A decade ago, Fashion Revolution arrived in Brazil and the celebrations already began: the Semana Fashion Revolution 2024 ea Decolonial Fashion School are some of them. The fashion industry scenario in Brazil is also no longer the same. New technologies, such as 3D printing and fabrics with ultraviolet protection, concern about a more sustainable fashionsuch as the search for fibers from regenerative and upcyclingthese are trends that are here to stay.
One search of Casa Firjan, carried out with businesspeople, specialists, managers and teachers, working in the textile chain and the Fashion sector in Brazil, brought a diagnosis of the signs of change in the sector in recent years. The changes brought about by Covid-19 are undeniable, such as the expansion of e-commerce, investment in experiences that integrate digital and physical and changes in consumption patterns.
On the sustainable side, the analysis lists the adoption of reuse practices, carbon footprint monitoring and greater demand for environmental certifications. Bianca Matsusaki, professor of the Fashion Design course at Centro Universitário SENAC, states that stylists and designers have been more concerned about choosing materials. But he recognizes: this stance remains in the layers that are able to pay for more sustainable fibers. “In clothing in general, most companies are still guided by price”, he highlights.
Changing consumer behavior and the reality of the climate emergency knocking on the door invites us to transform the fashion industry
Isabella Vasconcelos, professor of the Fashion Design course at Unifavip, also explains her perception of more sustainable choices, such as certified raw materials, incorporation of crafts, reuse of waste and upcycling. On the other hand, she highlights that “sometimes, some practice is implemented, but that in itself is not enough”, giving as an example a look hand embroidered, whose label comes with the artisan’s name. “This does not necessarily mean recognition of this woman’s work. It could be that her remuneration is negligible, that the embroiderer’s living and working conditions are precarious”, he explains.
From the brands’ point of view, recognizing the importance of transparency is what draws the attention of Isabella Luglio, coordinator of Brazil Fashion Transparency Indexproduced by the Fashion Revolution Institute. Annual assessment carried out since 2018 shows the increase in sustainability centers within companies and the tendency to increasingly publish lists of suppliers – especially in direct suppliers.
Furthermore, brands that participate in the Index tend to score better over the years. “It is not a simple process to participate in, but we received feedback from brands that the Index questionnaire serves as a guide to help them structure their internal transparency processes”, he states.
As for the readers, Luglio lists the different audiences that bring the report to their daily lives: “teachers who use the Index in the classroom, Fashion Revolution week volunteers who use it to support their actions, researchers, supply chain and investors ”. There is no going back: the disclosure of suppliers and carbon footprint, traceability, use of renewable fibers and pressure from civil society make the fashion industry change – here and in the world.
What does the future hold for us?
The future, in the words of our experts, is made up of education and sustainability. Among the current bottlenecks in the fashion industry in Brazil, Bianca highlights the lack of sustainable options for components such as trimmings. “If you want to buy a button that is not made from virgin plastic, you will have a single company – there is little alternative”, he explains, “in Europe, the United States and Asia, you can find sustainable fittings. Not here.”
Another point raised is the breakdown of the industry in the spinning sector. “We have very good fiber factories on Brazilian soil, but the spinning is done abroad and the Brazilian company buys the fabric back. We are dependent on inputs from China, which greatly harms the sustainability of the chain”, he states. The failure of spinning companies in the 80s and 90s, due to globalization, economic crisis and lack of machine maintenance, are the causes highlighted by Bianca, who is also a researcher of Brazilian artisanal textiles.
The lack of education also weighs heavily. “How many courses do we have in textile engineering in Brazil? We don’t have a master’s degree or a doctorate. To improve our market we also need to invest in education”, he highlights. In addition to the few options for postgraduate courses in the fashion area, they are also more concentrated in the Southeast and South regions and in private colleges. “The Northeast is a very large industrial hub, in the North region, there is a lot of fiber to be studied”, he points out.
Vasconcelos also amends necessary changes in education, such as the exchange of obsolete pedagogical plans, which do not include pillars of sustainability. She exemplifies: “’research and collection planning’ is a discipline that could be developed from research into what is ‘left over’ in the industry and that needs and can be reused. Instead, the guidelines are generalist and bring linear thinking that students need to start their collections practically from scratch – or by going to the fabric store to choose which ones to use and buy – ignoring the reality of so many companies that often have stocks of fabrics and trimmings stopped.”
Luglio hopes that, 10 years from now, we will be talking about decarbonization of the sector in the production chain and degrowth. “I also hope that we can be talking about more disclosure of data regarding gender and race in suppliers”, he adds.
The road is still long and not everything is rosy. In the 2023 report of the Fashion in Panoramaas trends and the increase in sales on festive dates and through discounts was also highlighted. But with Brazil being the fourth largest producer of clothing in the world and the textile and clothing sector being the second largest employer in the national manufacturing industry, the production sector needs to evolve beyond its current performance.
Changing consumer behavior and the reality of the climate emergency knocking on the door invites us to transform the fashion industry. A new future depends on us.
