Accelerating innovation across the fashion industry

FFG is well designed, developed, adapted and refined to address most of the critical needs and issues within its scope.

FFG’s design and implementation build on past lessons and help to advance the broader strategy of Laudes Foundation. Some minor limitations are evident, such as insufficient emphasis on; inequity and inequality in the fashion industry; and support for circular business models within the Innovation Platform.

FFG does well at identifying, attracting and strengthening innovators with transformative potential. This is FFG’s standout strength over the first three years of operation.

While not all innovations are disruptive, they all target relevant fashion industry challenges. Innovators are well supported to develop and build their technologies, organisational capacities and networks. Most of the innovators are based in Europe and North America, but FFG has started to target more talent in the Global South, especially in South Asia.

FFG has had reasonably good success at supporting innovators’ engagement with brands and retailer partners to test technologies with potential to change ‘business as usual’. Sixty-three percent of innovators entered the programme with at least a Minimum Viable Product (MVP); a base requirement for engagement with most partners. Among all innovators, 60 percent did not make it to pilot stage, while 31 percent are exploring possibilities with a partner. 

Innovators value tailored support that helps them develop ideas and business models and substantially strengthen their capacities and networks. Brands and retailer partners have also strengthened their own capabilities to work more effectively with innovators and collaborate to solve common challenges.

FFG had some success in supporting circular business models with the potential to disrupt ‘business as usual’.

One in six innovations that have made it to the Scaling Programme offers a disruptive, new circular business model solution. However, it is early days for an industry that has been stuck in its ways for more than a century. The 2020 pandemic may catalyse greater interest in circularity as a more resilient and sustainable business model alternative. This is a promising area for growth.

Industry narrative change is not yet at a tipping point, but pressure is building. Influencing changes in the wider industry remains a huge challenge.

Given the fashion industry’s entrenched way of operating, it is unrealistic to expect FFG to have influenced a major shift in the industry’s narrative at this early stage. FFG has, however, influenced the thinking, attitudes and discourse of participating frontrunner brands, retailers and manufacturers around circular business models.

After just three and a half years of FFG, it is too soon to see the emergence of system shifts through the uptake and adoption of new models and practices.

Taking innovation from the periphery to scale across the fashion industry takes time, even with supportive brands, retailers and manufacturers on board. Some promising signs are starting to emerge in the form of successful pilots, particularly in the Scaling Programme.