Let’s be real, fashion’s relationship with waste is the kind of toxic situationship that should’ve been cut off seasons ago. But instead of healing, the industry keeps slapping on new aesthetics and hoping we won’t notice the emotional (and environmental) damage. Behind every dreamy campaign or recycled capsule drop is a pretty chaotic reality: waste is still the skeleton in fashion’s walk-in closet.
Every year, we chuck out about 92 million tonnes of textile waste, which is basically Wembley Stadium full of clothes, every single day, for a year. Meanwhile, only 1% of that clothing gets recycled into new garments. The rest? It’s either burned, dumped in landfill, or shipped off to the Global South and dumped there under the label of “donations.” Ghana’s Kantamanto Market and Chile’s Atacama Desert are literal graveyards for fast fashion’s leftovers. And yes… this is still happening in 2025.
It’s wild when you think about how many brands are still pumping out 12 collections a year, with “Our Commitment to Sustainability” links buried in size 8 font at the bottom of their website. Marketing says “circular.” Reality says “landfill.”
But here’s the thing: waste isn’t just piles of fabric and deadstock. It’s cultural too. It’s what happens when design gets diluted by algorithms and microtrends. When clothes are made for virality, not longevity. When supply chains are so rushed and underpaid that even the people making the garments get treated as disposable. That’s not just unsustainable—it’s soulless.
So yeah, we need to talk about waste. But not in a sad, recycled-poly-blend press release kind of way. We need a strategy. Because waste isn’t a side effect anymore. It is the problem. And if you’re building a brand today, the way you deal with waste is either going to be your downfall—or your competitive edge.
Having a waste strategy doesn’t mean becoming a sustainability monk overnight. But it does mean asking serious questions at every level. Are you designing clothes people will still want in 5 years? Do you know where your returns go? Can you build in resale, rental, or repair? What’s your plan for samples, trims, overproduction? Do you even know your waste footprint?
Brands like Raeburn have made a whole model out of reworking surplus military textiles into statement pieces. The R Collective turns luxury fashion waste into high-design collections. And LVMH’s Nona Source? They’re flipping leftover luxury fabrics into opportunities for small designers. That’s not just sustainability… it’s business innovation.
And the truth is, the most exciting brands coming out of the UK right now are the ones treating waste like design fuel. Creatives who don’t see offcuts as scraps, but as materials with memory. Who are building in local production, repair loops, and community drop-offs, not because it’s cute for content, but because that’s the future.
So while the big dogs throw money at their next green campaign, we have the chance to build something with real roots. Something circular, not performative. Something that values every resource, every garment, every maker involved.
Because the brands that win the next era won’t be the ones with the slickest branding—they’ll be the ones that figure out how to create without destroying. And Gen Z’s not waiting for someone else to figure it out. We’re already building the blueprint.