Primark’s latest sustainability report, detailing its updated Circular Product Standard, frames a modern retail challenge with principles deeply rooted in lingerie history. The push for durable, repairable garments and simplified designs—like reducing elastic in waistbands—directly mirrors the foundational ethos of early 20th-century foundations wear. Brands like Maidenform, founded in 1922, built their reputation on engineered durability and precise fit, creating garments meant to last through careful construction long before 'circularity' entered the lexicon.
Primark reports that 20% of its jersey units and 8% of its denim now meet its circular design criteria. This focus on material longevity and recyclability finds a clear precedent in the post-war innovations of companies like Warner’s, which pioneered new elastic fibers and construction techniques for girdles and bras that balanced resilience with comfort. Their work was fundamentally about making a garment perform for its entire intended lifespan—a core tenet of today’s circular economy.
The retailer’s widespread repair workshops, teaching customers to mend their own clothes, recall a time when women routinely maintained their delicate undergarments. Lingerie was an investment, cared for with specific soaps and meticulous stitching. Primark’s strategy, while applied to high-street fashion, applies this same logic of preservation to its entire range, suggesting that the most forward-thinking design principles often look to the past for inspiration.
Originally reported by WWD