As a fashion futurist, my mission is to explore tomorrow’s possibilities for society and how that impacts the style industry. Every month I write about this for Spur Magazine, one of the leading fashion publications in Japan.

Discover the overview of my recent futuring columns:

• Modular Fashion Futures

• The Fashion Factory of The Future

• Space age fashion

Modular Fashion Futures

The term “long-life, loose-fit” was coined by architect Alex Gordon. This referred to the belief a building should be designed and constructed with adaptability in mind. Throughout the life of the building, it can adapt to new ways of life and have many different purposes and identities.

These same rules apply to fashion garments, footwear and accessories, which are, in their own right, a set of architectural elements engineered to work together. Modular design is an approach to designing sustainable fashion which also fits into the broader circular economy system. But for a long time, it remained marginal, even seen as gimmicky. The possibilities of clothing that can be given new life by transforming, adding or replacing parts has taken a long time to gain enough traction. But it is now reaching the mainstream.

Fashion designer and tailor Steven Passaro was too far ahead of his time when he launched The Act of Growth: evolutive garments that changes and transforms as we do. It was a service that offered garments crafted to get design extensions over time. Consumers were not quite ready for this project and although it gained public attention, it is still at seed stage. Fast forward and in the past year, modular and multifunctional fashion has experienced a revival, most notably in all things streetwear. And there are 4 main reasons for this.

First there is an appetite for streetwear looks pulling from space exploration, extreme environment survival gear, outdoor sports. The aesthetics appeal to an ‘elevated survivalist’ on a distressed planet, one that sees the world as a place to explore, scavenge and face unknown conditions. Engineering fashion for human survival in extreme environments has become the streetwear designer skillset. Instagram now is the playground for concept designers to share their modular creations, such as digital artist @Godzillah ‘s complex survival headgear combinations and @aidesign.png ‘s mobile research station AI generated series. They have in common that they depict a familiar yet imaginary world where our main purpose is to gear up and be adaptable to sudden change and harsh environments. An aesthetic steeped in surviving extreme conditions has deconstruction and found parts as the core of its visual DNA, as seen in Concept designer @uv_zhu’s sneaker creations.

Although not part of the streetwear eco system, DZHUS is a Ukrainian conceptual womenswear brand known for its innovative cuts and multifunctional collections. But today, in the face of its founder Irina Dzhus becoming a war refugee, modularity has taken a whole new meaning. The AW23 collection was named “TRANSIT” with the transformability of the looks paying tribute to the drastic changes all Ukrainians have faced. Many of DZHUS AW23 designs are conceived around pockets and bags, as an allegory for the evacuation process millions of Ukrainians went through, having taken only the belongings they could carry. Some of the outfits offer a transformation from an exaggeratedly utilitarian unisex silhouette into a fragile feminine look and vice versa. This is a metaphor for the inevitable change of a personality under the influence of force majeure circumstances.

Which brings me to the second reason we must consider modular design: the importance of versatility at a time when people are facing a cost-of-living crisis, climate change or needing to live in smaller spaces. A value and durability driven wearer might now be more prone to seeking designs that can easily be upgraded or interchanged. This signals a new supply chain eco system for fashion that in principle, should replace fast fashion and a toxic system of perpetual overconsumption.

The third reason is that innovations in manufacturing and design technologies are now making modular features, more specifically in sneakers, a scalable possibility. One of the most recent technologies has been the ability to remove glues and bonded layers to make recycling easier. Circular collaborative Hodei (previously mentioned in our column on Circular fashion) which produces de-constructible shoes, is one of a growing group of brands offering to prolong a sneaker's lifespan by allowing wearers to make updates through modular elements such as straps, fully removable socks or outsoles. Although not modular, the recent A Cold Wall x Converse SPONGE CRATER CX sneaker pulls from the aesthetic of disassembly.

Fourth reason: modularity can raise the likelihood of designs being reused, with replacement of parts rather than having to retire whole items. The added benefit of items being more easily taken apart for recycling becomes a key consideration in the ongoing effort to reduce fashion’s impact on the planet. Our climate is changing increasingly rapidly with more extreme weather patterns in closer intervals than before. Scientists predict there will be more droughts, heatwaves, hurricanes, storms and flooding in the near future. Sneakers with interchangeable parts, designed to be taken apart or reconstructed, form the emergency response to a growing demand for designs that embrace circularity.

Fashion’s creative renaissance seeks to approach design as engineers and regain creativity in the face of a meaningless and tedious rhythm of fashion trends. Embracing modularity and circularity teaches us to think in systems and produce future fit products. From the micro perspective of a singular garment to the macro system of an entire supply chain, it is time to break the rules and embrace adaptability.

The Fashion Factory of The Future

Fashion is emotion, identity, and beauty. But it is also a complex global supply chain. The last three years have caused unprecedented pressure on how and where we manufacture goods, putting in question our operational efficiencies. It is estimated 95% of global businesses have been hit by supply chain bottlenecks, shortages, rising costs and infrastructure issues. Compounded by trade wars, the Ukraine war, inflation, and climate change, what’s been coined the polycrisis is motivating organisations to redefine what a fashion factory means and how it best operates.

There are a few ways we could imagine the Fashion Factory of the future. Is it local, in your home or part of a global supply chain?

The first fashion factory model that has been brewing for years, hailed as a self-contained micro local model, has yet to gain traction. But with city centres now suffering from emptier office spaces, there is an opportunity to rethink neighbourhood-based factories. After all, this isn’t a brand-new concept. For centuries, maker workshops were an inherent part of c neighbourhoods where clothing, furniture and other types of goods were made. It is only during industrialisation that factories needing a larger footprint moved outside of cities or outsourced overseas. Combining the best of an old-world model with our technology powered era presents solutions. Pattern project is a South London micro-factory that makes urban, local manufacturing of clothing possible and cost-effective. They produce clothing in a matter of days and in small quantities.

Circularity is efficiency. A 2022 MHI and Deloitte report found that supply chain disruption had driven big investments in technology. Whether local or global, fashion factories of the future will need to be precise, rather than over manufacture. It is a win-win for brands and for the planet. Acclaimed Waste by George Dunham, Pima Nontakaew and DeepMind is a prototype for a council operated AI recycling system that identifies and recycles 100% of all plastic waste. It then manufactures necessary everyday essentials for the most vulnerable in the community. What if this model was introduced into fashion manufacturing, embracing circular and community economy principles?

Uniqlo-owned Fast Retailing Co. is investing in AI-driven retail and production which will allow the company to respond in real time to their global data and adjust their sales, production, and inventory plans accordingly. Product transparency, circularity, and accurate post-sale data enabled by digital IDs will also power the factory of the future with a new communication ecosystem between manufacturers and consumers. Mulberry has teamed up with EON to embed digital IDs across its product range.

Zero waste systems applied to fashion manufacturing also offer efficiency. This is an economic and sustainable opportunity that not yet been harnessed by the fashion industry. Danielle Elsener created Decode and won a $59,000 grand prize from Virgil Abloh and Evian in 2020 in what Abloh saw as the future of sustainable fashion. (You can also check out my interview with Elsener here).

Meanwhile pioneering factories are embracing technological efficiency through open source. [a]industri (previously known as Atacac) is a factory for physical and digital garment production based in Sweden. They use cutting-edge technologies to produce garments in Sweden and foster craftsmanship through the integration of 3D technology and the adoption of new business model. OSPP is their public research platform providing for free a library of digital garment patterns in the hope to enable makers to variate and generate new techniques.

When it comes to shared power and the idea of a decentralised model, what about a decentralized Web3 enabled factory that travels seamlessly between digital and physical world? This is what MetaFactory proposes. Their decentralized design and production process begins digitally. Designers create product mock-ups using Adobe suite and Clo3D, which are then constructed in their micro factories.

Finally, decarbonising production and embracing solar power will also be key for the future fashion factory. As the deadline for the Paris Agreement approaches (2025), decarbonisation will be one of the biggest issues across ALL industries. Anything ranging from the shipping of oversized boxes to petrol-powered shipping vehicles will be under scrutiny. The EU has just announced it plans to ban sales of new fossil fuel cars in 2035.

As we continue the journey to next gen making, Fashion manufacturers must juggle sustainability and efficiency, demands from the markets, and brands. How fashion brands plan for “newness”, which in turn impacts suppliers, will be a conversation that needs unpacking, considering geopolitical changes, environmental resources, demands from sustainable consumers and a growing body of governmental legislations.

Space age fashion

In 2014, my trend forecast ‘Future Craft’ centred around space exploration and a future of fashion designed for outer space. 9 years later, the space economy has never attracted more interest, investments, and awe. Today brands, artists and designers are exploring the possibilities beyond our atmosphere from manufacturing, living, to creating a blueprint for interplanetary justice. There are according to my analysis 5 main drivers for this boom.

1- Outer space Capitalism

As Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin pursue space exploration, research from the Space Foundation found that in 2020 the global space economy was worth $424bn, a 70% expansion since 2010. US astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson predicts that the world’s first trillionaire will come from asteroid mining, given the 16 Psyche asteroid was estimated at $700 quintillion, if the core is confirmed to be as rich in iron, nickel, and gold. Investors and capitalists around the globe are also investing in space infrastructure companies with $14.5bn of private investment in 2021, up more than 50% from 2020.

2- Cosmic Lifestyles

How can we design the conditions for humans to live and thrive in outer space? What is at risk of being lost in terms of health and nourishment? MIT has a catalogue of research projects solely dedicated to solving this challenge. Wearables have the potential to play a critical role in monitoring, supporting, and sustaining human life in space. Lab on Body is a device that integrates laboratory functions on a single integrated wearable device to achieve health monitoring automation. The MIT performance piece Gravity Proof explores how to prepare and cook bread in space. The research included an outer space baker’s uniform and zero gravity cooking equipment. Adidas Originals recently collaborated with Chinese brand HAMCUS to launch a capsule inspired by a conceptualised futuristic universe and interplanetary adventurer, equipped with modular clothing. In terms of fashion silhouettes and styling, modularity and protection will be key with pieces inspired by outdoor clothing and extreme weather gear. Digital artist pragmatiko.eth explores the concept of nomadic life in 2045 with AI generated fashion and art that illustrates ‘post-Earth’ style.

3- Microgravity Manufacturing

The climate crisis and the pollution caused by mining, combined with supply chain issues, is driving a search for new materials on earth and in space. Processes such as mining metal rich asteroids are now seen as an extremely viable opportunity for investors. According to McKinsey, the number of patents including “microgravity” increased from 21 in 2000 to 155 in 2020. This signals a new era of manufacturing that could trigger a scope of innovations and disrupt the conventional supply chain. Already California-based start-up Varda has designed a system to manufacture in space and is preparing to launch its first production facility into orbit. As aspirational as this may sound, it will be critical for brands to address human-made space junk as part of these ventures. Sustainability commitments on Earth must apply to space.  

4- Mystical allure

The millennia old mystique of space exploration was reaffirmed by the most clear and accurate pictures of the universe in history shared from the James Webb Space Telescope in late 2021. Designers and artists continue to look to space for creative inspiration but there is a growing body of work challenging our limited understanding of the cosmos, an approach defined as cosmic imagination. At the Venice Biennale 2022, Encounter in the Dawn by artists Anna-Lina Helsen, Kimin Han, Michael Bielicky, Alex Wenger and Christina Vinke used interplanetary data fed from a satellite, to create a multi sensorial fictional portal to another planet called Planet of the Elements, using sounds, sights, and smells.

5- Interplanetary ethics:

To conclude, it is critical to note most commercial initiatives in outer space are currently replicating polluting and colonialist dynamics, out of sync with the ethical imperatives of diversity and sustainability we need on Earth. What could sustainability and justice look like beyond our planet? The space race is currently monopolised by the mega rich. Planetary Personhood by studio Nonhuman Nonsense is a speculative interplanetary campaign against space colonisation outlining a Universal Declaration of Martian Rights. By granting legal personhood to Mars, the project aims to create a symbiotic relationship to the planet and larger universe. New perspectives are emerging that we should all pay attention to.

| Written and edited by Geraldine Wharry

Thank you Spur Magazine and my editor Mari Fukuda for all of your work making my monthly Futuring column possible and delivering it to readers in Japan and around the world. I appreciate you giving me the green light to share with you these future explorations in English.