Analyses

The new report Now or Never from Collective Fashion Justice claims to present fashion’s first methane footprint. Promoting a phase-out of animal-derived materials, it casts the industry as a major climate offender. Yet scrutiny suggests its arguments rely on ideology rather than robust analysis, raising concerns about credibility, methodology, and overlooked mitigation pathways.

Sweden’s secondhand clothing sector is growing, yet campaigners argue outdated VAT rules keep reuse expensive and fragile. Across Europe, governments are testing tax reforms to promote repairs and resale, while the EU readies wider sustainability regulations. The debate highlights whether fiscal design will entrench fast fashion or enable circular fashion to flourish.

Natural Fiber Welding’s dramatic collapse has rattled the fashion and automotive sectors that once celebrated it as a sustainability pioneer. Its failure reflects not only management missteps but also a deeper structural malaise: investors retreating, brands shirking responsibility, and an industry addicted to storytelling while refusing to absorb the real costs of transition.

A groundbreaking study by the International Cotton Advisory Committee challenges the long-held perception of cotton as excessively water-intensive, revealing that focusing on total water use—including natural rainwater—distorts understanding of the crop's environmental impact. The research emphasises optimising irrigation practices for genuine water conservation.

The Victoria’s Secret cyberattack during Memorial Day weekend was more than a business disruption—it was a wake-up call for retail cybersecurity. The incident revealed systemic digital weaknesses, disrupted key operations, and joined a growing pattern of attacks on major retailers. The implications for 2025’s retail infrastructure are both immediate and long-term.

The lesson of the current US tariffs crisis roiling the trade world is this: you cannot keep relying on one country as your export destination. From now on it has to be ‘US Plus One’.

If leather needs to counter the fiction of the activist brigades, it needs to tell stories. Better stories. After all, leather is not fashion; it is heritage. A texfash rant on the push against leather and why in this age of social media, of reels, of influencers, it needs to go hammer and tongs, and move with the times.

The cotton misinformation problem needs to be seen in the light of today’s society where fake news thrives and wreaks havoc. It’s not difficult to find out how the cotton myths came into being. It’s also not difficult to find out who have been flinging and slinging these falsehoods. Cotton needs to be more assertive, and possibly a bit aggressive too. texfash tries to join some dots.

As of now brands and retailers that source from Bangladesh—and that have witnessed the industry’s sizeable safety and environmental investments—remain patient and committed. The long-term scenario, however, could be anyone's guess. texfash.com rounds up voices from across the globe.

The subject of cotton farmers keeps raising its head time and again, though in the context of broader discussions about cotton, but invariably the disconcerting issues facing them often languish on the periphery. An analysis of a Solidaridad paper that spotlights on the plight of farmers.