Well Fashion: A New Direction for Materials and Products

Consumers are increasingly demanding comfort and sustainability alongside style. That is why SGS is supporting the textile industry with a range of voluntary marks that help demonstrate a product’s conformity to defined criteria for quality, performance, durability, functionality and sustainability.

Fashion is on a journey. The market dominance of athleisure over the last decade has now morphed into a trend for ‘well fashion’.

Well Fashion Drivers

Consumers are no longer content wearing multiple outfits in a day. Instead, they want comfortable, durable and functional outfits that are better for the environment, and which are appropriate for the office, gym and socializing. They also want to see evidence that claims relating to performance and sustainability have been corroborated by independent evaluation and certification.

Governments, NGOs and retailers are also initiating the change. Around the world, legislators are introducing sustainable economic models that focus on better design, reuse and recycling – the circular economy. At the same time, retailers want visible assurance that the products they sell conform to defined standards for quality, sustainability and functionality.

Industry Response

There is a radical rethink happening at the heart of the textile and clothing industry. Innovative approaches to design, manufacture, acquisition, aftercare, experience and disposal – the whole product lifecycle – are being introduced. Materials and processes that deliver better quality, performance, durability, functionality, usability and sustainability are being utilized by designers and manufacturers who are looking to develop well fashion that conforms to, and exceeds, market demands.

However, simply adopting a forward-thinking approach to the well fashion lifecycle isn’t enough to succeed in competitive markets. Claims relating to performance and sustainability made for a wide variety of products require independent substantiation to confirm that they are trustworthy. Therefore, to succeed in global markets, you must demonstrate to buyers, regulators and consumers that your well fashion product’s claims have been independently verified.

Better for Humans, Better for the Planet

SGS is working with a variety of forward-thinking manufacturers around the world to help them develop innovative materials and products that are not only better for us as consumers, but which are also better for the planet. Our comprehensive range of independent verification solutions are helping manufacturers to successfully access new and expanding markets with inventive, high-performing products.

Developed by Pacific Century Textiles, Nu Dye^® is an eco-friendly dyeing process that uses no hazardous substances. It delivers optimal consistency in color and an identical unique garment dye fade-out effect. According to Pacific Century Textiles’ findings, Nu Dye^® enables substantial water, energy and chemical savings in comparison to traditional dyeing methods.

Consumers want high-performance, comfortable textiles. Bemis’s advanced three-layer seam tapes made from recycled polyester jerseys ensure textiles meet stretch and recovery requirements without compromising waterproof performance.

Consumers also want products that keep them cool and dry and offer protection from the sun. One Boy^®, owned by Juo Yu Co., Ltd., is a clothing brand that is developing clothing that meets these comfort criteria, including instant cooling. This is a new, technologically advanced form of material that pulls perspiration away from the body and then uses it to help the material actively cool the body’s temperature.

These are just a selection of the many companies SGS is currently working with in the verification and certification of claims relating to sustainability and performance. These innovative technologies are allowing the development and manufacture of new forms of clothing that are not only better for us, but also better for the planet.