Roundtable's Sustainability and Justice Committee. Here she shares more about the issues with the fast-fashion model and the traction that the partnership between Shein and the Or Foundation received last week, as well as the waste and human rights issues prevalent in the sector. Amelia calls on policy decisions that level the playing field to prompt the action required for accountability needed now.

During lockdown consumers became more conscious of sustainable fashion, with one in four (23%) now repairing clothes, and one in five (19%) keeping items for longer. The climate emergency is intensifying, and we need fast, effective action more than ever. To lead this change, the sustainability charity WRAP is launching Textiles 2030 - of which Fashion Roundtable are proud to be founding signatories.

In the 90 days leading up to April 22, internet searches for ‘How to live a sustainable lifestyle’ increased by 4,500% according to Google. Faced with great change and uncertainty, consumers have a growing interest in sustainability. However, this new mindset may not be enough to turn the tide on fast fashion. Despite struggles across the retail sector, fast fashion brands are still coming out on top.

Everything you need to know about the OAR— a free, neutral and open source tool mapping garment facilities worldwide and allocating a unique ID to each. The OAR was launched in March 2019 and has now grown to over 43,600 facilities across 129 countries. Here’s how the tool is becoming the industry’s “central source of truth”.

The made-to-order industry is the answer to some of the big problems presented by our current fashion industry. By only producing what has been ordered by a customer, textile waste is almost entirely eliminated. But there are limitations to this system. Can made-to-order brands maintain this production model as consumer demand grows?

Trend forecasting is a crucial part of the product development process, and likely the starting point to the majority of products we buy, wear, and throw-away each year. While Trend Forecasters are rarely recognised for their considerable contribution and artistry, they are also rarely challenged for their role in our wasteful industry.

AMMA provides relief for the most marginalised people living on Sri Lanka’s tea estates by employing local mothers to make their zero-waste, natural garments and accessories. Justice is crafted directly into their product making to ensure both people and the environment are placed above profit.

Compare Ethics is an organisation working to rebuild trust in a system that can often abuse sustainability and appear broken. Through their use of technology, Compare Ethics are on a mission to empower consumers to make better choices by verifying brands sustainability claims. This latest industry report is an in-depth exploration of the current trust deficit.

What once began in the 1920’s as a mini capsule wardrobe for those looking to catch some winter sun or revel in a quick getaway have snowballed into a whole new life form. But is the lavish production of cruise collections furthering fashion’s sustainability narrative? We weigh in on the waning relevance of cruise collections, their digitalisation and how they will survive a new state of play in fashion…

Luxury fashion label Gucci has declared the traditional fashion week calendar obsolete as it announced new plans to show “seasonless” collections twice a year. On the surface the move is a major victory for sustainable fashion campaigners. But beneath the surface, the announcement raises significant questions about how we can really build a “leaner, less wasteful fashion industry”, and what systems need to be in place to make that happen.

Suzi Delaney, Founder of Rplanet, presents key takeaways from the Fashion Roundtable X COVID-19 Weekly Webinar— all centred around the question, what does The New Normal look like?

Today sees the first meeting of the newly formed All Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion (ESF APPG) with Fashion Roundtable working as the secretariat, working closely with Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey, Hubbub and CSF.

Synonymous with special occasions, Red Carpets and New Year’s Eve, sequins are a fashion industry favourite when it comes to sparkly embellishments. But the waste and pollution created throughout the lifecycle of a sequin is becoming harder to ignore. So, is there an eco-friendly alternative?

Fashion Roundtable were invited to take part in The Sustainable Angle’s Future Fabrics Expo where we hosted a stall. I was moved to see our leaflets and work being shared by our amazing stall team with all those who attended.

Influence was the key theme for Fashion Roundtable’s recent ‘The Power of Influence’ event that brought together leading change-makers to share both their personal and professional insights.

Ahead of Anne-Marie Curtis speaking at Fashion Roundtable’s The Power of Influence event, we take the opportunity to ask her a few questions about luxury fashion and the issue of sustainability. From the evolving role of fashion magazines to the relationship between fast and luxury fashion, she raises many important points about where the sustainability conversation is headed next.

As flexitarians have ventured into the new year on a plant-based diet for Veganuary, the fashion industry too is breaking with some traditional habits for the sake of the sustainability. The industry’s tradition of hosting ostentatious catwalk shows is facing a dramatic revolution.