The Future of Sustainable Clothing Industry: Reimagine, Regenerate and Close the Loop

The COVID-19 pandemic has had sweeping repercussions in all industry sectors, including the textile and fashion industries. The pandemic not only posed challenges to various certainties of humanity but also demonstrate our ability to respond to serious health threats. The worldwide fashion industry has sadly witnessed both the environmental and social implications of resource overuse, environmental pollution, fast production cycles, unethical labor conditions, and waste generation. The epidemic is now giving a golden time to produce a sustainable and real renaissance of the industry. Interestingly, there is rising consumer attention to the environmental and social influence of fashion products, which has induced the exploration of a new marketplace for ethical and sustainable products. To what extent, what is the best approach moving forward? The answer could lie with sustainability in fashion design. Nevertheless, this is likely to be a complicated challenge as it needs to include various supply chain stakeholders. The aim of this article is to explore the effect of COVID-19 on the fashion industry, investigate the attitude and perceptions toward sustainable fashion of individuals who participated in fashion design, and address the key challenges in carrying out sustainable design practices after the outbreak of COVID-19. Data are collected through 10 semi-structured, in-depth interview questions. The key findings of the research point out that there is external (i.e. government support and consumer demands) and internal (i.e. at the corporate and individual levels) challenges to integrating sustainability into the fashion design process. Finally, policy implications and recommendations are provided constructive advice and valuable insights into fashion practitioners.