Fashion is in its reckoning era. The runway now shares space with the climate crisis, and the age of “sustainable” slogans slapped on polyester capsules is waning fast. Greenwashing doesn’t cut it anymore; consumers, regulators, and designers alike are asking bigger questions. What if the real solution isn’t simply to pollute less but to radically rethink the entire system?
Enter the circular economy. Not a buzzword, but a blueprint. It’s about eliminating waste before it exists, keeping materials in play for as long as possible, and designing fashion not just for sale but for longevity, repair, reuse, and eventual reinvention. Think of it as fashion’s version of the afterlife – except instead of heaven, garments are reborn again and again in reincarnation loops.
But adopting circularity isn’t just about swapping out fabrics or ticking eco boxes; it’s a total mindset shift. And no one understands that better than Marianella Cervi, an ESG sustainability consultant working at the intersection of design thinking, systems change and coaching.
With over two decades of experience in sustainability – and a focused expertise in circular economy over the past five years – Marianella has been instrumental in embedding systemic change within some of fashion’s most influential brands, including VF International Group (Timberland, The North Face and Vans). She now teaches the circularity module on the AZ Academy executive programme at Accademia Costume & Moda, guiding fashion businesses – particularly emerging designers – in integrating sustainability into their core, not as an afterthought, but as a powerful creative and commercial edge.
From doing less harm to doing more good
Sustainability and circularity: two words often tossed around interchangeably, yet when you actually scratch beneath the surface, they tell slightly different stories. Think of it like this: if sustainability is the conscience of the industry – aimed at minimising harm – then circularity is the system reboot: designing products and processes that don’t just slow destruction but actively regenerate value. “Rather than being separate, they’re interconnected,” explains Marianella of the sustainability and circularity schools of thought. “The practices pursued in one contribute to the successful outcomes of the other.”
While traditional sustainability measures tend to be focused on reduction – less waste, lower emissions, fewer microplastics – circularity changes the narrative arc. In fashion, this translates to a head-to-toe reimagining of the garment life cycle. From the fibres selected to the way garments are constructed, worn, cared for, and ultimately retired (or revived). Or, as Marianella puts it, succinctly: “It’s about doing more good, not just less harm.”
If you’re building a fashion label today, you’ve got something special: a clean slate. For Marianella, this moment is full of creative and strategic potential. “If you’re just starting out, you have an amazing opportunity to build circularity into your foundations,” she says. “It’s a huge advantage.” And if your brand is already established? No problem. “Even if you have been in the business already for some time, you will always have a competitive advantage if you start incorporating these practices,” she says.
That shift starts with clarity. Marianella advises designers to look under the bonnet of their business: What materials are you using? Where does waste show up in your production process? What happens to your garments once they’ve left your warehouse – or your studio, or your pop-up rail at Dover Street Market? You have to trace the full lifecycle from sketch to post-sale.
From there, the design phase becomes an exercise in foresight. Can your product be repaired easily? Is it built from a single fibre or a confusing cocktail of bonded synthetics that will haunt a landfill for decades? What about it being a timeless design that won’t go out of style in six months?
Although these questions sound constricting, circular design isn’t about watering down creativity. If anything, it’s a provocation. The best ideas often come when the question isn’t just “what looks good?” but “how can this live longer, age better, or be reborn?” Plus, choosing mono-material constructions, avoiding glued finishes, and embracing timeless silhouettes –these aren’t aesthetic compromises; they’re brand-defining choices. They build identity as well as longevity. Marianella points to London-based label Raeburn as an example of a brand baking circularity into their ethos to great success. Known for reworking surplus materials (like military parachutes) into stylish, functional garments, their motto “’Remade, Reduced, Recycled’ guides both their creative and production processes,” she says.
No designer is an island. Circular fashion demands a collaborative ecosystem. That means working with mills and manufacturers who are open to experimentation, who can support take-back schemes, closed-loop systems, or waste reuse. A production partner who understands the value of offcut reuse or the mechanics of mono-fibre construction can help transform good ideas into scalable solutions. Building these relationships early can set the tone for a more resilient, responsive supply chain.
The human side of circularity
“Circularity thrives only when users are involved,” says Marianella. It’s a deceptively simple statement, but one that turns the conventional customer relationship on its head. In a circular economy, buyers aren’t just consumers; they’re co-stewards. Collaborators. Co-conspirators in a garment’s second (or third) life.
For a product’s value to be rooted in how it’s cared for, how long it’s worn, and what happens to it when it’s no longer wanted, brands must reframe customers not as passive recipients of products but as essential actors. This means designing systems that extend engagement far beyond the sale: care guides, material transparency, repair kits, alteration tips, and return pathways. Some brands go further, offering in-house repair services, rental programmes, or take-back schemes that allow garments to return, regenerate and re-enter the loop.
Although it sounds like a logistical nightmare, it doesn’t have to be. “Start small but do it with intention,” says Marianella. Maybe it’s testing a resale feature on one collection. Maybe it’s offering free mending on a signature piece. The important thing is to pilot, observe, refine – and build from there.
Circularity also depends on internal alignment. Because behind every circular strategy sits a team of humans – designers, supply chain managers, marketers, retail staff – all with different incentives, priorities, and vocabularies. This is where Marianella’s background in coaching and systems thinking comes in. “Often, the barriers to circularity aren’t technical, they’re cultural,” she says. Sustainability efforts bring together departments that don’t usually speak to each other. The designer wants beauty. The finance lead wants margins. The logistics team wants efficiency.
Rather than dictating frameworks from above, Marianella creates space for dialogue and reflection. “I always try to draw on my coaching skills to guide individuals and teams in unlocking their own insights and motivation,” she says. “I’ve found that asking the right questions and creating space for reflection can be a powerful way to move conversations forward and support the kind of change we need in the industry.”
Her approach treats sustainability as a relational, not just operational, process. It’s not only about swapping polyester for recycled cotton, it’s about creating the organisational conditions in which that choice becomes obvious, supported, and repeatable. And while her methods are rooted in coaching, they’re anything but soft. Circularity demands rigour. To redesign a product, a system, or a business model is to invite discomfort. It means confronting trade-offs, resisting quick wins, and unlearning deeply ingrained habits. But it also means unlocking new value, building customer loyalty, and future-proofing from the inside out.
The oncoming legal shift
If you’ve been treating circularity as a “nice to have,” here’s your reality check: soon, it’ll be the law. The fashion industry’s flirtation with sustainability is rapidly being formalised into legal commitment. Across the EU (and increasingly beyond it) governments are tightening the net, ushering in regulations that move sustainability from marketing jargon into hard obligation. At the heart of this shift is Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR: a policy that holds brands accountable for the end-of-life of their products.
In regions where EPR is in place, brands are affected if they place products on that market – regardless of where the brand is headquartered. If you sell or distribute in those areas, you’re likely subject to compliance. And, although some micro or small enterprises may currently be exempt, those thresholds vary by country, and may not stick around for long. Brands that embed circularity and compliance into their DNA from the outset will be far better positioned for the future.
But EPR isn’t the only regulation reshaping fashion. The EU is also phasing in the Digital Product Passport, which will require garments to carry scannable data on their composition, origin, and care instructions. While once this level of transparency may have seemed ambitious, it’s quickly becoming a baseline expectation.
Marianella sees these changes not as burdens but as opportunities: “Aligning early with these requirements not only ensures compliance but also gives your brand a strategic advantage,” she says. That means leveraging tools to track materials and volumes, designing with durability and recyclability in mind, and – crucially – knowing your markets.
If there’s one thing Marianella makes clear, it’s this: circularity doesn’t demand perfection, it only asks for participation. It’s not a finish line, but a way of working. A mindset. A commitment to rethink, redesign, and rebuild with purpose at every stage. It’s about slowing down to make better decisions. About trading fast growth for long-term value. About shifting the metric of success from quantity to quality, from reach to resonance. Because in the world of circular fashion, success looks different. It’s measured in extended lifecycles, thoughtful materials, transparent systems, and customer relationships that don’t end at the till.
So, whether you’re launching your first capsule or rethinking your twentieth season, the invitation is the same: design with care, build with intent, and imagine not just what your garments are – but what they might become. Because in a circular future, nothing is ever truly finished. It’s just waiting to begin again.
