Naples in Southern Italy has the beauty and charm of a town that morphed, reinvented itself, and blossomed over thousands of years of history. No wonder it is one of the most favored Italian cities among visitors from abroad and the Italian peninsula, with the local airport registering about 12,5 million passengers.

Everyone knows of the city's world-famous culinary traditions, art, castles, convents, opera house, language, and breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea. Still, there is something else about it you might have yet to hear about. 

In addition to its more known assets, this Italian coastal city boasts a wide and varied selection of vintage and second-hand stores, making it a must-visit location for all thrifting lovers visiting Italy. 

Suppose you are planning a trip to the city or the many famous historical sites, beach towns, and islands surrounding it, like Pompei, Positano, or Ischia, and you would like to see what Napoli's thriving thrifting scene offers. In that case, you have come to the right place. 

Here, we have a local thrifting lover's guide to the best, most unique, and carefully curated second-hand shops and vintage boutiques in Naples, ready for your next trip to the city. Buon viaggio! 

Naples Thrift, Secondhand & Vintage Clothing Stores

Retrophilia Vintage Clothing 

Via Mezzocannone, 71

Porto neighborhood

After a visit to Santa Chiara's Monumental Complex near Piazza del Gesù Nuovo and a walk through the majolica-tiled of its cloisters, head a few streets eastward to Via Mezzocannone for a vintage treat. 

Via Mezzocannone is a typical uphill strada of Naples's historic center, but it is also where one can find the best selection of second-hand shops and vintage boutiques this town has to offer. No wonder that's where you can visit Retrophilia Vintage Clothing. Co-owned by Gigi Cirella and Alessandro de Gais, this vintage shop has a distinguished atmosphere that is typically Neapolitan and cosmopolitan at the same time. 

With its tuff walls and majolica floor, the elegant and quirky decor, and kind staff, this is the right place to enjoy a refined and memorable shopping experience in Naples's history-infused old town. 

This vintage boutique offers a carefully curated selection of sophisticated, avant-garde vintage clothing and accessories of outstanding quality and in excellent condition: flamboyant two-piece sets, classy outerwear, theatrical blouses, and dresses. The staff of Retrophilia Vintage Clothing knows everything about every piece available in the store, and they will gladly guide you to the right one for you or your loved ones.   

Retrophilia Vintage Clothing might be the right place to go thrift shopping in Naples if you are not one for touristy spots when traveling abroad. There, you can enjoy a chat or a coffee with the many local patrons of all ages while you browse the store's outstanding selection for the vintage piece you are looking for, knowing you are bringing home a unique experience along with your unique vintage piece.      

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POP TWENTYONE vintage and second-hand 

Via Mezzocannone, 81

Porto neighborhood 

Via Tito Angelini, 13

Vomero neighborhood 

The fact that Naples' historic center is the heart of its thrifting scene is quite convenient for visitors as chances are that's where they will be doing most of the exploring. Another thrift shop you can visit in the area after you are done seeing for yourself what the people of this port city have built and created since the 9th century BC is POP TWENTYONE. 

With its bright orange walls and the best coat selection in town, this eye-catching shop is another go-to for locals looking for high-quality vintage clothing. Stopping at POP TWENTYONE is a must for people who love vintage and second-hand designer goods, as that's what this shop specializes in, carrying high-end brands like Burberry, Max Mara, Gucci, and Fendi. 

Here is an extra tip for the more type A travelers. You can check out their Instagram account to get a better idea of the kind of clothes and accessories you can find at POP TWENTYONE during your trip to Naples. This Neapolitan shop's staff regularly posts their new picks on their IG page so that you can go there with a list in mind. 

Let's say you are one for a vacation off the beaten path instead and have decided to visit or stay in the residential hilltop district of Vomero in the northern part of town. In that case, you can visit the other POP TWENTYONE location after enjoying the area's famous panoramic views of the city and its gulf. If you need more of their selection even after your trip, we have good news for you! They ship to Italy as well as Europe.

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Oblomova

Via S. Sebastiano, 20

San Giuseppe neighborhood

The vintage, second-hand, and artisan shop Oblomova is a sight for sore eyes tucked in one of the many must-see narrow streets in the Italian city's historic center, filled with a delightful lineup of indie local businesses. 

If this is your first time in the city or you love art and history, chances are you'll be in this area already. This vintage and second-hand shop is, in fact, a short walk away from the Sansevero Chapel Museum (Museo Cappella Sansevero). This museum is the location of Giuseppe Sanmartino's Veiled Christ (1753), one of the best artworks in the city and one of the most famous sculptures in the world. 

Once you have your fill of Naplotian culture, art, and history at the Sansevero Chapel Museum, you can visit Oblomova in the nearby Via S. Sebastiano to enjoy a different, more minute kind of history. In this small shop with a big personality, you can find a selection of vintage clothing and accessories, pre-loved pieces, and hand-made garments and home decor like the ex-voto from the local maker Cometa and Atelier Elsillus's homemade pottery from Lübeck, Germany. If you like florals, fun prints, and colorful, whimsical vintage clothing that catches the eye and has a comfortable fit, this indie thrift shop is the right place to go thrift shopping in Naples. The fun decor, cheerful clothing, and many regulars will make for a vivacious shopping experience in one of the city's many bustling streets.   

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Baule Volante

Via San Biagio dei librai, 106

Pendino neighborhood

The vintage shop Baule Volante looks exactly like what its name brings to mind, meaning "flying chest" in Italian. When you walk up Via San Biagio dei libra and into this vintage store, you'll get the feeling of having suddenly left the metropolis's hustle and stepped right into the bedroom of someone equally eccentric and well-dressed. Here, the selection of vintage clothing and accessories is idiosyncratic and carefully curated, all served with a hefty amount of dolls, plushies, figurines, and assorted trinkets of all kinds. 

The location of this surrealistic shop is more than just any street. Via San Biagio dei librai is a historic street located right at the heart of the city, near the famous "Spaccanapoli," the long, narrow road that splits Naples's historic center. Its name, "dei librari" means "of book shopkeepers," and this street was and still is famous in Naples and beyond for being the location of countless bookshops and a fundamental location for Neapolitan history and culture. It is also where the city's Doll Hospital is located (Ospedale delle Bambole). A place where, for generations, dolls and toys of all kinds have been restored and fixed. 

Opened in 2014 by Claudia Ascione, the vintage shop Baule Volante is the perfect thrift store to browse as part of your visit to this quaint, quintessentially Neapolitan street thanks to its nostalgic atmosphere, which perfectly channels the spit of its busty, zany neighborhood. 

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Chiaja Vintage

Via Chiaia 66

Chiaia neighborhood

The ideal destination for all vintage bag lovers who can't say no to a bit of sea breeze is Chiaja vintage. This shop specializes in vintage bags located in the quiet, residential seaside neighborhood of Chiaia. 

Along with beautiful views of the Gulf of Naples and its beautiful villas, churches, and palazzi like the Palazzo Cellammare, this neighborhood also offers plenty of elegant boutiques, and Chiaja vintage fits right in with its selection of vintage handbags ranging from eccentric to timeless and everything in between. 

If you are in the market for a vintage bag and are done gazing at the seaside around Castel dell'Ovo, the city's oldest castle, and the neighborhood's most famous landmark, check out Chiaja Vintage. The owner, Carmen Maresca, knows about every bag in the store and will help you choose the right one. 

We all know that shopping vintage and second-hand can be a more sustainable way to buy the clothes we might want or need. Still, it can also be a more responsible way to bring home mementos from our vacations abroad by supporting local, independent businesses. In Naples, thrift shopping is not only an option that fits right in with a classic tour of the city's most famous landmarks but also a way to engage in a genuinely Neapolitan experience, as it's safe to say this city loves all things vintage. So, if you need new clothes and find yourself on the shore of the Gulf of Naples, you know where to go now. 

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About the Author

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.

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Do you know which fibers your clothes are made of? Clothing labels indicate materials in ready-to-wear garments, but we often lack our ancestors' knowledge about different fibers.

In the past, not only did people make clothes at home, but fibers were also homemade. Evidence allows us to trace the use of textile looms in fiber manufacturing to thousands of years ago. 

While most of us don't have to make our fabrics at home, knowing as much as possible about the materials that make up our clothes is still helpful. That can not only be useful from an everyday, practical perspective but also an environmental one. 

Having more information about the characteristics of the various typologies of fabrics can guide us in choosing clothes and help us take care of our garments properly. This knowledge can aid us in making purchasing decisions that better align with our ethos and ensure our clothes' post-purchase impact is as low as possible.    

If that sounds good, you are in the right place!  

What are synthetic fibers?

Synthetic fibers, often called manmade or artificial fibers, are textiles made through chemical processes rather than from natural sources.

Manufacturers produce these fibers using polymers derived from petrochemicals or other raw materials. Commonly found synthetic fibers include polyester, nylon, acrylic, and Spandex. Human-made fibers originate from complex manufacturing processes, allowing engineers to design them with specific qualities in mind.

While natural fibers such as cotton or linen have a history spanning hundreds of years, synthetic fibers are a much more recent feature of our lives.Nylon emerged in 1927 when the company E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. developed it, and the market saw its release in 1939.

Given their consumer-friendly characteristics, these fibers have become widespread in several industries, including fashion, automotive manufacturing, and home furnishings. According to the non-profit organization Textile Exchange, in 2021, these fibers comprised 64 percent of the global fiber market, with 72 million tonnes of synthetic fibers produced that same year. 

What is the production of synthetic fabrics a problem for the environment?

Despite their characteristics making them appetible to manufacturers and their consequential popularity in the market, synthetic fibers also have significant environmental drawbacks. 

The use of virgin fossil-fuel-derived fibers supports the fossil fuel industry. According to the Intergovernmental organization, the International Energy Agency (IEA), synthetic textiles make up the second-largest end-use segment of global plastic demand, with the sector's estimated consumption of plastic amounting to 15 percent. 

These numbers indicate that manufacturers use 1.35 percent of the total oil to produce synthetic fibers. So, while fossil-fuel-derived fibers are not conflict materials, they are products of an industry with a heavy social impact.  

Synthetic fibers are not biodegradable and have been contributing to environmental pollution. Washing clothes made from fossil-fuel-derived fibers releases microplastics. 

Fast fashion significantly contributes to the release of minuscule bits of plastic, especially during the first few washes. This widespread presence of fast fashion in people's closets plays a key role in this phenomenon.

About fourteen million tonnes of microplastics are on the Earth's ocean floor. Synthetic fibers have been contributing heavily to this issue. Researchers estimate that synthetic textiles contribute between sixteen to thirty-five percent of the global microplastics released into oceans.

Types of Synthetic Fabrics

Polyester 

Polyester, created by mixing ethylene glycol and purified terephthalic acid, stands out as the most common type of synthetic fiber used today. Its widespread use in the fashion industry and beyond makes it the most prevalent fiber overall.

You can find polyester in the textile composition of anything from blouses and trousers to waterproof clothing and backpacks. In 2021, polyester had a market share of over 54 percent of the world's fiber production, with an annual output of about 61 million tonnes.

Polyester fibers create resilient, pest-resistant, stain-resistant, and wrinkle-resistant fabrics. However, they lack breathability, which makes them a poor choice for clothing intended for hot weather.

The production of this petroleum-based fiber is energy-intensive. A 2021 study by a team from Aachen Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) in the Netherlands has highlighted how polyester requires 125 MJ of energy per kilogram produced, resulting in the emission of twenty-seven-point-two kilograms of CO2 equivalent per kilogram of woven polyester fabric. 

Nylon

Thermoplastic polymers commonly go by the name nylon. DuPont constructed the first facility to produce this fiber, and in 1940, they launched the first pairs of nylon stockings in the US, selling 800,000 pairs within the first few days in stores.

According to the Textile Exchange's 2022 Preferred Fiber Materials Market Report, this fiber took up about 5 percent of global fiber production in the examined year. Nylon plays a crucial role in the design of activewear, swimwear, stockings, and performance apparel.

Spandex 

Spandex, known as elastane or Lycra outside the US, is a synthetic fiber that manufacturers create using polymers. This fiber adds stretchiness to garments, making them more comfortable and fitted.

This characteristic makes Spandex a common feature in various clothing typologies, ranging from loungewear, denim, and dresses to underwear and shapewear, which add elasticity to the fiber mix. Hence, it's used chiefly in fiber blends.    

In 2021, elastane had about 1 percent market share of the global fiber market, with global elastane fiber production of one point three million tonnes in the same year.  

Acrylic 

This fiber, made from a polymer, is most commonly used to manufacture knitted fabrics that compose sweaters, scarves, and hats. 

In 2021, acrylic's share of the global fiber market was 1.5 percent, with about 1.7 million tonnes of acrylic fibers produced worldwide. 

What are synthetic blends?

As mentioned earlier, synthetic fibers can make a textile material alone, but manufacturers can mix them with other synthetic or natural fibers. 

Elastene can be mixed with anything from nylon to create shapewear and stockings to cotton in dresses, blouses, and trousers. In knitwear, manufacturers can mix acrylic with other knit-friendly fibers. 

These blends are created to compensate for the technical disadvantages that one or more used fibers bring and mix their advantages. Synthetic blends present post-consumer management challenges, as garments made with these textile materials can be harder to recycle. 

Semi Synthetics 

Semi-synthetic fibers are a third group of fibers that have characteristics found in both natural and synthetic fibers. 

Also known as manmade natural fibers, these are fibers with a naturally occurring raw material created through a complex manufacturing process that heavily relies on chemicals.  Popular semi-synthetic fabrics are rayon, modal and lyocell.

Rayon

Rayon, also called viscose, is an artificial cellulosic fiber and semi-synthetic. With a production volume of about 5.8 million tonnes in 2021, viscose has the largest market share of all manmade cellulosic fibers.

Rayon is used chiefly in woven fabrics, and it's derived from wood pulp. This semi-synthetic fiber presents several issues along its life cycle, from the origin of the wood pulp to the chemicals used in the fiber's production.  

Recycled Synthetic Fabrics

In addition to virgin synthetic, consumers can also find their recycled equivalent on the market. For example, of the total global polyester production, 14.83 percent comprises recycled polyester, mostly made from post-consumer PET plastic bottles. 

Recycled nylon, elastane, and acrylics can also be found, but their share of the overall fiber's global protection is much lower than that of recycled polyester. 

The Global Recycled Standard (GRS), the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), and SCS Recycled Content Standards are some of the most known certifications for recycled textiles. 

Image: Guppyfriend

How to take care of synthetic fibers you already own:

Clothes made of synthetic fibers have many of the same needs as those made of natural fibers. To take good care of them, we should do our best to wash them only when needed and follow the washing instructions. Avoiding the dryer and preferring air drying always saves much energy and is kinder on the fabrics. 

But unlike those made of natural fiber and natural fiber blends, clothes made of synthetic fibers shed microplastics when washed. Then, these microplastics can make their way from our homes to waterways. 

While tackling the issue of microplastics on a bigger scale will require action from governments and industries, we can still enact individual chances and avoid releasing microplastics from our homes into the oceans when we do our laundry. For example, we can use the GUPPYFRIEND Washing Bag when washing synthetic clothing in the washing machine and the GUPPYFRIEND Sink Filter when hand-washing them instead. 

How to recycle clothing made of synthetic fabrics:

Unfortunately, clothes get recycled less than we would want them to. According to the EPA, the recycling rate for textiles in 2018 was just 14.7 percent.  

If you have garments you can't sell, pass down, reuse, or upcycle and want them to get recycled; you should avoid chucking them straight into the trash can. Instead, check out the solutions offered by local programs such as the Re-Clothe NY Coalition or use services like For Days Take Back Bag. 

Better alternatives to regular synthetic fabrics:

Luckily, there are some fantastic alternatives that are both sustainable and biodegradable! Organic cotton is a great choice since it's grown without harmful pesticides and uses less water than regular cotton. Hemp fabric is another eco-friendly option. It resists pests naturally and needs very little water to thrive. Linen, made from flax plants, is not only durable and breathable but also fully biodegradable. TENCEL™ (Lyocell) is created from responsibly sourced wood pulp and is produced using a closed-loop process, which is better for the environment. Choosing any of these materials is a step towards a more non-toxic and sustainable wardrobe.

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About the Author

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.

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Can sustainable fashion be profitable?

Amidst changes in global consumer behavior, intense competition, and a complex economic environment, this past year has been challenging for slow fashion businesses. Last Fall, the pioneering British fashion brand People Tree was liquidated after 30 years in business. A few months later, another industry veteran shut down: Mara Hoffman, the founder of the eponymous American brand, announced its closing in May. 

It’s perhaps no surprise that the current economic headwinds hitting the fashion sector might destabilize sustainable brands even more than the rest of the industry. After all, while regular businesses can bank on the old-school principle of generating revenue via the maximization of product sales, sustainable brands have to play smarter to achieve profitability while upholding their ethos. But what does playing smart entails for a slow fashion business? A recent study tried to figure that out. 

Figuring out the profit drivers of successful slow fashion brands 

Despite the ubiquitous attempts at greenwashing, a lot of reliable knowledge is available about the policies that make a fashion brand sustainable. Yet, there isn’t much out there about the intricacies of pursuing and maintaining profitability while implementing slow fashion practices. 

This knowledge gap is what the paper “Pursuing profitability in slow fashion: Exploring brands’ profit contributors” contributed to filling in. In their study published in the Dutch transdisciplinary journal “Journal of Cleaner Production” this year, the Cambridge University and Maastricht University scholars Sasha N. Sarokin and N.M.P. Bocken conducted semi-structured interviews with British slow fashion brands to probe which practices are connected to profitability.

The researchers focused their work on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which comprise a sizable part of the British fashion industry and whose independence allows them to adapt their business models effectively. Some interesting results emerged from their semi-structured interviews with the owners and founders of twelve British slow fashion SMEs. 

Achieving profitability through desirable products, efficient operations, and consumer alignment

Unsurprisingly, good products are critical not just for sustainability but for profitability, too. A focus on product quality, aesthetic appeal, and versatility has, in fact, emerged as a profit contributor for the analyzed companies. Similarly, slower collection development with fewer styles and a trans-seasonal, non-trend-based approach can benefit this kind of fashion brands. Implementing fit-for-purpose production strategies, like close supply chains, on-demand or small-batch production, and the vertical integration of parts of the supply chain also work in favor of slow fashion SMEs. 

The same goes for maintaining a close relationship with those in the supply chain, which reduces costs and increases transparency. Attitude towards sustainable products has been shifting. While in the United States, according to the management consulting company McKinsey & Company, the sales of goods with claims related to their environmental performance overtook that of products lacking them, fewer American and European Gen Zers and millennials identified sustainability claims as a significant purchasing criterion compared to 2023. Yet, the key to profitability is finding the right customers rather than having the broadest possible appeal. 

The study shows that aligning with consumer values, fostering emotional attachment to goods and the brand, and effectively communicating slow fashion values to reinforce consumer loyalty are profitable practices for these businesses. Efficient storytelling can make a miscellaneous customer base feel like they are part of a like-minded community. 

Diversifying revenue streams by offering product services that promote sustainability, such as repair and customization or rental and resale, can also lead to positive outcomes if the companies manage these services to combine the promotion of slow fashion with the pursuit of additional revenue streams. 

This study shows that despite potential challenges with the proper knowledge and means, fashion companies can implement slow fashion values and thrive while promoting a positive and necessary shift in the fashion industry. 

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About the Author

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.

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Image: Fashion Revolution

Fashion Brands & Lack of Transparency on decarbonization Efforts

Despite ample pressure from activists, transparency is far from standard practice in the fashion industry. Yet, if there is something brands are remarkably tight-lipped about, it is their adherence to climate and energy-related policies. This lack of transparency and commitment is what emerges from the report 'What Fuels Fashion?' a special edition of Fashion Revolution's 'Fashion Transparency Index.' 

The 'What Fuels Fashion?' report focuses on five themes: accountability, decarbonization, energy procurement, financing decarbonization, Just Transition, and advocacy. The industry approach to these is assessed in the report by zooming in on the publicly disclosed information shared by 250 of the world's largest fashion companies. 

The authors' choice to include only info and data in the public domain is no coincidence. That is the type of information that shareholders can use to drive the change needed in the industry. 

Image: Fashion Revolution

Transition away from fossil fuels is needed, but big brands are still falling short 

The amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced by the fashion industry is enormous: about 2.1 billion tonsin 2018. At its current pace, this sector is on its way to keeping its emissions nearly double what's needed to remain within the 1.5-degree pathway. In spite of this, the report revealed how breaking away from the cause of this issue, fossil fuels, is not a priority for these big fashion brands. 

Of the 117 fashion companies with publicly disclosed decarbonization targets, merely 105 disclose their progress toward their goals. 24% of the major fashion brands don't disclose anything on decarbonization, with 60% scoring 0% in the 'What Fuels Fashion?' report decarbonization section. In addition, less than 1% of these top brands disclose a target to electrify all energy-intensive manufacturing processes where feasible across the supply chain. 

These data paint a grim picture, as according to the SBTi's Corporate Net-ZeroStandard, a climate-science-based framework for corporate net-zero, most businesses will have to reduce their GHG emissions by at least 90% to achieve net zero. 

Transparency in terms of energy consumption is also lacking. 95% do not disclose an energy consumption breakdown by country in the supply chain, and 96% do not share a breakdown of energy consumption by supply chain process. With coal being the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, a phaseout from it is a crucial part of progress toward climate targets, but just 14% of fashion brands disclosed commitments to phasing out coal in their supply chain. 

The industry, though, does not support the fossil fuel industry just through its energy consumption but also via the materials it utilizes. According to the Changing Markets Foundation, synthetic fibers, ubiquitous in the fast fashion industry, make up 1.35% of global oil consumption. In this context, just 33% of these fashion companies share the breakdown of the fibers they source annually.  

Image: Fashion Revolution

What is needed for decarbonization and a just transition? 

The climate crisis directly impacts workers. By 2030, it is estimated that the total working hours worldwide could decrease by 2.2% because of climate crisis-induced high temperatures. The extreme weather caused by the climatecould also prevent the creation of 1 million new jobs in the apparel industry, according to a report by the GLI and Schroders.

The colonial, profit-driven business model of big fashion brands contributes to a climate crisis that directly impacts the livelihoods and well-being of workers, including garment ones. In the face of the climate crisis's burden on garment workers, only 3% of the companies analyzed in the report disclose what they are doing to compensate workers impacted by the climate crisis economically. 

From the 'What Fuels Fashion? 'report, it is clear that the fashion industry has to decarbonize in a socially sustainable way across its value chain. The report asks large fashion brands to invest at least 2% of their yearly revenue into decarbonization and Just Transition efforts to achieve this goal. «By investing at least 2% of their revenue into clean, renewable energy and upskilling and supporting workers, fashion could simultaneously curb the impacts of the climate crisis and reduce poverty and inequality within their supply chains. Climate breakdown is avoidable because we have the solution - and big fashion can certainly afford it,» said Maeve Galvin, the Global Policy and Campaigns Director at Fashion Revolution, to the press.

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About the Author

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.

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The #SpeakVolumes campaign

In this age of information, there is one unanswered question central to the issue of fast fashion. How many clothes are made every year? We don't have an exact number; we have varying estimates. Calculating the number of clothes every brand on Earth produces annually might sound like an arduous task, but how many clothes a brand creates shouldn't be a secret. Still, according to the non-profit movement Fashion Revolution, 89% of the world's largest brands don't share their production volumes with the public.  

This lack of transparency hides a reality of overproduction and overconsumption, numbers likely too big for the public not to visualize the sheer amount of waste these companies generate yearly. Transparency on annual production volumes, like transparency as a whole, is a single piece of the puzzle of the complex systemic and structural change in the fashion industry. Yet, data is essential to assessing and tackling the problem of fashion's environmental and social impact. This data gap is precisely what the #SpeakVolumes campaign is trying to rectify. 

What is the #Speak Volumes campaign?  

The #Speak Volumes campaign is an initiative run by The Or Foundation, a charity that has been working between the United Kingdom and Ghana since 2011. The #SpeakVolumes campaign is their latest active campaign running since 2023 in parallel with their #StopWasteColonialism campaign, and more than 90 fashion industry insiders have endorsed it. 

This campaign focuses on transparency and accountability regarding fashion brands' annual production volumes. To do so, the Or Foundation has organized an open call to global industry giants to make transparency on production volumes the new normal in this sector.

The choice to ask brands to publish production volumes is not coincidental. This piece of data is needed not only for the development of adequate policies pushing a shift from a linear economy to a circular one, but production volumes are also something that affects all the actors along the fashion value chain, and it's directly connected to the issue of textile waste. In addition, this is a piece of info that is pretty easy for fashion companies to calculate. 

How is the campaign trying to achieve its goals?

The Or Foundation sent their open letter to big fast fashion brands like Nike, Gap, and Primark in August 2024. Artist Jeremy Hutchison also hand-delivered this letter as the "Textile Zombie" in 2023 to the British headquarters of Boohoo, Marks and Spencer, Adidas, George, Primark, New Look, Asos, Puma, and Tu clothing. People can also participate in this initiative by either emailing or delivering the letter in person to the brands nominated in the campaign. 

To share the campaign, they organized the 'I Can Count, Why Can't You?' social media challenge that people can participate in by counting the number of garments in their wardrobes. The #SpeakVolumes campaign emphasizes the necessity for brands to #SpeakVolumes by sharing the number of products created in a year, not by weight, as that doesn't communicate in detail enough to put in place appropriate circular economy initiatives. When it comes to sustainable fashion advocacy, knowledge is always power. 

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About the Author

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.

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