Products of Change

from Total Licensing Autumn/Fall 2022

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Licensing for the Fashion Conscious

Ahead of its own focus on sustainable fashion at Brand Licensing Europe this month, Products of Change explores circularity in couture and culture

When a small but engaged group of Products of Change members gathered in London last month for the first in-person Circular Economy 101 Workshop something special happened – and I’m not just referring to the spectacular disappearance of the lemon drizzle cake. Within the space of the three-hour Workshop in which the basic principles of the Circular Economy were explored amongst a group made up of product specialists from Topps, Talking Tables, Tesco and more, a new level of creative thinking was unboxed. The session, it is safe to say, had successfully helped delegates flip their mode of thinking from linear to something more circular and take home with them the root understanding of an economic model that can benefit people and the planet at the same time. And it’s all to do with our perception of waste. A long, hot summer through which warnings of wildfires and drought peppered our national news coverage week by week went some lengths to bring the importance of climate change action a lot closer to home than many of us may have found comfortable. Gradually we are beginning to realise the impact of climate change on our waking lives. As a society, we know that decarbonisation is essential if we are to preserve the future of this planet for generations to come. As a species, we also recognise that we have a rather large problem with waste. With its focus on retaining products and materials at their highest value state, the circular economic model challenges producers and manufacturers to eradicate waste by design; whether this is through the materials they use which can then return to the Earth in a regenerative process at the end of their life, or in the business model adopted that means products remain in the value stream and out of the waste stream. While much of the battle lies in disassociating recycling from people’s perception of the circular economy, thinking in terms of circularity isn’t as big a leap as it may first appear. The success the online marketplace eBay has seen with Pre-Loved Fashion is a great example. Even before its sponsorship tie-up with the cult TV series Love Island, eBay UK had reported one Pre-Loved sale every second of 2022 so far. Thanks to the success of its partnership with the eighth season of the reality TV show, we can only expect to see its continued popularity with the younger generation. Most recently, eBay UK has taken its next step in its mission to ‘change the way people shop for clothes,’ having signed Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri as its first Pre-Loved Ambassador. It’s not only a huge first for the series that has historically seen its contestants go on to form strong ties with the fast-fashion space, but the latest in a series of big wins for circularity in fashion. And fashion is, of course, inextricably linked to our own industry. So much so that it will be the main theme of Brand Licensing Europe this year, with no fewer than nine fashion shows scheduled to take place across the show’s three days this September. Among the collections to be hitting the catwalk will be some of our in-

Tasha Ghouri

dustry’s own pioneers of sustainability, including Primark Cares, Hasbro, Smiley and many others. But that isn’t all. Products of Change will also be bringing Junk Kouture to the halls of London’s ExCeL to showcase the creativity and innovation that can be applied to the second-hand market. Junk Kouture is a television fashion competition for students throughout which participants design, create, and model fashion collection made from recycled items. As a platform, it is all about showcasing the possibilities for endless creativity that the circular reuse model harbours. As a tool for education, it’s yet another means of encouraging the coming generations to reassess their relationship with both fashion and waste to find and retain the value in products and items that may have come to the end of their first life. It is as Caroline Petit, Deputy Director, United Nations regional information Centre for Europe told us herself, that “sustainability is not a limitation to fashion, but rather a trigger for bringing real creativity and passion into the industry.” So where does this leave licensing? It’s a great question. When it comes to applying circularity to what has been traditionally a linear, money-making industry we are looking at a bit of a blank canvas, aren’t we? But that is a blank canvas filled with potential, and there are already companies helping to signpost the way. Housed on the Isle of Wight, the sustainable fashion expert Teemill is already making headway in bringing circular principles to the licensing process. Its print to order system means that it produces only what is sold, designing out waste from the very beginning. The fact that Teemill is gradually and very surely growing its licensing portfolio – its latest tie-up being with Products of Change member, The RSPB – is a great testament to the awareness growing within the licensing sector of sustainability through circularity. What comes next is an exciting prospect to consider. We operate in an age of subscription models when our biggest entertainments are delivered through monthly memberships and communities are nurtured with content and conversation from our largest IP owners. Does the licensing industry have the potential to shift to something similar in the pursuit of circularity? These are the questions already being ruminated on. To make sure you’re a part of the circularity in licensing conversation, be sure to drop by the Products of Change Sustainability Café at Brand Licensing Europe this year and check in with the team in person or online to learn how you can help drive positive change across this endlessly creative industry. Junk Kouture