My project examined how different applications of circularity thinking and models are implemented in the fashion industry. To do so, I worked parallelly on a literature review and interviews with designers, brands and organisations involved in the sustainable fashion framework. I then used this information to critically evaluate to what extent the transition to circular economy models is a response to the sustainability concerns arising from patterns of mass production and consumption that characterise the fashion industry (so-called ‘fast fashion’).   

The engagement with readings and people which contributed to the development of my research allowed me to insert my evolving ideas into the dynamic discourse around sustainable, slow and circular fashion happening on multiple levels of influence and expertise. This exchange of knowledge and skills largely contributed to shifting the focus of my research, while helping me cope with some of the methodological challenges that I faced.   

Evolution of my project

Reading my application for the Laidlaw Undergraduate Scholarship again, I started wondering why and how my research questions evolved and changed. My initial title and research focus was: ‘Circularity in the fashion industry: assessing the potential of sustainable textile recycling’. However, closer to the start of my project, I realised that it was important for me to add a more ‘human’ dimension to my study. I decided to enrich my literature review with opinions and case studies from the sustainable fashion community, approaching organisations, brands and designers from Italy (where I am from) and Scotland (where I study and live).   

Some ideas and key concepts which emerged from the literature review diverted my attention from textile recycling as the main theme, as I realised that I couldn’t assess the sustainability of this specific stage appropriately if I didn’t investigate the broader factors which enable a sustainable application of circularity first. The importance of promoting alternative, collaborative processes of value-creation in relation to how fashion is designed, produced and consumed was identified as a crucial driver for sustainable circularity. These new processes of value-creation integrate the social dimension of sustainability into the circular economy principle of re-circulating materials, skills and ideas through communications, networking and human connections. A reflection on the intersection between circular economy and its applications in sustainable fashion helped me to elaborate a definitive title for my project:

‘Circularity and fashion: assessing the potential of circular models to address sustainability concerns in the industry’

How to make my research impactful: when limitations trigger creativity 

The development of a clear research focus and intended impact was particularly tough due to methodological challenges related to my inexperience in designing a research project from scratch. Further methodological challenges emerged because the role of academic research in this specific field is still being explored, as more experienced researchers I interviewed pointed out. 

Here is a brief summary of the main challenges:  

• Lack of specific academic background in the topic:  
  a. I elaborated my research question(s) before assessing the existing body of knowledge, and I found previous similar studies as I was building my bibliography. 
  b. Having more background knowledge would have helped me to define the research focus at an earlier stage, allowing me to build a more tailored bibliography from the beginning.  
   
• Working with qualitative data: 
  a. There are gaps in quantitative and up-to-date data about the fashion industry
  b. The impact of many projects and initiatives in the field cannot be measured in numerical terms
  b. Qualitative data are harder to interpret objectively and in a standardised way 
  c. I discussed similar topics and followed the same guideline questions for the interviews. However, each conversation took its own direction and provided me with unique content, making it tricky to draw generalised conclusions
   

• Working with new and evolving ideas and projects: 
  a. It is hard to measure the impact of circular economy and sustainable fashion because the long-term impact of innovations and new business models/legislations cannot be assessed yet
  b. The critical evaluation of the implications of a circular economy for sustainability is a very recent field of study in slow expansion
  b. The literature is constantly evolving, and readings are time-sensitive. This was a limiting factor when compiling the bibliography as it was hard to determine which ‘old’ interesting ideas I could use 

The conversations with individuals who personally engaged in academic research on circularity and/or sustainability in the fashion industry shed the light on the role that academia is playing in the sustainable fashion community. As it emerged from the interviews with Sustainable Fashion Scotland and Fashion Revolution Italy, academic research in the field is action-based and contributes to the effort of mapping existing initiatives in order to inform consumers, facilitate skill and knowledge sharing, and coordinate collective action to enact change more efficiently and effectively. There is a need to understand what is already being done, why and how it’s working (or not working) and how we can maximise the impacts of our actions to challenge predominant industry practices. And I started wondering, what is the place for me and my research in this community? How can I insert my project in this picture so that it actively contributes to the collective effort to accelerate a sustainable transition?  

My digression from the original research focus, and the choice of who to interview, what to read and which themes to focus on are the product of intuitive and dynamic connections made as I accumulated knowledge and started elaborating informed opinions on my research topic. In this first self-defined research experience, I have been strongly driven by intellectual curiosity, personal and career-oriented interest in the topic and, more importantly, the need to discuss my ideas with experts and professionals in the field. I approached this project as a learning experience about how to do research, which led me to acknowledge and reflect on avoidable mistakes and some level of superficiality in data gathering and methodology. Yet, those imperfections and limitations constitute an invaluable starting point for my future research and involvement in sustainable fashion. 

Most of the designers who I interviewed pointed out how designing for sustainability is more technically challenging than traditional pattern-making. You must find ways to work with what you have, adapting your idea to the materials available rather than the other way around. As a result, the final product might not correspond to the initial creative vision, but that is because limitations trigger innovation and creativity to a greater extent. Similarly, researching for sustainability asks you to engage in future-thinking in the present context of a new and evolving body of knowledge and framework for action, with the aim to work with and within the limits of our societies and planetary boundaries. 

We are still at the stage of determining what sustainability looks like and how to implement it, from an academic point of view but also in business environments, at a government level and in everyday life. The network of people involved in building the sustainability framework is still relatively small, which explains why it is so important to build or find a community of like-minded experts for support, mentoring and partnership in this collective learning experience. This is the greatest takeaway from my first summer of research, and the connections I built within the sustainable fashion communities in Scotland and Italy are already providing me with the tools to translate the knowledge and expertise that I acquired into concrete actions.  

Likewise, the Laidlaw Foundation through this scholarship offered me the opportunity to explore and question my ideas and interests with the support of a broader academic community. In my experience, being a Laidlaw Scholar meant being given agency, credibility and responsibility in carrying out my own self-defined project, but also having access to all the resources I needed to push my limits and think ambitiously. 

I am extremely grateful for all the support I received in the realisation of this project from the Laidlaw Foundation and from those who believed in the relevance of my study and invested time in answering my questions. The inspiring work of BENNU, Rifò, Progetto Quid, Jackie Wolf-Schmidt and Ecatarina Verbițcaia constituted an invaluable contribution to my understanding of how sustainability can take the concrete shape of a garment. I also had the privilege to engage in a dialogue with some organisations who are working to catalyse a sustainable change in the fashion industry; thank you to Fashion Revolution Italy, Fashion Revolution Scotland, Sustainable Fashion Scotland (SFS), S4Fashion, European Creative Hub Network (ECHN), and Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS). Last but not least, thank you to my supervisor Dr Patrick O’Hare, who taught me the importance of getting my hands dirty, because research becomes a force for sustainable and inclusive change only by digging deep by understanding and engaging directly with people and what they do in the field. And that is exactly why I am doing what I am doing: I want to get my hands dirty and contribute to the synergic effort toward a more sustainable way of doing fashion.