January – The Carbon Cost of Overproduction
We kicked the year off with Sanne Schoenmaker’s thought-provoking article, which discussed the immense decarbonisation potential of reducing overproduction. Sanne points out that for a long time, overproduction was financially viable due to cheap raw materials, labour, and transport. Paired with substantial mark-ups, the fashion industry managed to turn overproduction into a lucrative practice – despite its environmental toll. But, as per the Paris Agreement, brands and retailers have to reduce their production emissions by 45% in 2030; making decarbonisation a legal obligation.
Now, at the end of 2024, our team notes that despite the regulations in place – that include EU legislation that bans the destruction of unsold goods, and another that ensures textiles are made to be longer-lasting, easier to repair, reuse, and recycle – there is still a high level of opacity around brands’ production volume. As long as the industry lacks access to reliable data, overproduction will continue to be a problem – one that our planet cannot afford.
February – Products to Services as Fashion’s New Path to Profit
Sticking with the sustainability theme for the second month of 2024 (that remains important throughout) Darya Badiei Khorsand wrote about the possibility of brands needing to build new service models to financially compensate for the scaling back of new product introductions to meet waste and emissions targets. Part of the solution could be for brands and retailers to explore product-anchored services as a way of bridging the revenue gap. Although these services are expected to be managed internally in the long run, the short-term approach will likely depend on collaborations and outsourcing to white-label providers.
Ten months later, our team can see that the challenge of balancing profitability with sustainability continued to be a central tension within the fashion industry as the year went on. To explore the topic further, The Interline’s podcast featured resale technology platform Continue and end-to-end aftersales platform Save Your Wardrobe. Both cover how, for brands and retailers, these services go beyond financial benefits – offering a way to engage with customers, understand their preferences, create stronger connections, and build lasting brand loyalty. For customers, the draw is in owning a personalised garment or giving new life to a cherished piece rather than purchasing something entirely new. This often leads to a deeper emotional connection with the item, motivating better care and prolonged use.
March – One Step Closer to Trusting the Technology
In one of our weekly news analyses, The Interline discussed the possibility that the fashion industry might be moving toward broader adoption of technology – specifically virtual try-on – to address the problem of returns. This problem has spiked with the rise of fast fashion and is a significant one for brands and retailers: returns tie up substantial capital in stagnant stock, while every return undermines customer trust and damages brand loyalty. As for virtual try-on, early in 2024 it was still an experimental space for many brands, and the technology companies that have set out to tackle it have had varying degrees of success in targeting direct to consumers organisations.
Our team is of the opinion that although the technology is still not perfect, there are clear indications that brands will increasingly use virtual try-on for apparel, accessories, and footwear as well as beauty. For one, the technology is constantly improving in its user-friendliness and accuracy, and could be given some momentum as the popularity of smart glasses – now available from Meta, Snap, and Apple – grows over time. For now, brands will still want to focus on not asking their customers for details that are time-consuming and intrusive, and offer a result that is accurate and dependable enough to base a purchasing decision on.
April – Luxury and AI’s Challenges and Controversies
This month’s most popular post contained one of the first signs that the luxury market was set to face some headwinds in 2024. A Hermès lawsuit opened up a path into consumers scrutinising the fairness and legality of strategies aimed at preserving the exclusivity and desirability of luxury items – especially in a tough economic environment. Meanwhile, OpenAI gave access to some of the global creative community access to its generative video model Sora.
Now, Sora has finally been released (followed quickly by a new rival video model from Google, Veo 2) and just as at the beginning of the year, there are still many questions and concerns when it comes to generative AI tools. Case in point: the release of Sora was just a week after a group of artists, who claimed to be part of the company’s alpha testing program, leaked the product in protest of being used by OpenAI for what they claim was “unpaid R&D and PR.” Nonetheless, now that it has been released, our team expects to see some incredible things from fashion’s creatives that use the tool, and can hope that clear regulations will soon ensure appropriate recognition for work that AI models have been trained on.
As for luxury, things have only got tougher. Brands at the top of the luxury pyramid saw positive growth, but nearly all others have – so far – done the opposite. The Interline team believes that prices still won’t drop, but we might see brands rethink their pricing structure and offer new products at a lower price point. This might see improved growth, but for a variety of macroeconomic factors, we will have to wait and see what happens next.
May – A Study in the Shape, Scope, and Speed of DPC
The Interline partnered with Clothing Tech in May to investigate why, despite years of innovation and increased adoption of 3D and digital product creation (DPC) tools across design, development, and downstream applications, widespread 3D integration has yet to significantly disrupt traditional apparel go-to-market timelines. The reason, in short, is that despite the broad adoption of these tools, workflows, and solutions – and their many benefits – the apparel industry continues to bring new products from concept to retail using largely unchanged sequential processes and timelines akin to those in the 2D era.
Reflecting on this article alongside the insights from The Interline’s recently published DPC Report 2024, we find that fashion businesses are investing in DPC (more than sustainability or AI solutions) to optimise how they design, commercialise, and bring products to market; delivering faster timelines, reduced costs, and minimised commitments. Our team recognises the remarkable gains that 3D and DPC technology has made as a driving force for business innovation over the past few years. Companies with the right technology partners and systems in place – for design, simulation, real-time experiences, virtual photography, augmented reality, material digitisation, and more – are gaining a real, broad advantage. And reduced time-to-market is just one of the advantages that are set to grow and deepen even more over time.
June – AI’s Continuous Ascent
June was a milestone month as The Interline released its first ever AI Report. The report is a deep-dive on the transformative impact of AI on fashion. Through exclusive editorial, tech vendor profiles and interviews, and market analysis, the report paints a picture of how strategic adoption of AI models, applications, and services is now an urgent business imperative, and just how far the vast possibility space of AI is going to translate into real, practical solutions. This is all in the wider context of all industries grappling with big, unanswered, questions around jobs, copyright, creativity, and ethics.
Taking stock six months later, the landscape has grown even more with the AI receiving widespread recognition, including from the Nobel Prizes; Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and Google began building AI directly into everyday devices, bringing it to broader audiences; and brands of all kinds began experimenting with AI both internally for day-to-day tasks, for as well as for consumer-facing purposes. In fashion and beyond, AI is going to become even more integrated into personal and professional use to change how we live and work – from AI agents, to generative AI tools, and for product search and discovery.
July – The Laws Closing in on Fast Fashion
This month, the question was asked: how long will fast fashion be able to outlast long overdue legislation? This piece of content focused on SHEIN’s rapid growth and market dominance, but it is the same story for some of its other peers too: their ability to quickly adapt to fashion trends, efficient shipping strategies, and low labor costs often come with these practices that raise ethical and regulatory concerns.
One of the major regulations that could address this is the de minimis exemption: a trade regulation that allows companies to avoid duties and taxes for imports below $800 that could soon be amended. The outcome will largely depend on the new US administration, but even in the absence of this legislation, increasing domestic political pressure will likely cause US policy to intensify scrutiny of e-commerce giants in 2025.
August – Imagining an AI-Native Value Chain
As the summer came to a close, Jonathan Brun’s article – that first appeared in The Interline’s 2023 AI Report – considered what a radically reimagined, AI-native fashion value chain could look like. Brun proposes an AI-native, community-led brand framework in a collaborative ecosystem, where generative AI removes creativity bottlenecks, enables market validation before production, and matches designs with manufacturers for efficient product creation.
On revisiting this article, our team finds that it is still true that the currency that appears to matter most in AI may not be investment but trust. This has been a key focus for brands as 2024 comes to a close, and it remains top of mind for tech companies developing AI platforms, software, and devices – an emphasis that is expected to sharpen and advance further in the coming years.
September – Standing by Sustainability
As we entered the year’s fourth quarter, The Interline released our second report of the year, this one focused on Sustainability. In 100+ pages, the report includes content on the changing landscape of legislation, the mechanics of traceability, and the outlook for skilled workers in a circular value chain.
This year has seen industry further shifting towards sustainability, inclusivity, and innovative strategies aimed at addressing its impact on climate change and social inequalities with tightening legislation in the US, UK, and EU. But in practice, there is still a long way to go, as for many in the industry profit is being prioritised over climate action. The climate group Stand.earth has released a new analysis that links the supply chains of more than 100 fashion brands – including Lululemon, Massimo Dutti, and Zara – to oil and gas fracking as they continue to source cheaper, synthetic fibres sourced from fossil fuels.
It is worth reiterating the key message from the report that our team still stands by at the end of 2024. We believe that the need for environmental and social action in fashion is more urgent than ever. The industry must adopt a strategy focused on deep decarbonisation, better supply-demand balance, a truly circular business model, a comprehensive overhaul of material usage, and a redefined (slower) approach to the release of new products. Fashion must also ensure fair wages for its workers and protect them from the impacts of climate change. Here, we advocate for the role of technology in this transformation. Beyond first-party data, this includes systematised transparency, traceability, material science and innovation, equitable collaboration, standardised labour quantification and costing, and a tech-enabled chain of custody. Without these, fashion cannot achieve the necessary environmental and humanitarian progress without compromising its current business model.
October – Prioritising PLM for a Stronger Fashion System
One of October’s popular pieces of content was by Mark Harrop, who detailed why Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems are going to play a critical role in helping brands and manufacturers meet the requirements of the upcoming Digital Product Passport (DPP) regulations.
Our team agrees that investing in PLM systems capable of managing the critical data required for DPP compliance is essential for brands and retailers, as it will see them getting ahead of both legislation and an increasingly competitive landscape. This digital transformation will not only ensure future compliance with regulations but also position brands as leaders in responsible, transparent fashion.
November – Mindset and Methods Needed for Material Innovation
“2024 has already been a rough year for the alternative materials industry,” writes Roni GamZon in her feature that evaluates what it will take for material innovation to reach mainstream adoption. Early this year, US-based Bolt Threads halted production of its plant-based leather alternative, Mylo, despite raising $380 million and dedicating over 15 years to development. Shortly after, Renewcell – a frontrunner in textile-to-textile recycling – filed for bankruptcy, even after its Nasdaq IPO and securing multiple brand partnerships. Amidst the bad news, there may be hope on the horizon for Circulose, the company renamed after Renewcell’s material following its acquisition earlier this summer.
Our team is optimistic about the future of alternative materials, but their success will depend on several critical factors working together. Close collaboration between brands and innovators is essential to transform these solutions from concept to commercial items. Achieving this will involve balancing quality with aesthetics, addressing production challenges, and dispelling pricing myths. It also demands patience, adaptability, and a commitment to incremental progress. Most importantly, it requires a mindset shift: viewing sustainability not as an add-on but as a fundamental part of brand identity and strategy. The ultimate goal should go beyond meeting regulations or responding to consumer expectations, instead aiming to create an industry that preserves the planet.
December – Our DPC Report Does it Again
For the second December in a row (and third year running) our DPC Report 2024 has exceeded expectations. In the first 24 hours alone, the report – that has come to be an industry handbook on the progress, the philosophy, the community, and the outlook for 3D and DPC – was downloaded thousands of times by stakeholders from all corners of the fashion industry.
As 2024 reaches its finish line, we reflect and can say that DPC has come a long way, just in the last year. Today, professionals across the industry – designers, buyers, managers, makers, and more – acknowledge the vast opportunities that digital workflows offer. The next challenge will be to determine how much of this transformative potential DPC can fully capture.
It was a milestone year for us at The Interline and we look forward to empowering fashion professionals with the tools to understand, integrate, and maximise the potential of fashion technology in 2025.
