At Vegan Fashion Repository, we keep our ears firmly on the ground, collecting and curating news and insights most relevant to the vegan fashion industry—particularly in material innovation, circularity, accountable sustainability, and consumer behaviour—at the end of every month.
Here’re the highlights of March 2026:
For anyone still looking for a reason to engage with the new generation of plant-based and plastic-free alternatives to fur, leather, and wool, the Autumn/Winter 2026 runway shows provided a compelling one. In the “fur” department, BioFluff by Savian — made from plants such as hemp, flax, and nettle, plastic-free and fully biodegradable — was showcased on the runways of Diotima and Collina Strada (New York) and Louis Vuitton (Paris). Bottega Veneta (Milan) used recycled fibreglass to replace fur and ostrich feathers in several looks. In the “wool” department, Stella McCartney’s (Paris) collaboration with Spiber Inc. yielded a range of coveted knitwear made from sugarcane.
This is significant. Autumn/Winter seasons traditionally rely heavily on wool, fur, and leather, and while synthetic alternatives have long served as substitutes for animal-derived materials, the inclusion of plant-based, plastic-free options by leading brands signals a meaningful shift within the mainstream industry. Designers have also been exploring new ways to achieve volume — through creative material manipulation (Collina Strada, Nicolas Skovgaard, and Matthieu Blazy for Chanel) or by incorporating feathers, pony hair, and shearling. More on this trend via The Business of Fashion.
Red-carpet-wise, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the organisation behind the Emmys, has confirmed that its award ceremonies will be fur-free from the 2026 edition in November. The decision follows dialogue with the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT). This marks another significant step in the broader shift away from fur, following December 2025 announcements from the CFDA that it would no longer promote fur products online or in person, including at New York Fashion Week and across its associated events. Publishing groups Hearst Magazines and Condé Nast have also ceased featuring fur in titles such as Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and GQ.
Source: Plant Based News
Circular fashion news
Data for 2025 are in, and resale continues to show the most impressive market growth. ThredUp reported a 20% increase in revenue for 2025; Zalando’s pre-owned initiative for adults has doubled in recent years, driven by growing demand for second-hand clothing in Europe; and H&M Group generated €170 million in resale revenue. Each month brings new brands launching their own resale solutions — in March alone, these included Never Fully Dressed, Lanx, New Balance, On Running, Xandres, and Miinto.
Source: Zalando, ThredUp, Circular Fashion News
Zalando is launching pre-owned childrenswear in 14 countries, following the success of its adult offering. In 2025, over 40% of Zalando orders included a mix of new and pre-owned items. The children’s service will be available in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden.
Source: Zalando
SECONDSENSE has launched an openly available, AI-supported tool that aggregates real-time listings of luxury handbags from The RealReal, Fashionphile, Farfetch, and Rebag. Beyond the obvious consumer benefits, the tool is designed to improve pricing transparency and contribute to a healthier second-hand market structure.
Source: SecondSense
Worn Again Technologies has launched a demonstration-scale textile-to-fibre recycling plant in Winterthur, Switzerland, as it moves towards commercialising its polycotton recycling technology. The chemical process separates and recovers polyester and cellulose from end-of-life textiles. If successful, this would mark a major milestone: effective polycotton recycling could significantly reduce both direct and indirect resource use. Beyond fossil-based inputs, cotton remains one of the most water-intensive fibres on the market, with well-documented supply chain risks.
Source: Worn Again
The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) and R.M.Williams have launched the National Manufacturing Strategy for Australian Fashion and Textiles 2026–2036, aiming to revive local production. The ten-year plan prioritises sustainability, with a strong focus on textile-to-textile recycling, traceability, and natural fibres to build a high-tech, circular, and globally competitive industry.
Source: Fibre2Fashion
The European Commission is investing €11 million in blended textile technologies and has issued a call for proposals to develop breakthrough recycling solutions for post-consumer textile waste. Textiles are the “fourth highest-pressure category for primary raw materials and water use, and the fifth-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU”, as well as a significant contributor to microplastic pollution. This initiative forms part of a broader push to strengthen end-of-life infrastructure for textile products.
Source: EcoTextile
This is encouraging, as new data from UK supplier A.M. Custom Clothing shows demand for recycled clothing has grown by 76% year-on-year. However, cotton remains the dominant “sustainable” material used by brands.
Source: Just Style
AI news
In AI-related developments, Catches — a generative AI start-up backed by Antoine Arnault (LVMH) and Natalia Vodianova — has launched RealFit, a physics-based virtual try-on platform designed to provide a millimetre-accurate representation of how garments fit, drape, and move. Powered by Nvidia’s Omniverse and CUDA technologies, the platform aims to reduce high return rates in fashion e-commerce by offering a more realistic digital fitting experience.
Source: The Business of Fashion
Meanwhile, Google has confirmed that Doppl, its experimental AI-powered virtual try-on app, will shut down on 30 April 2026. The underlying technology will instead be integrated directly into product listings and image search results.
Source: Google Labs
Also, Jason Barnard has also published an insightful article on the upstream factors that determine whether brands appear in AI recommendations — essential reading for anyone looking to improve visibility.
Source: Search Engine Land
Sustainability news
The Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) has released Version 1.0 of its Energy and Carbon Benchmark tool, providing a standardised, voluntary framework for measuring textile mill energy use and greenhouse gas emissions across regions. The tool addresses a long-standing barrier to decarbonisation: the lack of a unified, industry-aligned methodology. A 2025 pilot included brands such as H&M Group, Gap Inc., Target, and PVH Corp. Data is sourced from the Higg Index, technical experts, and direct mill assessments.
Source: Apparel Impact Institute
In related news, the first in-person Carbon Literacy Training for Fashion & Retail has been announced. Delivered by Gemma Metheringham, Safia Minney, and Effie Peters, the sessions will take place on 17 and 24 April in London.
Source: Fashion Declares
Less encouraging news: an investigative documentary by Germany’s SWR network tracked twelve garments over an 18-month period and identified failures in the resale supply chain. The findings suggest that textiles designated for recycling or donation are entering opaque global waste streams, contradicting claims made by resale platform Sellpy (which is backed by the H&M Group).
Source: EcoTextile
Policy news
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has released the long-awaited methodology for defining Digital Product Passport (DPP) data requirements across product groups, including textiles — marking a key step into the implementation phase of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
Source: European Commission
In parallel, the EU has finalised the “Omnibus” package, scaling back corporate sustainability rules. Key changes include raising thresholds under the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), delaying compliance to 2029, and reducing the number of companies required to report ESG data.
Source:The Business of Fashion
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has granted legal recognition to the Circular Textiles Foundation’s “Infinitee” mark — a certification verifying that garments are designed for fibre-to-fibre recycling. The first labelled products are expected to appear from 2027.
Source: Apparel Insider
New releases
UNEP has released its Annual Report 2025, highlighting continued environmental progress despite geopolitical instability, including expanded protected areas and reductions in methane emissions.
Source: UNEP
Boston Consulting Group has published Advancing Textile Circularity, analysing Europe’s textile waste challenges and the need for system-level scale-up.
Source: BCG
A new white paper by Canopy and TextileGenesis explores the environmental impact of man-made cellulosic fibres and proposes integrating forest protection into digital supply chains.
Source: Canopy Planet
A joint report by H&M Group and EY examines how financing supply chain decarbonisation can protect business value and deliver long-term returns.
Source: H&M Group
Finisterre, in collaboration with academic partners at the University of Exeter and Manchester Metropolitan University, has released a report on repair business models — essential reading for brands integrating circular strategies.
Source: Future Fibres Network Plus
Vogue Business’s FW26 Size Inclusivity Report highlights a decline in plus-size representation, linking it to broader cultural and market shifts.
Source: Vogue Business
WGSN’s Asia Shopper Priorities 2026 explores emerging consumer behaviours, including the rise of the “kidult” demographic.
Source: WGSN
Bloomsbury has published Sustainable Fashion, Migrants, Embroidery by Alessandra Lopez y Royo, examining community-led alternatives to dominant fashion systems.
Source: Bloomsbury
Finally, multiple sources point to a structural crisis in luxury. For a comprehensive perspective, see Dr Achim Berg’s After the Frenzy (FAZ Magazine), Is Luxury Dying (NC Analytics), and How Big Luxury is Rewiring for the Future (The Business of Fashion).
We bid our farewell to Immaculate Vegan
It is with great sadness that we received the news that Immaculate Vegan will be closing as of 31 March 2026. Launched in 2019, Immaculate Vegan has served as a beacon for vegan fashion, helping it to thrive and break into the mainstream. The insights and experience they have so generously shared with us will undoubtedly remain invaluable to anyone interested in building their own vegan brand.
For now, we bid them adieu and hope our paths will cross again very soon.
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At Vegan Fashion Repository, we consult multiple sources and always cite them for transparency and traceability. Some we trust particularly and recommend wholeheartedly. For more sustainability- and circularity-focused fashion news, we strongly encourage you to follow Lydia Brearley (This Is Enkel).
Cheers!
