PEER TO PEER RETAIL

In our old world, retail was a channel where taste was dictated by a homogenous few to a polymorphic many.

Creative directors would mine the past for what would be worn next season. Marketing teams would go into overdrive to make customers feel bad if they didn’t buy in and throw away their old threads.

But something interesting was bubbling away under the main stream. Edgier expressions of identity were to be found on Reddit, TikTok and Discord, away from the monotonous feeds of Instagram and in-store shop displays.

Finally, people could again be excited by the possibilities of their wardrobes. They felt empowered by those who looked like them, thought like them, created for them.

They reclaimed what clothing was truly about—self-expression. It was beautiful—no one artistic director could compete with their combined imaginations.

And the best thing was—with the new possibilities afforded by our new economy, these tastemakers could create their own marketplaces for others to buy into their looks.

Retail finally became by the people, for the people.

Digital Garments

Around the time we were being more conscientious about the real world clothes we bought, a new world of possibilities opened up in the metaverse.

A digital avatar was no longer the reserve of video gamers or forum lurkers. Avatars became a way where we could enjoy and embody our personal expressions. Designers could let their imaginations go wild. They were no longer bound by physics or resources.

And our realities started blurring when mixed reality companies could take your wildest digital garments and superimpose onto photos and video to share on your social media platforms.

NOWHERE TO HIDE

A third party for transparency and Blockchain tracking is now. It touched on everything - who made it, how it was transported, how to recycle or repurpose it and even who wore it before me.

Today, third-party transparency and blockchain tracking is the norm. It touches every part of the physical supply chain. Where the inspiration came from, who designed it, who made it, how it was transported, how to repair or repurpose it and even who wore it before.

With transparency being a requirement for everything that hit the racks, it soon became hard for manufacturers to hide behind low-effort greenwash.

ACTIVIST APPARELLING

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the world you want to see”. When the isupply chains were laid bare, it became harder for customers to knowingly spend recklessly garments that were killing the Earth and the people on it.

While customers always knew their choices had an impact, it was only when every brand had to make known their supply chains that customers could see who was paying the cost for cheap clothes.

This led to a renewed wave of activist shopping, where purchasers would seek out not just the least-damaging businesses to buy from, but those that were net positive, and that aligned with their specific values. They went outside of traditional retail to do it, relying on crowd-funding platforms, microinvestments and even, most radically—buying direct from makers.

OPEN-SOURCE INNOVATION

Looking back, the excitement we felt about recycled polyester seems quaint now. Recycled polyester was still plastic, and still damaging to the environment.

This awareness supercharged a thriving open-source community that accelerated the pace of innovations in materials that could return to the Earth as food, rather than as poison.

The brands moved their R&D from the black box to the stage, sharing solutions and learnings on an open platform—a “Github for fashion”.

This shift has been beneficial on many levels: innovative brands receive recognition and status while laggards are simultaneously pressured and inspired to do better. But the biggest winner is the speed and scale of radical innovations, redefining everything we thought we knew.