Fashion.

Fashion moves faster than ever.

Speeding up the development of a new, circular fashion system requires robust frameworks and regulations to set the terms of growth and progress. The process is further accelerated through industrial and academic initiatives.

Fashion’s transformation is happening now. Consumers want to make responsible choices. Leading brands, innovative startups and established players are committing to bold goals for renewable energy, circularity and resource conservation. Still, most of the industry needs to shift. Businesses must embrace policies that promote circularity, address obstructive terms and standards, and pave the way for new solutions. The urge to meet present and upcoming regulations and other sustainability requirements for textiles will spur the spirit of innovation and accelerate the shift throughout value chains. Sweden’s government has put textiles high on its agenda. Becoming a world leader in sustainable fashion production and consumption is a key part of the national drive to achieve the global sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The effort is supported and influenced by others as well. NGOs lobby for relevant changes to the system. Academic researchers generate science-based data and groundbreaking innovations. Other actors in the market are working on pilot programmes together with brands. All offer important input for potential scalable and transformative change in fashion.

Mission: pioneer methods for global sustainable fashion.

A national platform for sustainable fashion and textiles is creating forward momentum in Sweden. Textile & Fashion 2030 is a government-supported initiative led by the University of Borås in collaboration with organisations that include the Swedish School of Textiles, SmartTextiles, Science Park Borås, Research Institute of Sweden (RISE) and others. Textile & Fashion 2030 aims to test and study different techniques of sustainable fashion settings that are in close proximity to industry or consumers – or both. Its purpose is to figure out how lessons from small-scale sustainability advancements can be rolled out on the world stage. Craftmanship over commerce! Beatrice Stenmark at the Swedish School of Textiles uses a “Slow Fashion” attitude towards fashion, valuing craftsmanship and creativity over consumption and commercial interests.

Testing today for tomorrow’s solutions.

Researchers at the Swedish School of Textiles have a prestigious government mandate to put national goals into practice. So they organised Big Do, a design hackathon where designers challenge existing processes and embrace circularity. Mining a rich supply of tech know-how and insight, the designers create new solutions and products – and test them at a specially set up textile micro-factory. A diverse range of equipment and knowledge is available – everything from knitting and embroidery machines to printing and paint labs, and even a custom-built 3D printer. Big Do is part of Textile & Fashion 2030 and one of multiple different types of initiatives and projects taking place in collaboration with Science Park Borås and a range of other academic and research partners. Examples of the solutions developed through the Big Do include a plug-and-play business toolkit and a circular design tool. 

Back to work for used uniforms! Thanks to Science Park Borås, undamaged work uniforms from the care sector that would have been incinerated due to a change of supplier were instead rescued and revamped. Fashion designer Stina Randestad, an alumnus of the Swedish School of Textiles, was commissioned to redesign the garments, which are now rented out and can be adapted to suit the occasion with interchangeable prints from the company Vividye. 

Awarding the brains and the brave that are making change happen.

The Global Change Award, the world’s largest innovation challenge to transform the fashion industry, is looking for solutions that address one or more global challenges to create a planet-positive fashion future. The annual award, inaugurated in 2015, is co-sponsored by Accenture, Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Mills Fabrica and H&M Foundation. Five winners with the most promising ideas share a grant of €1 million. Three of the winners in pictures: Fairbrics makes its pink T-shirt from greenhouse gas that it traps, activates and transforms into a sustainable polyester fabric that looks and feels like regular polyester. SaltyCo® makes the puffer jacket filled with BioPuff®, a plant-based fibre filler alternative to goose-down or synthetics. The filler’s naturally waxy fibres mimic the structure of down, creating the same warming, water-repellent and air-trapping qualities as their synthetic and animal-based counterparts. Italian company Orange Fiber makes a deluxe, silk-like cellulose fabric from citrus juice by-products – just look at this shawl. 

Helping companies do the right (chemical) thing.

The Swedish Chemicals Group is a network that shares the latest knowledge in chemical and environmental issues among its more than 100 member companies in the textile and electronics industries. It compiles legal requirements and other information about chemicals in an easy-to-understand and actionable way. Mobilising collectively and cooperating across boundaries to tackle challenges is a great recipe for forward progress. 

Less water and energy. Fewer chemicals. More data!

New tech solutions are pioneering reductions in fashion’s environmental impact. Leaner, cleaner operations create gains all along the value chain. Add them up and the difference is huge. 
 
Globally, fashion companies produce 100 billion garments a year. As much as 80 per cent of their eco-impact occurs in production, where energy, chemical and water use is high. Thanks to new approaches, traditional resource-intensive processes such as fibre and garment dyeing, weaving, sewing and finishing are being reinvented. Overproduction and poor waste management are in the industry’s crosshairs. Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it possible to combine multiple digital data sources to manage volumes better, ensure more accurate production and increase customer satisfaction. Opportunities to contribute to a more future-friendly fashion industry are available and necessary for many actors. But the highest level of influence lies primarily in design decisions. The choice of fibre, colour and cut is a major factor. Change means designers must apply circular fashion design principles and decide to design for resource circulation. Happily, more and more of them do. 

Traceable. Transparent. Trustworthy.

Achieving fully transparent and traceable production chains is a complex process that just got easier. Sweden’s TrustRace uses blockchain technology and AI to allow brands and sustainability leaders to map and understand their impact along their entire value chain. TrustRace’s platform automates the process of data collection, validation and assigning the right sustainability labels. More than 40 companies use the service, including sustainability leaders like Fjällräven, Filippa K and Adidas.  

Designed for 100 per cent circularity.

Parts of the Kids collection Minories from Kappahl is made from mono-material (organic cotton), including seams and care labels, to enable full circularity. The collection is also unisex to enable reuse between siblings and friends for generations. And once worn out, every fibre is recyclable.

Sustainable man-made cellulose fibres join the show.

Swedish company Tree to Textile™ has developed a new technology for the production of man-made cellulose fibers with a low environmental footprint. The process regenerates cellulose from trees but requires less water and energy – and less chemicals – compared to existing methods. This showcase dress shows the different stages of the production process of textile fibers; from wood chip and pulp to the actual fabric. As it scales up in volume, Tree to Textile™ – which is owned by H&M Group, Inter IKEA Group, Stora Enso and LSCS Invest – aims to offer an attractive, sustainable complement to traditional bio-based fibers like viscose, lyocell and cotton. 

Digitalisation to delight people and the planet.

New technologies offer ground-breaking opportunities to design and produce fashion in a more sustainable way – as well as reach and delight ever more demanding customers.  
The fashion industry’s future path hinges on where technology is taking it next, from augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) and virtual goods in the metaverse, to reinvented made-to-measure models. The way products are designed and produced is increasingly ending up in users’ hands. It’s all about personalisation and prediction based on consumer preference. This approach also helps brands produce more accurately and responsibly. Putting the user rather than merchants in charge of design promises higher customer satisfaction. As the media landscape gains more flexibility, new platforms are helping fashion industry players build and strengthen customer relations in new creative ways. The product and service palette is rapidly growing as consumers seamlessly navigate between the physical and virtual worlds. Fashion brands aiming to grow and have impact need to understand how to be relevant in both these domains. The consumer has the answer. 

Dress up in NFTs.

Swedish fashion innovator Atacac, a purveyor of digital and made-to-order creations, has released a digital mini-collection for autumn 2022. The company has a proven track record for designing garments in 3D and then producing them physically. Now it’s taking the next step with 3D designs for digital-only release. But if you like a digital garment, you can request them to make you a physical version. The digital-only collection features two suits that are sold as NFTs on the Decentraland platform. Decentraland is the first decentralised metaverse that is built, governed and owned by its users. Inside the virtual reality platform, users can create, experience and monetise their content and applications.   

Making the impossible possible.

Plenty of innovations have the ability to speed change in the fashion industry. But where’s the cash? The Billion Dollar Collection is a virtual fashion collection by the H&M Foundation. Each garment represents a groundbreaking Global Change Award-winning innovation with true potential to shape the fashion industry of tomorrow and earn money, if scaled up today. Each garment’s price tag corresponds to the support that each startup thinks it needs to create large-scale impact by 2030. Want to wear garments that are biodegradable thanks to microscopic algae? How about owning an outfit created with renewable thread and dye?  

Cryptowear boosts equality.

Rave Review is a Stockholm-based brand that works on upcycling or, as it calls it, ‘high-end remakes’ using existing stock, textile waste and secondhand cloth. The mission is to make digital fashion and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) more inclusive and gender-balanced. For that, Rave Review empowers its community by encouraging women to get involved in Web3 through its NFT designs and alternative ways to learn about the world of crypto. From scraps and deadstock from its studio, Rave Review crafted nine pantie designs and then modelled them in 3D. Different fabrics, trims and upcycled NFTs are then added to make each pantie beautiful and unique.  

Goodbye to S, M and L.

Could eliminating standard sizes decrease overproduction? Swedish fashion studio Atacac offers a small collection of timeless silhouettes, each varying according to a body’s length and weight. When customers place their orders, they add their exact measurements and watch the garment transform on-screen.  

Longer lives for existing garments.

Less will truly be more in tomorrow’s fashion. A step change is on the way. The old linear method of produce-sell-repeat is on the way out. Taking its place are new circular models of ‘resource cycling’ based on smarter use and extended garment life. 
 
Making existing products last longer – and enjoy second, third (and more) lives – will soon be the new normal. Less production; more value for the same threads. Capitalising several times over on each item – including leftover waste and deadstock – generates fresh business opportunities. It encourages agile new players attuned to users and their wardrobes. It’s also very much in vogue: the secondhand market is projected to grow 11 times faster than retail clothing sales in the next few years. These market actors address consumers where they hang out: physically or in the metaverse. They are surfing the trend towards smarter, more conscious production centred on user needs. Say ‘goodbye’ to one-size-fits-all, and ‘hello’ to creative reuse! 

From warehouse to catwalk.

Fashion brand Rave Review reuses deadstock, redesigns old garments and incorporates pre-existing materials to add value and offer new, personalised styles to its fans. Since 2017, the brand has been proof that sustainability really can be fashionable.  

Re-used is the new new.

The private buying and selling of clothing should be easy, profitable and safe. The Sellpy app makes that happen. The company sends you garment collection bags, arranges pick-up, registers your no-longer-favourite items, values them and resells them to others. You merely wait for payment. Alternatively, you can use Plick – an app that lets you buy and sell second-hand garments, for free. You create a personal profile, follow inspirational accounts, share your wardrobe, and use the built-in payment/credit system to buy and sell clothes.  

Collections for all seasons.

Non-seasonal fashion you can mend on the go, that’s constantly peer-reviewed and lasts forever. Sounds too good to be true, right? Think again. Swedish fashion brand Asket’s classic collection is designed to stand the test of time. The range improves in tune with customer reviews and garments are professionally mended when they tear or wear. And even when you’re done with an item, it doesn’t mean the item is done for. Send the garment back and Asket makes sure it’s repaired, renewed, resold or recycled. Better in use than in a landfill! 

Buy better, shop less.

Is there a healthier and more responsible approach to consumerism where everyone wins? Singular Society is a first try to help us buy quality items as a way to consume less. The membership-based brand offers selected premium products priced at what they actually cost to make, entirely without markups.  

Smart tools and inspiration boost better choices.

The more we know about fashion, the smarter we become at making the right consumer choices. User-friendly database tools and visualisations of never-before-seen solutions raise awareness and give practical advice that helps us as consumers navigate better.  

Working out what’s sustainable and what isn’t – and then trying to do the right thing has long been challenging. So guiding consumers with better information is a sure step forward. Technology opens up opportunities for the fashion industry to track and show progress, spur community engagement, and exert influence on social media. By adding the wow factor when providing information and developing smart tools, consumers are inspired to cross the barrier and apply a more responsible way of living.  

Call to action from fashion fans.

The F/Act Movement uses savvy engagement via social media to encourage others to make smart, responsible choices yet still be fashionable. The initiative started when a dozen or so F/Activists from Gothenburg and Science Park Borås decided to advocate more sustainable textile consumption with a self-imposed ban on buying newly produced clothes for six months. After sharing their experiences on social media, F/Activism became a movement – now co-funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Västra Götaland County. 

Donated garments become fashion! Fashion brand Remake Sthlm is run as a social enterprise that promotes supported employment. Production and design take place in the company’s own studio, and the materials come from donations to Stockholms Stadsmission, a charity that works for social care, supported employment and educated. Each garment is unique and created according to material supply.  

A dress to love and let go.

Are we willing to watch our garments change over time, and then become something completely new? The Paper Dress is an experimental research project that challenges norms by exploring the relationship between a garment’s look, use, and end-of-life. Because the dress can’t be washed, it is gradually transformed by wear and tear or dyeing until one day being ready for recycling. Since the dress is made of only cellulose, the whole dress is recyclable. The Paper Dress is a collaboration between Science Park Borås and fashion designer Stina Randestad.  

Repair. Recycle. Reuse.

Denim brand Nudie has been a sustainability pioneer for years, encouraging customers to invest in high-quality garments and then wear them till they wear out. Every pair of Nudie jeans comes with a promise of free repairs at a local store or repair partner. The brand actively encourages people to drop off their jeans when ready for repair and get 20 per cent off a new pair of jeans. The old jeans are repaired and sold again, they are used for patching material or Nudie professionals use the fabric to make new products. In 2021, the company repaired 42,500 pairs of Nudie jeans. The result? Customers who happily stay in the Nudie orbit for as long as possible. 

Making every fibre count.

High production volumes – and heavy use – of virgin fibre makes alternative textile sources something of a holy grail. Sure enough, new solutions to meet the fashion industry’s fibre needs are entering the scene. 

The global output of cotton, wool and synthetic fibres like polyester, nylon and acrylic has doubled in the last two decades. Because most come from virgin material, attention is shifting to regenerating fibre from textile waste. Today, the longstanding model of take- make-and-waste ensures that only a small fraction of manufactured textiles is recycled. But change and circularity are on the horizon – with new technical solutions rapidly advancing onto the markets. Textile waste collection infrastructure is being developed. Global standards for textile waste management are harmonising. Textile recycling technologies are coming to the forefront. The EU’s waste framework directive means Sweden and other EU members must have national textile waste collection systems in place by 2025. Investments are right now being made to take small and big steps in this complex field.  

Big scale textile recycling, made possible.

Automated sorting is a critical but elusive link in the textile recycling chain, a hard-to-design bridge between collection and reprocessing. So by all means spread the word about the world’s first industrial-scale automated sorting plant for post-consumer textiles. Textiles are sorted by colour and fibre composition using near-infrared light. This technology makes it possible to handle large flows and produce textile fractions adapted to different recycling processes. It started out as a challenge-driven innovation program funded by the government. Today, it operates at full scale at the Sysav regional waste management facility in Malmö, Sweden, contributing to increased circularity in textile value chains.  

From rugs to riches.

When Swedish accessory designer Susan Szatmáry discovered flooring company Bolon's products, a collaboration was born. Together, they set out to create a more sustainable bag collection by combining saved pieces of woven vinyl waste with leather and high-quality craftsmanship. The result: a unique and eye-catching bag ensemble. 

Growing taste for waste.

Worn-out jeans and production offcuts as a new, biodegradable raw material? Renewcell’s recycling technology and its branded Circulose® dissolving pulp are showing that textile recycling is possible – and on a global scale. Textile producers use the pulp to make viscose and lyocell textile fibre and market interest is constantly growing. Swedish fashion designer Jade Cropper used Circulose® for her latest and highly acclaimed collection. 

Designed to die.

Streamateria creates compostable fashion garments with a short lifespan: a semi-virtual clothing solution purpose-designed to die an early death. The fashion company uses a 100 per cent circular and print-on-demand material made from cellulose and food waste – and with limited life expectancy. Production uses a 3D printed, mass customised technique. Once worn and torn, the material is mixed with food waste and biodegrades naturally. Sports brand Puma is one of many labels that have collaborated with Streamateria.  

Sweden pioneering sustainable fashion at the United Nations.

Since 1952, tour guides leading visitors through the United Nations Headquarters in New York — from world leaders to school groups — have worn specially designed uniforms.

Notable fashion houses such as Dior and Benetton have lent their talents to designing these uniforms, with the most recent collection produced in 2017 by esteemed designer Elie Tahari. Now, Sweden and the Swedish School of Textiles are collaborating with the United Nations to redefine the future of sustainable fashion. On Earth Day, April 22, 2025, twenty visionary BFA and MFA students from the Swedish School of Textiles unveiled a new collection of tour guide uniforms—designed for a sustainable future. This is the first time a higher education institution has designed these iconic uniforms, marking a pivotal moment in fashion history at the UN Headquarters.

Designing for a better tomorrow

Every piece of the Swedish UN Tour guide uniform is designed with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in mind. From choosing production methods that minimize environmental impact— like using a digital print for the scarf that reduces water usage—to selecting deadstock fabric for the dress, which have been given new life, this collection proves that sustainable choices can be both innovative and stylish. Designing for a better tomorrow Two items from the collection are made in Sweden, emphasizing a commitment to local and ethical production, while the rest of the garments have all been produced as close to Sweden as possible. The team has mainly worked on SDG goals 5, 8, 10, 12, and 17. The collection demonstrates how an educational institution can contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive future.

The power of many voices

The Swedish UN tour guide collection embodies collaboration—it was created by twenty BFA and MFA students in Textile and Fashion Design in partnership with the United Nations tour guides. It’s proof that innovation thrives when we come together. The creative process has been a rich dialogue, bringing together diverse cultures, experiences, and perspectives.

The collection is not only about style but also about function. The students designed garments that are designed to perform in the real world. Throughout the design process, the team has worked hand-in-hand with the UN tour guides, co-creating every detail to ensure the pieces meet the job’s demands—whether it’s multiple pockets for practicality, adaptability to changing temperatures, or freedom of movement when touring a group of kids.

Sharing sustainable fashion stories at the United Nations

The tour guides at the UN headquarters in New York, now wearing these thoughtfully designed uniforms, share the sustainability journey behind the collection with over 200,000 visitors worldwide each year. Daily, they share stories of responsible fashion, sustainable choices, and the power of collaboration, inspiring future generations to think differently about fashion and its impact on the planet.

The collection reminds us that sustainable fashion isn’t just a trend but a long-term movement that will continue to resonate within the walls of the UN and beyond. It’s a testament to Sweden’s commitment to responsible development and the role of innovation in shaping a better, more sustainable future for all.

A fusion of Swedish nature and global diplomacy

The Swedish UN Tour Guide collection is more than just a design; it is a tribute to Swedish nature and international diplomacy. Inspired by the United Nations’ core principles—peace, dignity, and equality on a healthy planet—the collection combines sustainability, inclusion, innovation, and creativity with comfort and functionality.

The design journey began at the summer residence of Swedish diplomat and former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, Backåkra, in southern Sweden. The narrative from Backåkra to New York inspires the collection, capturing the soft blues of the Swedish sky, the grey hues of the United Nations Headquarters, and the design lines of the building. By merging these elements, the designs honor Sweden’s natural beauty, diplomatic heritage, and strong commitment to sustainable fashion, creating a powerful narrative of global collaboration.