There’s nothing as refreshing as a new beginning. 

While more established fashion brands struggle to move away from wasteful processes, emerging brands have all the opportunities to aim for clean from the start.

That’s why we pay a lot of our attention here at Make it last on new brands; new ideas.

It’s not all about aiming for a clean or circular supply chains; it’s just as much about finding new business models.

One of the brands currently on my radar is For Days. Offering a subscription service of t-shirts and other organic cotton basics, with member being allowed to send things back in any condition and as often as they like, For Days aims for no-consumption, but rather reusing and recycling. One of the founders is Kristy Caylor, she left Maiyet in 2015 as she felt it had become inefficient as a business in terms of over-production and wastage.

The subscription model has been tested – but also abandoned. We have yet to see the real breakthrough in subscribing to clothes (like we do with music, films and cars). One of the big challenges is overcoming the need for the consumer to handle physical products (instead of signing up for, say, Spotify) and supply chain logistics; But the very idea of access over ownership is something an increasing number of consumers are interested in. It’s about sustainability; eliminating clutter; but just as much about ”having fun,” says Caylor. It’s probably safe to say that subscription services will soon be an established ”retail” channel alongside e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar.

If it would be easier, I would happily rent clothes or subscribe to fashion libraries. Not only for the obvious moments like weddings or whatever else occasions with dress codes that my everyday wardrobe doesn’t cover, but also for things I don’t want to buy because I think my usage will be limited. Come summer, the sudden urge for dreamy summer dresses? Sure, but I don’t use them for 11 months of the year. Like Caylor puts it: “I thought about how convenient it would be if basics like this could float in and out of our lives when we needed them, and they could be recycled and repurposed when we were finished. I could have what I needed, when I needed it, without the guilt when I was finished with it.”