Let's Talk Innovation: Circular Economy

Fashion innovation is taking on sustainability, with a focus on the circular economy. This approach emphasizes reducing waste and maximizing the life cycle of clothing through creative solutions. 

Pickle: The Peer-to-Peer Fashion Rental Marketplace

Pickle has emerged as a trailblazer in the fashion rental industry, positioning itself as the "Airbnb of fashion." This peer-to-peer clothing rental platform recently secured $12 million in funding, underscoring its potential to revolutionize how we consume fashion. Pickle has harnessed the attention of gen z shoppers, tapping in popular influencers to rent out their closets and capitalizing on social media. 

The platform operates by allowing users to rent out their clothing items directly to others, delivering clothing as instantly and easily as ordering UberEats. The app not only fosters a community driven approach to fashion consumption, but provides affordable access to diverse wardrobes.  As conscious consumerism rises, platforms like Pickle offer sustainable and cost-effective alternatives to traditional retail while promoting reuse of existing garments. 

Coachtopia: A Brand’s Commitment to Circular Fashion

Luxury fashion brand Coach has ventured into the circular economy with the launch of Coachtopia, a sub-brand dedicated to circular craft and collaborative creativity. Introduced in 2023, Coachtopia aims to rethink the fashion lifecycle by focusing on sustainability from design to production.

One of Coachtopia's notable initiatives is the docuseries "The Road to Circularity," which delves into the challenges and possibilities of circular fashion. The series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the global fashion industry's efforts to adopt sustainable practices, highlighting the personal stories of designers, craftspeople, and producers committed to this cause.

In a bid to enhance the resale value of its products, Coach has partnered with Poshmark to offer "instant resale" for Coachtopia items. This collaboration leverages digital identities, allowing customers to seamlessly resell products, thereby extending their lifecycle and reducing waste.

The future of vintage

The integration of AI is revolutionizing the vintage shopping experience, making it possible to aggregate the entire internet's products. Founded by Delaney Delponti, Cherry-Pick.dot is a soon to launch platform that is attempting to redefine the vintage shopping experience, tackling the 119B vintage fashion industry head on. The browser extension Croissant is taking another approach to resale, allowing customers to lock in resale value in real time when they shop online, incentivizing the eventual reselling of items for a more sustainable industry.