Representing the creative future

17 ways to meaningfully address fashion’s overconsumption crisis

Simon Giuliani, Chief Marketing Officer of Candiani – your favourite brand's denim creator – fields questions from young designers.

Denim is more than just fabric – it’s a symbol of resilience, innovation, and evolution. Few understand this better than Candiani Denim, a family-run mill with over 85 years of expertise in crafting some of the most sustainable and innovative denim fabrics out there. Nestled in the heart of Northern Italy, Candiani blends heritage craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, pioneering solutions that challenge the fast-fashion status quo. 

As part of our TENCEL™ Club initiative, we invited Simon Giuliani, Candiani’s Chief Marketing Officer since 2012, to join a dynamic Q&A session with 200 emerging designers. Together, they explored the future of circular fashion, sustainability-driven innovation, and how young creatives can embed these principles into their work from the very start of their careers. The discussion didn’t shy away from the industry’s toughest challenges, offering practical insights and actionable ideas for the next generation of designers.

Here are 17 of the most compelling questions, and the answers that could shape the future of fashion.

How would you rate the fashion industry’s progress toward achieving the necessary changes for sustainability on a scale from 0 to 10?
I would give it a four. If we consider the three aspects to focus on – reduce, reuse and recycle – we can see lots moving forward in the direction of reuse, considering the success of secondhand platforms. Compared to five years ago, there are also notable industrial efforts being put into scaling recycling. But the elephant in the room is reduce. There is nothing really stopping overproduction yet. That said, there has been immense progress compared to 10 years ago. 

What do you see as the biggest challenges the fashion industry must overcome to achieve true sustainability?
The biggest challenge is to reduce the amount of clothing we produce globally. The current fashion industry business model is based on economy of scale: the more you produce, the cheaper the cost, the higher your margin. It’s a business model born in the era of globalisation: a company’s growth is determined by producing more, selling more, and profiting more. As a consequence, the market is oversaturated, and a low price has become the main driver. In a post-globalisation era, this growth model is no longer compatible with the needs of people and the planet; nobody needs new jeans. Even though institutions such as the EU Commission are working on legislative frameworks to introduce “controlled degrowth”, the actual production system does not allow brands to change. That’s because the supply chain has been exported and to bring it back, we need innovation that is not ready yet.

If the industry doesn’t fully embrace sustainability, what do you envision for fashion 10 years down the line?
I think that we will see big changes happen in the next 10 years. New technologies will offer solutions to rebalance demand and supply, which is the first and biggest problem of the industry. For this change, we need new technologies, legislation, and a cultural [shift]. If we keep doing business as usual, then the saddest thing, besides the ecological disaster, would be the commoditisation of fashion with the consequent loss of “cultura di prodotto” – the culture around and about fashion products.

How do you anticipate upcoming regulatory changes will impact brands and manufacturers in the fashion industry?
The EU Circular Economy Action Plan is making progress, and I believe that it will significantly impact the industry. I work with around 300 brands and most of them will not introduce any changes until they have to adapt to new legislation. Until the directives and regulations are fully defined, brands will not invest their money, and I can’t blame them. Therefore I believe that the timing of the definition of the legislative framework is of paramount importance.

Could you give specific examples of new technologies and innovations to rebalance demand and supply?
The big challenge is to reshore productions to western countries while keeping costs competitive. Innovation is the bridge between sustainability and compliance. I believe that first of all we have to make the fashion system efficient again. Overproduction and waste are symptoms of inefficiency. Second, we need to generate value again to de-commoditise fashion. New technologies are aiming at facilitating the production process for western labour, who are no longer qualified: sewing is the bottleneck in all this, because the skilled seamstresses (Italy and Portugal are the last manufacturing countries in EU) are exiting the industry and no new labour is following their footsteps. We have to create new work environments that can attract young workers and create the needed cultural change.

 

Do you believe there will be space for unrestricted creative freedom in the future, or will designers need to adapt their approach to align with sustainable practices?
I think that creativity and efficiency can coexist. Design will also have to evolve in order to conceive products while keeping their end of life in mind. The European Ecodesign Directive is working on guidelines to introduce new, smart ways of creating. I believe that this is a very exciting challenge for designers. Furthermore, I like to think of sustainability when it comes to the design process (ecodesign) and to the materials that you choose for your garment; while for the production system you choose for making your garments, it is a matter of efficiency: produce what is needed, where it is needed, when it is needed.

How do you define “sustainable materials” in your work at Candiani Denim, and what criteria do you use to evaluate new ones?
The level of sustainability of a material is defined by its impact on the environment at its end of life. We face two main categories of materials: natural raw materials (cotton, linen, hemp, wool, etc.) and synthetic materials. The latter makes up for 70% of all fibres used in the industry. Synthetic materials have a high environmental cost during their production process and they can’t go back to nature once they end up in landfills. Why do landfills matter? Out of 160 billion garments produced every year, 25 billion garments end up in the trash – 75% of which is in landfills. Hence, the impact on the environment is crucial. It should be standard practice that a garment lives as many lives as possible but when it is no longer wearable, it should undergo an upcycling process, then a downcycling process (transform the garment into insulation material for construction), and, eventually, you will have a part left that is inevitably waste. That waste should be eco-compatible (biodegradable and compostable) in order to allow true circularity. A good example for that is our latest patented technology COREVA. We replaced the synthetic stretch elastomer with a natural rubber yarn, creating the first stretch denim fabric that is 100% biodegradable and compostable; allowing the remaining waste of the recycling process to go back to nature and fertilise the growth of new raw materials. We have run several pilots growing cotton using this waste. We have also grown tomatoes, made pasta sauce, and served it at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards in LA last March.

What common misconceptions do people have about sustainable materials, particularly denim?Sustainability is a purely technical matter that requires a deep knowledge of production and materials. Claims that are based on superficial knowledge can often be misleading and create misconceptions. One of many examples is that the cotton for one pair of jeans requires 20,000 litres of water to grow. You simply can’t generalise data like that. It depends on where, how and who grows the crop. I just came back from visiting our Spanish cotton supplier, who grows his cotton (7000 hectares) with only rainfall water, adopting regenerative agricultural practices that act as a carbon-sequester, amongst many other benefits. We also have our own cotton seed: a NON-GMO quality that requires less water than conventional cotton.

How do you see the future of denim evolving in terms of sustainability and market demand?
Sharing our technical knowledge with designers is the approach we believe will lead to a more conscious way of designing, sourcing, producing, and marketing. In 2012, we established our Candiani University inside the mill where we train the designers working in the brands we serve. Based on the business we have with the brand, we also offer training to their buying, marketing, wholesale and retail teams. This is how we catch two birds with one stone: educate and drive their sales. We also work with 19 universities worldwide as we have this one big belief: knowledge is the power to drive change. 

How can young designers create denim collections that are both innovative and commercially viable?
Today you do not need to compromise style for the sake of sustainability. A very simple suggestion: if you source value make sure that you communicate that value to your customer. This is a function we have supported brands with for the past 10 years as they do not have technical marketing. Start always with enquiring about the ingredients (environment), the origin of production (social responsibility), the fragmentation of the production steps (carbon footprint), and you can decide how to source valuable fabrics.

How does Candiani ensure quality control across the various stages of denim production, and what should designers look for when assessing fabric quality?
We source the cotton from partner farms and then the rest of the process is entirely internal, allowing accurate quality control. Since 2022, we’ve been moving our cotton sourcing gradually to Europe because there is a lack of transparency and false certifications in many sourcing countries. Consider that the production of organic cotton in the world is only 1% of the total crop. According to the claims of brands in the market, it should be 10%. So 9% of claims are based on false certificates. Sourcing in the EU, which has very strict regulations in place, makes the supply much more trustworthy.

How has the denim manufacturing process evolved over the years, and what technological advancements are driving the industry forward?
Fibres are a huge topic when it comes to the evolution of product and process, from industrialised cotton – responsible for soil depletion – to preferred cotton fibres such as BC (Better Cotton), Organic Cotton, Regenerative Cotton. Besides being eco-compatible at their end of life, artificial cellulosic fibres such as TENCEL Lyocell enhance the product with their soft, silky hand feel and moisture-managing characteristics. Chemicals are another huge topic: there will always be chemistry if you want a coloured textile, but there is good chemistry and bad chemistry. 

Let’s simplify: making denim is like cooking. If you make a plate of spaghetti using pasta and tomatoes in a can from the cheap supermarket, the taste, impact on your health and the price will be different than a plate of spaghetti made using homemade pasta and homegrown tomatoes. If this applies to food, it applies also to fashion. 

Can you talk about the most common mistakes new designers make when working with denim?
A pair of jeans is made in three steps: fabric, manufacturing (cut and sew), washing (wash down indigo to achieve fading effects). The washing process is exclusive to this product category. Shirts, for example, are made by cutting and stitching the fabric into a shirt. If you do this with denim, all jeans are going to look the same: dark blue and they will feel sturdy. The washing process allows the denim to transform into at least “50 shades of blue”. We say that the laundry is where the magic happens. If you don’t know how to transform raw denim into washed/faded denim, it will be impossible to create the jeans you have in mind.

How can young designers or small brands ensure transparency in their supply chains from the start?
Every supplier should offer transparency effortlessly, but an unwritten rule in the industry says that the farther you go from home to produce, the blurrier the production practices. And this happens not because manufacturers in the Far East are bad, just to be clear, but it happens because Western brands squeeze the hell out of them to hit the target price. 

For young designers looking to build relationships with manufacturers, what initial steps would you recommend?
I would recommend that every designer spends a couple of months working in the supply chain – just like every CEO should work in the shop of the brand they’re managing for a couple of months. In denim, it means working at a mill, a manufacturer and a laundry. As a result, you’ll gather the knowledge no school can offer. Think about it: if someone interviews with a fashion brand, it is very hard to compete on a design level – there are loads of designers applying and none of them (at the beginning) can offer tangible reasons why they should be the better candidate. If you offer to bring knowledge about textile, production and sustainability into the team, this is precious added value. I believe that every designer is an artist and should have the chance to express their potential, but in today’s saturated market, every bit of additional knowledge or skill can set you apart from others.

What advice would you give recent graduates looking to build a strong supply chain for a new sustainable brand? Basically, how can they build ethical and sustainable supply chains on a budget?
Once you’ve figured out the positioning of your brand and the consequent price range of your product, you have to scout the most appropriate suppliers. The closer you stay to where you design, the more it’ll cost; the farther you go, the cheaper it’ll be. The cost of your product will impact your retail price depending on the business model you choose. Rather than going for price and working with many suppliers, I’d choose some key suppliers and build a strong relationship with them. That’s what you will need in your good as well as your bad moments. You have to screen your suppliers, starting with their online presence. Look for transparency on their website, sustainability reports, any innovations they can claim, certifications, commitments and efforts, awards. Pay attention that the name of the brands they supply is not always to be trusted.

For designers who want to get into material innovation, would you advise them to extend their studies in any way, in order to follow this pathway professionally?
There are great courses and masters. This year, the Milano Fashion Institute had a master’s degree in PROCESS: FABRICS, MATERIALS & TECHNOLOGIES, for example. Going to trade shows is another useful source, but be careful not to get confused, you’ll find a lot of superficial communication. The best thing you can do if you want to dive into material innovation is to go work/intern/learn from who makes it. Gathering knowledge at the source is priceless.