The future of sustainable fashion is digital-first.

Fashion’s sustainable future will come from adopting a digital first mindset that empowers designers to create in a way that is future proof. That’s the key finding from a new report by RCA researchers into how the fashion industry can build sustainable careers for the next generation of digital designers.

At Lockwood Publishing we have been working with the Royal College of Art on this research piece. It has allowed us to recognise how we can collaborate with the design community and support them through sustainable digital transformation. As a business, we’re interested in a value chain in which everyone can participate and benefit, but to do that we need to understand more about how that chain will continue to operate in the future.

At the heart of the report’s findings was the need for the fashion industry to create a consistent pathway for young designers to both demonstrate their potential and be rewarded for it. This pathway would consist of three key elements:

●?????A model for IP which rewards, not exploits young designers - through clearly agreed royalties and the opportunity to use their designs across multiple platforms

●?????Defined marketplaces where designers can safely and legally sell their creations - this would protect both the platform and the designer from IP infringement and theft

●?????A more democratic approach to creative ownership - the report concludes that designers believe individual creators, not major brands need to be rewarded for their creative work and so a model needs to be developed which ensures everyone enjoys the benefit of their creative labour

Key challenges for the fashion industry

The report identified four key questions the fashion industry needs to address to ensure a sustainable future:

1. Who owns, monitors and protects rights around digital assets?
2. What new frameworks are required to meet the technical, legal and economic challenges the industry faces?
3. How do we create and share tools which lower the barriers to entry and allow open access and collaboration for aspiring designers?
4. How can digital fashion design become a sustainable career?

Amongst the report’s findings was the importance of the metaverse in both creating these opportunities for creators and the role it will play contributing to a sustainable future for creators, brands and fashion fans.

Find more details and the report at the future fashion factory who sponsored the research: https://futurefashionfactory.org/frameworks-for-sustainable-careers-in-digital-design/