Circular textiles innovation during COVID-19: not the silver lining some had hoped for

Abstract

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused irrefutable devastation globally. Yet, academic and trade commentators have claimed that this disruption could have had a silver lining by presenting the fashion industry with the opportunity to reassess and rebuild in a slower, more considered way. Part of this reassessment, some have argued, may have been allowing the industry's pre-COVID sustainability buzz to come to fruition by nudging the fashion industry to go circular. This paper explores if, and how, the COVID-19 pandemic was (not) nudging the industry towards circularity using the case study of circular textiles.Design/methodology/approachSerial, semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with three buyers and sourcers working for three UK-based fashion retailers. Each participant was involved in three interviews in June 2020 following the UK's first national lockdown.FindingsThe research findings suggest that, at the time this research was undertaken, these retailers were focussed on regaining profit, protecting their supply chains and producing “safe” designs whilst cutting back and becoming more risk averse. These actors suggested that, in contrast to the suppositions made by academic and media commentators, the COVID-19 pandemic was acting as a hindrance to circularity, not a helping hand, as retailers were less willing to invest in circular textiles at that time than they were pre-pandemic.Originality/valueThis paper offers valuable insight into the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on circular innovation within fashion retail whilst contributing to broader understandings of the principles of the circular economy within textiles and design.