Sustainability report
The digital fashion model generates the biggest reduction in environmental impact of any other fashion model in the world.
The Fabricant is the world’s first digital fashion house, making innovative and compelling 3D garments and fashion narratives that are entirely non-physical. Among our founding principles is the belief that fashion should waste nothing but data and exploit nothing but the imagination. Through our work we harness the power of the digital realm to build an inspiring and collaborative fashion future that operates beyond physical boundaries. We are committed to the creation of a new fashion perspective that revolutionises industry systems, and makes self expression through digital clothing a sustainable way to explore personal identity.
This year our quest led us to team up with The Imperial College of London. We were supported by Dr Onesmus Mwabonje and Dr Eva Sevigne Itoiz and the talented Yihan Xiong, who led the detailed life cycle assessment comparative research, illustrating the environmental effects of physical versus digital fashion.
The virtual digital model generates the least environmental impact
Digital samples replacing physical garments during design and development phases dramatically reduce the brand’s carbon footprint up to 30%
The following results are based on the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) of a single t-shirt.
Water reduction Toxicity reduction CO2 reduction
Wetting processes during the life The environmental pollution caused The carbon footprint of the life cycle of
cycle of a t-shirt amount to 683 litres by the use of toxic chemical the production of one t-shirt, from
of water consumption, whereas the (Dichlorobenzene) in the physical design design to disposal generates 7.8 kg of
virtual production phase skips and production phase amounts to CO2, while a digital t-shirt only
this step entirely. 12,300 kg whereas digital generates 0.26 kg
fashion generates only 0.692 kg
Through the use of creative technology, and the data it creates, digital fashion’s clear benefits can positively influence processes throughout the supply chain. Any fashion entity, no matter what part it plays, will benefit from the sustainability gains of transitioning to digital practices. It not only creates an industry that’s less wasteful and less environmentally impactful than ever before, it allows a fashion future that’s smarter, more resilient, and better placed to manage uncertainty. Join us in creating a digital-centric fashion world that’s suitable for the needs of the 21st century, and ready to evolve for what lies ahead.
Read the full report HERE
BUFFALO LONDON DIGITAL SNEAKER CASE
Making a mark, without the footprint.
Iconic footwear brand Buffalo London teamed up with The Fabricant to co-design the exclusive “Classic BurningFor” digital-only sneaker for progressive fashion conscious customers. The shoe was sold through digital fashion retailer, DressX, enabling customers to wear the shoe digitally across social media. The digital collection’s Co2 impact is 99% less than a physical equivalent.
Read the full report HERE
PEAK PERFORMANCE DIGITAL SAMPLE CASE
Performance without impact.
Peak Performance has teamed up with The Fabricant to replace their physical samples for digital ones improving the marketing process while eliminating unnecessary waste and allowing for internal quicker decision-making on colors and fit. The environmental impact reduction is estimated to be -96% decrease in carbon emissions from one physical sample to one digital equivalent.
Read the full report HERE