At the recent Textiles Recycling Expo in Charlotte, N.C., a coalition of industry leaders argued that retailers must become the driving force behind textile circularity. For The Lingerie Museum, which chronicles how intimate apparel has evolved from whalebone corsets to modern synthetics, this call to action resonates deeply: the very fibers that once shaped women's bodies now shape the planet's future.
Steven Bethell of Bank & Vogue, a secondhand wholesale supplier whose operations recall the rag-and-bone trade of the 19th century, noted that thrift shops alone cannot scale change. "Used clothes could change the nature of retail," he said, urging traditional outlets to embrace reuse. Eric Goldstein of Kaltex, a mill with roots in Mexico's textile boom, warned that fear of legal or quality issues holds retailers back. "They need take-back programs and to promote circular brands," he insisted.
Eileen Fisher's circular design director, Carmen Garma, offered a tangible model: her brand's Renew program rewards customers $5 per returned garment - a modern echo of the 1920s' "cash for corsets" trade-ins. Fisher, known for minimalist separates, now recycles worn pieces into new designs, like the denim dress Garma wore to the expo. For multi-brand retailers, Heath Nettles of the National Stewardship Action Council advised rethinking procurement: "Retailers are no longer endpoints - they're part of the grand system design."
Bethell cited Coach's handbags crafted from recycled jeans, a collaboration possible only through massive sorting operations. Yet even small retailers can participate. As Bethell put it, "There is no one-size-fits-all solution." But whether a store sells silk slips or sports bras, the lingerie industry's history of reinvention - from bustles to bralettes - proves that fashion can shed its skin. The challenge now is ensuring those skins don't end up in landfills.
Originally reported by WWD