Do we really need another fashion brand?

It's a heavy question for any aspiring fashion entrepreneur, and one that deserves an honest answer. You probably know the grim statistics.

An estimated 15 to 45 billion garments go unsold each year. And fashion accounts for approximately ten percent of global carbon emissions consumes vast amounts of fresh water, pollutes land and water, causes deforestation and generates roughly 92 million tons of waste annually. So in many ways the last thing we need is another brand.

But here's the truth: we still need people to do it better.

Customers need better options. 

They need designers to reimagine the way things are done focused on principles of circularity, longevity, and responsible materials. Designers committed to change how clothing and brands are valued rather than simply pursuing fast profit or scale.

We need craft-driven, purpose-driven designers who are committed to the well-being of the people who make our garments and have respect for people and processes. Making less, making better.

Customers need fashion that functions well and holds meaning. They need pieces to cherish and connect to rather than discard after a season.

No one can solve this alone. 

The fashion industry's problems are systemic, but that's why your contribution matters. Every brand that chooses to do things differently shifts the industry forward and changes customers expectations. Your commitment becomes part of a collective movement toward change.

Designer Eileen Fisher has long championed the idea that "a company can be successful as a business and also as an agent of positive change." She calls this "business as a movement.”

Ganni co-founder Nicolaj Reffstrup says in The Ganni Playbook  “If we shut the business tomorrow, some other brand would come along, fill the gap, and maybe they wouldn’t care at all about sustainability. We are working hard to be the most responsible version of ourselves.”

So, do we need another fashion brand?

Not if it's going to be more of the same and replicate the problems that already exist. Not if it values speed and quantity, over process and quality.

But if it's going to be courageous and innovative? If it's going to value people and planet alongside profit? If it's going to offer customers something thoughtful and beautiful worth keeping and passing down?

Then yes. The world needs exactly that kind of brand.