Sustainable Threads: AI is Reweaving Secondhand Fashion
Finding a sustainable solution for fashion consumption is hard. AI in aiding the authentication of secondhand items can help.
The (Very) Dark Side of The Fashion Industry
Beneath the allure of star-studded runways and the endless scroll of influencer trends lies a troubling reality. The fashion industry, a significant pollutant, contributes to 10% of global pollution, just a step behind aviation. Fast fashion’s growth threatens to increase the industry’s CO2 emissions by over 60% by 2030. Brands like Zara and H&M mask a grim picture of environmental harm and worker exploitation, particularly in leather production, where toxic exposures significantly increase cancer risks for workers in this production process by 20–50%.
Along with this, the exponential pace of fast fashion is never ending — brands produce on a 52 “micro-season” cycle a year where new styles are pushed out weekly, leading to a vicious cycle of consumption and waste. Elizabeth Cline, author of the book, Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, critiques this unsustainable pace, noting the shift to constant stock replenishment began with Zara’s bi-weekly new arrivals. The majority of these rapidly produced items are doomed to landfills or incinerators shortly after production, highlighting the industry’s unsustainable practices masked as profit strategies. The average consumer bought 60% more clothing in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment half as long. This calls for an urgent pivot towards sustainable methods to mitigate environmental impacts and promote ethical labor practices.
But there’s hope.
Yet, hope glimmers on the horizon, thanks to the rise of the online resale market, one solution for sustainability that aligns with modern consumer habits. By offering pre-loved items a second chance, platforms like TheRealReal, Vestiaire Collective, and others are setting the stage for substantial industry change. With predictions pointing to a 185% boom in the secondhand market over the next decade, the shift toward sustainable fashion seems underway, albeit with challenges ahead.
This shift finds its champions among Gen Zers, 80% of whom see no stigma in embracing secondhand fashion. The growing appeal of resale platforms is not just about affordability; it’s a conscious choice for sustainability, reducing the demand for new, harmful productions and preventing unnecessary waste.
Streamlining Authentication in the Fashion Resale Market
However, the journey to a sustainable future is not without its hurdles. Authenticating luxury items in the resale market is a daunting task, complicated by the presence of convincing counterfeits.
I recall my first year at Brown University, an alumni and employee of TheRealReal came to visit campus for a sustainable fashion presentation. A student asked, “How do you authenticate items at your company?” and the man responded, “I legally cannot disclose that information,” and quickly veered the conversation in another direction, which was jarring as he previously was friendly, open, and relaxed when answering other questions. Witnessing this left me perplexed. I thought he would answer this question with some blanket remark that they used software that authenticates the items. I was wrong, but intrigued.The secretive nature of the authentication process raises questions about scalability and accuracy.
Enter artificial intelligence. Innovations like AI-powered authentication devices promise a new era of efficiency and reliability, challenging the status quo with technology that could redefine the resale market’s authenticity standards. In-house development of this software can be costly and a waste of time when there are software companies focused on this effort. A software company called Entrupy released a device and software that is changing the way people can authenticate items.
This is how Entrupy’s product works:
Entrupy provides retailers with a handheld device and mobile app which analyzes microscopic and detailed images of a bag including the logos, leathers, hardware, and materials. The machine-learning algorithms determine whether an item is authentic or unverified in just 15 seconds based on the high-quality images submitted. The Entrupy device, which is powered by AI technology, detects defects in a product; from a slightly wonky print to a lopsided clasp, misshapen prints, or overrunning paint, Entrupy will see it all. The scanner magnifies objects by 260 times, meaning that even a slight inaccuracy in a handbag can be picked up in an instant. The camera then sends images of the product in question directly to an app, which scans “tens of millions” of photographs of more than 30,000 handbags and wallets from brands like Chanel, Fendi and Hermes to determine the authenticity.
The magnifying abilities of Entrupy outperform the capabilities of any human eye. The seconds it takes to analyze the item would make the process of authenticating and uploading a product to the site more efficient and less labor intensive.
Yet, this is just the beginning. The potential for tech giants like Google or Microsoft to partner with resale platforms could further enhance the credibility and reach of secondhand fashion, making it an even more attractive and sustainable choice. This is our time to use our creativity and imagination to develop well-needed solutions through symbiotic relationships between second-hand fashion and AI. Authentication is just one solvable issue in a sea of problems in this industry.
A Future Woven by AI and Sustainability
As technology and fashion converge, the opportunity for sustainable practices becomes more apparent. A collaboration between big tech and the fashion resale industry could revolutionize how we view and consume fashion, pushing us closer to a future where circular fashion models are the norm, not the exception. The journey toward a more sustainable fashion industry is complex, but with AI’s help, we’re on the cusp of a significant transformation.
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