At Vegan Fashion Repository, we keep our ears firmly to the ground for every essential development in the vegan and sustainable fashion industry, and celebrate when another milestone is reached.
Here’s the summary of the highlights of August 2025:
We begin this month a little differently, with two pieces of news not directly tied to fashion—one hopeful, the other deeply concerning.
First, some heartening developments: five European municipalities—Alcorcón, El Masnou, Braga, Tavira, and Nijmegen—have now endorsed the Plant-Based Treaty, a grassroots initiative calling for urgent systemic change away from animal agriculture. Nijmegen (the Netherlands), not only signed but also banned meat advertising, signalling a serious commitment to shifting public norms. These actions add bottom-up pressure for wider policy change. (Source: Plant-Based Treaty)
On the other hand, the INC5.2 meeting in Geneva (5–14 August) failed to deliver a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty. Talks collapsed over a fundamental divide: should the treaty enforce hard limits on plastic production and toxic chemicals, or rely on voluntary waste management measures? This deadlock leaves campaigners and conscious consumers frustrated, while granting industry players more time to delay systemic change—at the expense of our already dire plastics crisis. (Source: World Economic Forum)
Textile and Material News
Global cotton sourcing is in flux. Vietnam is challenging Bangladesh’s lead, Pakistan is expanding imports, and Turkey is slowing. Meanwhile, the 2024 US Human Rights Report highlights the ongoing use of forced labour in Xinjiang, which produces more than 85% of China’s cotton—a stark reminder of the ethical risks hidden in global supply chains. (Sources: Fibre2Fashion, Just Style)
Despite falling cotton yarn prices and shrinking margins, Bangladesh is emerging as a sustainability leader, with 258 LEED-certified factories—more than any other country. Cotton Connect is partnering with the nation’s Cotton Development Board to boost quality, sustainability and traceability. Notably, Primark sources cotton through this programme, signalling how high-volume retailers can influence supply chains. (Sources: The Daily Times of Bangladesh, Just Style)
Allbirds has launched its first shoe made from recycled textile waste, partnering with Circ® and Blumaka, while Levi Strauss & Co. will expand the use of BioBlack—a pigment derived from FSC-certified wood waste by Nature Coatings—into its denim ranges. (Sources: Circ.Earth, Nature Coatings Inc.)
Technology News
Live shopping platforms are experiencing a marked surge in activity. The format—creators livestreaming to sell physical goods—has long been popular across Asian markets but has remained relatively niche in the West. That appears to be changing in 2025. Whatnot has already generated more than $3 billion in sales this year, surpassing its total 2024 figure of $3 billion, according to Armand Wilson, the company’s Vice-President of Categories and Expansion (though no precise number was given). Meanwhile, TikTok, identified by GlobalData as the leading live shopping platform in the United States, has reported a 20% year-on-year sales increase in 2025, based on a joint study with the analytics firm published in June. (Source: Digiday)
Bestseller, the Danish fashion conglomerate behind Jack & Jones, Vero Moda and Only, is investing in automation, leading a $20 million funding round to scale so-called “sewbots”. These platforms combine robotics, machine vision and AI to deliver fully automated sewing lines in factories. While automation promises efficiency, it also raises questions around labour displacement and the future of garment workers in global supply chains. (Source: Just Style)
OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Go in India, priced at ₹399 (around $4.60) per month. The tier offers ten times more messages, image generations and file uploads than the free version, alongside enhanced memory features for personalisation. Wider international rollout is expected, but for now India remains the testing ground for this lower-cost subscription model. (Source: Tech Crunch)
Guess and Vogue are facing criticism after featuring AI-generated models in Vogue’s August 2025 issue without sufficiently clear disclosure. A Guess advert included two AI-generated women, igniting debate about transparency, authenticity, and the continued relevance of human models in fashion. As consumers become increasingly alert to issues of honesty in branding and representation, brands must ensure that any AI-generated content is clearly and unmistakably labelled—anything less risks eroding trust. (Source: Design Rush; see also our article Why Use Human Models if There Is AI?)
Fashion Week News
Berlin Fashion Week: applications for the Concept Competition (Berlin Contemporary / Studio2Retail) are open from 28 August–22 September 2025. (Source: Berlin Fashion Week)
Copenhagen Fashion Week: applications for AW26 shows and CPHFW NEWTALENT open on 1 September (deadline 3 October). SS26 talks are now available as podcasts, and visuals can be accessed via the image bank. (Source: Copenhagen Fashion Week)
Manchester Fashion Week returns after a decade (9–11 September), with workshops, panels, shows and upcycling events celebrating the region’s textile heritage. (Source: Manchester Fashion Week)
Sustainable Fashion Week marks its 5th year from 20 September–12 October, under the theme Fashion, Reclaimed. Events will take place across the UK with hubs in the US and Canada. (Source: Sustainable Fashion Week)
Last but Not Least…
A new wave of advanced contemporary brands is reshaping the luxury landscape. Labels such as TWP, Nour Hammour, Toteme, and London-based Studio Nicholson are capturing shoppers with timeless, designer-quality pieces at more accessible price points. Sherri McMullen of McMullen boutique observes: “Consumers don’t want to just wear a brand anymore … they want to feel connected to what they’re putting on their body.”
This “contemporary luxury” moment is also a call to action: vegan and ethical fashion brands should seize this very opportunity to embed sustainability and ethical values into this redefined mainstream. (Source: Business of Fashion; see also Is the Era of Unchecked Opulence Over? by Vegan Fashion Repository)
And now, onto September—a month often described as fashion’s true New Year.
