What Is Circular Fashion?

What Is Circular Fashion?

You’ve heard of sustainability, but what about circularity? If you've been wondering what fashion has to do with circles, you’ve come to the right place! In this blog, we’re going to define circular fashion and what it means to Wild Clouds.  

What is circular fashion?

Circular fashion is a restorative alternative to the industry’s linear take-make-use-dispose model. Circular fashion seeks to extend the lifespan and functions of garments for as long as possible, before responsibly returning them to the biosphere. Rather than being thrown away after one use, circular fashion creates a regenerative closed-loop system in which clothes are continually repaired, reused, renewed, recycled and repurposed into other products. Circularity takes place at every stage of the industry, from sourcing and transporting, to manufacturing and marketing, all the way through to product disposal. We’ll talk about what this looks like in practice shortly!

The only way to implement a fully circular fashion economy is to decouple economic growth from the depletion of resources. In other words, we need to move away from a system that thrives on the exhaustion of natural resources. The true environmental benefits of circular fashion can only be realised by radical cuts in global production and consumption rates. That’s why we only work with renewable fibes and market our timeless garments in a slow and thoughtful way. 

Our circularity practices

Minimising fabric waste

Our garments are created with zero waste principles, through efficient pattern cutting and the upcycling of offcuts. Our focus on small batch, responsible production means we generate little to no fabric waste. The waste that we do create, we make into accessories such as our scrunchies and eye masks. You can learn more about our Zero Waste commitments here.

Making long-lived clothing

We consider longevity at every stage of the design process, from sketching new patterns to sourcing our materials. Our timeless clothing is made from a robust (and biodegradable!) organic cotton and linen blend, and is designed to stand the test of time. Our timeless loungewear is as gorgeous as it is functional, doubling up as PJs and even occasion wear! Once your Wild Clouds order reaches the end of its long life, it’s fully compostable and can be returned to the same earth it came from.

Using compostable packaging

Throughout our supply chain, we make every effort to reduce packaging and keep it to a minimum. All our orders are sent in compostable mailers which can be reused for mailing again, serve as a food waste liner or composted in your at-home compost bin.  

Delivering on our repair promise 

We want you to love your Wild Clouds clothes for longer, which is why we use durable materials that get softer over time, and opt for clever patterns that hide stains. Every order arrives with a clothing care guide, and we have compiled our favourite tips here.

We also know that well-loved clothes sometimes need a bit of TLC. To help you preserve the quality of your Wild Clouds garments, we’re always on hand to offer repair advice, or send out spare buttons and fabric. It’s part of our goal to become a circular brand, and assume responsibility for the entire lifespan of our clothing.  

Our future circularity goals

Speaking of goals, we know we’re not a fully circular brand… yet. As part of this ongoing journey, we’re actively working towards using fewer virgin materials, by opting for deadstock fabrics leftover from the fashion industry, as well as innovative recycled materials.

To fully close the loop, we’d love to develop an in-house repair service and take-back scheme to mend, repurpose or recycle your old clothes. While that’s currently not feasible for our small business (textile recycling is still in its early, expensive stages), our vision for the future is a fashion industry where circular solutions are accessible enough for brands of all sizes to take advantage of them. 

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