Paul Roberts

In case you missed Miss Tweed 's Highlights Richemont, Burberry: BRIGHT SPOTS IN DARK SKIES Results posted by Cartier owner Richemont and Burberry show that strategies with a long-term view pay off, particularly in a down market like this one. Richemont has been rightly focusing on the desirability of its jewelry brands and did not put consumers off with excessive price increases, unlike some of its other luxury rivals in fashion and accessories. Burberry is pursuing its turnaround. It's a big ship which takes time to maneuver, but once it’s set on the right course, it's heading for a better place. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eaRYJqPR

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What are the top stories in sustainable fashion this week? ⬇️ 1) In material news, US footwear brand Allbirds (who are known for their shoes made from natural fibres such as wool and tree pulp) have partnered with Circ® and Blumaka to launch their first shoe made from recycled materials derived from textile waste. 2) In cotton news, CottonConnect are partnering with Bangladesh's 'Cotton Development Board' (CBD) to improve quality, sustainability and traceability of the country's cotton supply, and drive clothing and textile manufacturing in Bangladesh. FYI, Primark partner with CottonConnect to source their cotton. 3) Meanwhile, The Aid by Trade Foundation has strengthened its position of its standards for sustainable cotton and cashmere production - with over 3000 companies throughout the supply chain now working with raw materials verified under an ABTF standard, including new partners Nordstrom and MANGO. 4) Meanwhile, a US State Department flags the concern of ongoing forced labour and human rights abuses in China's cotton hub - the Xinjiang region. According to China 2024 Human Rights Report - Xinjiang produces more than 85% of China's cotton. 5) Danish fashion group BESTSELLER have invested in German innovater matterr to advance sustainable materials in the fashion industry through regenerating polyester from hard to recycle and worn out textiles and packaging waste. 6) ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme have launched a new online tool to help brands and suppliers across the global fashion and textile industry to reduce their air emissions. 7) JoJo Maman Bébé have launched their kidswear resale platform in partnership with thelittleloop. 8) Dates for your diaries: 9-11th September 2025 will see 'Manchester Fashion Week' back for the first time in 10 years, with 3 days of of action packed workshops, panels, shows, styling and upcycling, all celebrating the future of fashion. From September 20th to 12th October 2025, 'Sustainable Fashion Week' returns for its 5th year, under the theme 'Fashion, Reclaimed.' Events will take place across the UK, with 2 international hubs in the US and Canada, including workshops, talks, clothes swaps, shows and much more. 🔗 Links to articles in comments Have a great week! Lydia ---- I'm Lydia, ex global fashion buyer, now guiding the fashion industry towards a more sustainable future. Each week, I share the most important news shaping the future of fashion. From materials and innovation, to circularity and policy, each weeks news aims to inspire action and drive the positive change the industry so desperately needs. + Follow for more! #sustainablefashion #enkel #circularfashion Amelia Twine Gemma Gratton Image: Circ x Allbirds

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If you work in fashion, textile production, or any part of the value chain - this conversation deserves your full attention. I’ve been calling this out for a while now, and more and more, major headlines are confirming what so many of us already know: suppliers need a bigger seat at the table. A few weeks ago, Sarah Kent wrote in The Business of Fashion about how fashion’s suppliers are asking to be included not just in implementation, but in the conversations that define sustainability goals in the first place. → So let’s pause and ask: why are suppliers still being treated as afterthoughts? Brands know that some of the hardest parts of traceability lie in tiers 3 and 4. And we all know that the majority of fashion’s environmental footprint happens deep in the supply chain. Therefore, how do we expect to make real progress if we’re not building strategies WITH suppliers? The article also calls out a long-standing issue: brands making bold commitments while passing the cost and pressure down to suppliers. In a moment where we need partnerships, we are outsourcing responsibility. But there are promising signals too -> The piece points to the launch of the Apparel and Textile Transformation Initiative, a manufacturer-led program backed by the IAF: International Apparel Federation and International Textile Manufacturers Federation. One example of shifting power dynamics in motion. It’s a step toward what my team and I at WORLD COLLECTIVE have been working on for some time: creating a sourcing system that center trust, collaboration, and supplier visibility from the start. Curious to hear: how do you see this playing out in your work? Are we getting closer to a more balanced model?

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How can it be? According to the Apparel Impact Institute report titled “Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zero 2025” fashion industry emissions grew by 7.5% in 2023 principally due to increased polyester use by instant fashion brands (e.g. SHEIN, Temu, …).  This, notwithstanding commitments by 600 fashion brands to Science Based Targets, commitments from The Fashion Pact signatories (such as Kering, Prada Group, Nike, Adidas, Tapestry, FARFETCH and others) to be net zero by 2050 and commitments from UN Fashion Charter signatories to rid their supply chains of coal fired boilers by 2030. Here is how. 🏭 “Sustainability” commitments are flimsy. They are more like aspirations. That is why the majority of fashion brands with SBTI commitments are not on path to deliver against their own plans. 💰There is not a causative link between decarbonization and either profitability or equity returns. Consider the case of H&M. The brand has reduced it carbon emissions by 23% since 2019 and its stock price has remained flat. Or, Skechers, a company that barely works on decarbonization and has seen its stock price double over the same period. Understanding that this is not dispositive, it is representative. Few companies link executive compensation to carbon emissions. Most link exec comp to equity value. 🛢️The economics of investment in decarbonization for brands, in a structure where they do not own the manufacturing assets, is not tenable. 👚Industry and regulator (mostly in the EU) plans to advance circularity, reporting and next gen materials will be subsumed by business as usual growth. Tier 2 suppliers represent > 50% of industry emissions and will not benefit from these initiatives. Discrete leadership efforts from brands like PUMA Group and suppliers like Epic Group are commendable yet insufficient. Progress requires that the rules change. Dr. Vidhura Ralapanawe Anne-Laure Descours Bennett Wetch Lewis Perkins Maxine Bédat Patrik Frisk Donatela Bellone Neeraj Narayan Peter Ford Jason Berns Katy O'Brien Greer, Linda Zofia Zwieglinska Shivam Gusain Michael Sadowski Michael Beutler Heather Clancy Leslie Johnston, M.Sc. Annie Agle Oliver Scutt Rachel Arthur Tricia Carey Lutz Walter Evan Wiener Liz Rodgers

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