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Re:GenZ Business Plan (Final Major Project)

49% of Gen Z want to start their own businesses (Owen et al., 2018). Through watching my peers in the business school over the past couple of years I have come to the realisation that as a Gen Z cohort we are very quick to make "sustainable" business plans without doing enough research into the circular fashion economy, and only tackle part of the processes and design thinking required. Existing circular business guides are not explicit enough for fashion start-up businesses to practically execute, and it is hard to stay on top of new government legislation coming in and what eco technology companies are the best to partner with. This gave me the idea to make a regenerative fashion consultancy agency that helps Gen Z led fashion start-ups to navigate the landscape of circularity. Re:GenZ would ensure that its start-ups disrupt the fashion industry and have relationships with leading companies in the circular fashion field, with access to the latest recycling technology.

Creative Business Start Up

As the group leader in this project I conceptualised Realign based on my own experiences with struggling to find information on coming off hormonal contraception. Throughout development we used design thinking methodology and conducted primary research through surveys to check that the concept was viable and met our consumer needs. I created a fully formed website and created some content to market on social media. At the end of the unit we pitched our concept to our "investors." We used lean launch methodology to find product-market fit and made iterations between product and business model canvas.

Final Major Project Research 

For the first part of my third year final major project I created a research report to inform my final creative concept. Current legislation put in place by the UK and EU governments isn’t doing enough to stop environmental degradation caused by the fashion industry. I plan to create a theoretical framework of what government legislation and incentives should be going forward, in addition to a guide for all businesses on how they can transition into the circular economy. The world needs education on circular economies; brands must be designing products for disassembly and think about the end life of their products. A lack of investment, research and support from governments has meant that progress has been halted. The report contains quotes from interviews that I conducted with ethical business owners and experts. In my literature review I explored how brands can move into circularity, the negligence of the environment by the government, areas to prioritise in terms of investment and economic benefits of circularity.

Fashion Contemporary Issues

In this project I designed and produced an infographic poster to highlight the limitations of "sustainable" clothing resale as a contemporary issue in the fashion industry. The poster critically assesses how the issue impacts circular fashion business models, while analysing possible solutions that already exist. The infographics consist of primary research that I conducted through surveys. Suggesting that clothing resale is the answer to the climate crisis should also be classed as greenwashing; it is only part of the solution. Investment in material recycling hubs, garment collection, and education of both consumers and big companies will be critical in circular fashion advancement. 

Fashion Global Industry & Futures

For one of my third year units, I applied future thinking to the global fashion industry to identify, research and develop a creative concept and delivered a report to translate my creative concept into a feasible business idea. Through internships with ethical fashion businesses, I discovered that most physical stores opened by these companies fail. My concept was to renovate buildings left abandoned following the pandemic and to make them centres where customers could repair clothing that they already own, and a place for local artisans to sell their slow garments with less financial risk. The most significant barrier to circular fashion is a lack of collection and sorting schemes, and these centres would act as regional circular textiles hubs; potentially eradicating the use of virgin resources.