Let's discuss the topic of the circular economy in fashion. I asked our PR and growth experts: What are the biggest opportunities and challenges for fashion brands when transitioning to a true circular economy? Which circular business model—resale, rental, or repair—holds the most potential for scalability and significant impact in the fashion industry? How can brands engage consumers and shift their mindset toward circular consumer behavior? What other innovative technologies and collaborations are critical to enabling a circular fashion system?

Here are the experts' insights.

• Developing a custom resale platform
• Repair scale lives in micro hubs
• Resale has grown beyond brands’ expectations
• Shared systems would help more brands: Intake centers, repair hubs, resale platforms
• Repair as part of the product experience
• You don’t need to preach circularity. Just offer more value.
• 3D weaver machines that produce zero-waste on-demand garments
• Build a more resilient and transparent supply chain that reduces waste and carbon emissions

Developing a custom resale platform

Emily Reynolds-Bergh, Owner at R Public Relations

"Brands that want to attract sustainable shoppers should create a resale system on its website or app, allowing loyal customers to swap colors, upgrade beloved items, and connect with a likeminded community. Resale is becoming mainstream thanks to apps like DePop and Poshmark; with low barriers to education and entry, this option has the most potential for scalability. Developing a custom resale platform will showcase a brand’s commitment to keeping its garments out of landfills and give its team unfettered access to audiences. Simple AI systems that can help sellers list items accurately and quickly will improve adoption of any resale platform."

Repair scale lives in micro hubs

Brian Futral, Founder & Head of Content at The Marketing Heaven

"Circular fashion lets brands own the whole life of a garment. The upside sits in repeat revenue from the same piece, lower raw-material spend, and a stronger story for climate-aware shoppers. The hard part is ugly: scattered supplier data, tricky reverse logistics, and a finance team used to sell-through, not buy-back. I tell clients to cost the loop at the tech-pack stage; the recycling bill is baked in once the sleeve stitch count is set. Brands that wait pay double later.

Repair beats rental and resale for pure reach. A seven-dollar restitch keeps a hoodie in play and pulls the owner back into the brand app. Each visit sparks impulse add-ons that carry a forty-percent margin. Scale lives in micro hubs: mall kiosks running modular machines that swap zippers in five minutes. People love the live theatre of mending; it turns a chore into content. Revenue flows steadily, inventory risk stays near zero, and the carbon math looks heroic in ESG reports.

Slip a low-cost NFC tag in the care label. It stores fiber mix, dye type, and repair history. An AI vision tool reads it, auto-prices labor, and books the slot at the nearest hub. Partner with laundries, not luxe boutiques; they own last-mile networks and can flip to repair stations overnight. Layer blockchain only for bulk trade between mills and recyclers; keep the consumer layer light. Circular wins when the backstage stays invisible and the front stage feels instant."

Resale has grown beyond brands’ expectations

Khris Steven, Founder at KhrisDigital

"I have witnessed that resale has grown beyond brands’ expectations. Now, even well-known fashion brands like COS and Levi’s are getting into resale, as the demand is already all around us. Patagonia pulled in over $10 million through Worn Wear, just from used items. Gen Z does not see it as secondhand, they see it as smart and way more personal than buying new. The real issue is behind the scenes. Most fashion brands still run on rigid supply chains that are not built to take stuff back or reprocess it. I have worked with clients who wanted circularity but had no clue how to shift their logistics or data tracking. That’s where it stalls.

If companies wish people to change how they shop, they must demonstrate the value. Through actions and not through fancy marketing. Simply by illustrating that clothing, shoes, bags, furniture and other products can be revived, I have helped creators shift many products. It is this part that draws attention. Implement tags that people can digitally scan, allowing them to discover everything your shop can offer and you will make them into returning customers."

Shared systems would help more brands: Intake centers, repair hubs, resale platforms

Katie Breaker, Sales & Marketing Director at BirdieBall Golf

"We’re not in fashion, but we manufacture, sell, and support physical products directly to consumers. I’ve built programs around resale, repair, and product longevity. Circular systems have been part of our operations in practice, not theory.

Here’s what we’ve learned from actually trying to make them work.

1. What works, what gets in the way Circular models only work when you build for them early. That means designing products to be used again, passed on, or repaired. You can create longer customer relationships and more product value over time.

The biggest problem is logistics. Most teams are set up to ship, not receive. When we first tried collecting and reselling used BirdieBall mats, we didn’t have intake processes, tracking, or warehouse flow. It got messy fast. We had to stop, rebuild, and train the team before trying again.

2. Which models make sense Resale works best. Customers already understand it. You just need good sorting, clear presentation, and trust in the product quality.

Rental demands a lot. Timing, inspection, turnaround. If one thing slips, the whole experience falls apart.

Repair only works if the product was built for it. We redesigned some of our gear to be serviceable by the customer with zero tools. That took real product changes, not just messaging.

3. How to shift customer behavior We kept it simple. Use what you have. Pass it on. Don’t waste it. When we messaged reuse as a smart move instead of a moral one, people responded.

We gave them credit, pre-paid return kits, and clear steps. That made the difference. Customers follow through when the steps are obvious and quick.

How you present the product matters. If it feels built to last, people treat it differently. That mindset starts at the first unboxing.

4. What helps circular systems run You need item-level tracking. We use QR codes tied to batch data. That helps us grade, sort, and route returns with less friction.

Shared systems would help more brands. Intake centers, repair hubs, resale platforms. Everyone building their own version is slow and costly.

We’re testing regional intake to cut down on distance and time. It only works because we have the data to route items properly."

Repair as part of the product experience

Jason Rowe, Director & Founder at Hello Electrical

"What fashion brands can do to shift consumers toward circular behavior is offer repair services, because it changes how people think about their clothes. When customers know that repairing an item is simple, accessible, and supported by the brand, they start to see their wardrobe as something worth maintaining rather than something to replace at the first sign of wear.

That small shift has a ripple effect. It encourages people to buy more intentionally, to hold on to what they own longer, and to think differently before tossing something out. Repair becomes part of the product experience, not just an afterthought, and it moves the brand into a more lasting relationship with the customer. That’s how you change behavior. Not by pushing a message, but by giving people a real reason to engage differently with what they buy."

You don’t need to preach circularity. Just offer more value.

Alex Franklin, Co-Founder at A.M. Custom Clothing

"The circular economy isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business too. There’s real potential to make money through resale, repair, or recycling. What one brand sees as waste, another might see as valuable material. For example, we allow customers to return their products at the end of their life, and then turn those products into filling for pet beds, which are then sold by another company. This is just one of our recycling routes, and that kind of collaboration benefits everyone.

It also builds trust. When customers know their products are being reused or recycled responsibly, they feel better about supporting the brand. Even if recycling costs money, the boost to reputation and loyalty can outweigh that.

In terms of scalability, resale and recycling are probably the easiest starting points. Repair takes more time but can still work if it’s systemised properly. None of the models are unscalable if you put the right structure in place.

To shift consumer behaviour, you don’t need to preach circularity. Just offer more value. If someone only pays for a product once and you repair or recycle it for them, that’s a win. It should feel like a bonus, not a trade-off.

Finally, brands don’t need to do everything alone. Partnering with others who already have the infrastructure can make circularity more accessible and profitable."

3D weaver machines that produce zero-waste on-demand garments

Moattar Ali, VP of Marketing at HARO Link Builder

"The circular economy isn't coming - it's already here, projected to represent 23% of the global fashion market by 2025. These are the most common mistakes that brands make:

1. The Make-or-Break Challenge: Inventory Nightmares
While resale generates 3- 5x the margins of new sales, brands almost always mess up authentication and logistics. The trick? Blockchain-powered digital product IDs (like Aura's) that track products through 10+ lifecycles while cutting authentication costs by 70%.

2. Rental's Hidden Goldmine
The real winner is not Rent the Runway-style subscriptions - it's rentals by occasion. One of the high-end brands we worked with created 2Mi Q1 just by renting 5,000 gowns for $300/week to wedding parties. How? Bundling with dry-cleaning and alterations.

3. The Psychology Shift That Works
Customers are not interested in "circularity" - they care about:

• VIP resale clubs (members only)
• Profit sharing (earn 50% back when you return)
• Status signaling (digital "badges" for repeated repairs)

4. The Overlooked Tech Gamechanger
3D weaver machines (such as those of Unspun) that produce zero-waste on-demand garments will upend the whole repair system by removing seams, where 80% of clothing first breaks down."

Build a more resilient and transparent supply chain that reduces waste and carbon emissions

Allan Hou, Sales Director at TSL Australia

"Fashion brands transitioning to the circular economy have a unique set of opportunities and challenges, especially in terms of logistics and the global supply chain. The opportunity lies in building a more resilient and transparent supply chain that reduces waste and carbon emissions. However, the challenge is overcoming the complexities of reverse logistics. It's not as simple as getting items from point A to point B; it involves careful handling of returned, repaired, or recycled products and ensuring they don't add additional carbon footprint.

Rental models are seeing significant potential for scalability. The logistics of cleaning, returning, and maintaining garments can be streamlined through technological advancements. A strong network of local hubs can ensure that the process is efficient and cost-effective, increasing both consumer convenience and brand profitability.

To change consumer behaviour, fashion brands must focus on education and convenience. Providing an easy-to-use platform for renting or swapping clothes, along with clear benefits such as cost savings and environmental impact, can drive consumer interest.

The role of AI in predicting demand and optimising return logistics will be crucial in making the Circular Economy model viable for fashion brands. Innovations in data analytics and improved tracking systems are critical to managing the entire lifecycle of a product sustainably."

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