What is the future of fashion? We’ve read books, reports, and articles about the many, many issues of the industry — from the exploitation of resources (both human and natural) to the alarming levels of pollution that contribute to climae change. London’s Design Museum offers some solutions in Tomorrow’s Wardrobe, a show that features the work of Ahluwalia, Stella McCartney, or Salomon until august of this year.
George Kafka, curator of the exhibition, explains: “Tomorrow’s Wardrobe demonstrates the diverse and far-reaching action being taken across the fashion industry to deal with the monumental environmental challenges it faces. The display shows that change can’t come from one group alone, bu that collaboration across sectors – from farmers to manufacturers, brands to policymakers, and designers to consumers – will begin setting us in the righ direction so that the clothes we wear don’t cost the earth.”
With such a positive and hopeful outlook on the future, Kafka has divided the exhibition into three sections: Textile Landscapes, In the Studio, and Your Wardrobe, which takes visitors on a journey from farms and factories to their own wardrobes via design studios. So, with the exhibit, the Design Museum aims to make visitors think about the impact of seemingly unimportant daily actions — from shopping to taking care of one’s clothes.
In Tomorrow’s Wardrobe, the museum exhibits textiles, technology, and garments “that showcase initiatives to reduce the industry’s environmental and social impact across production, design, and use of clothes,” they explain. Some of these items include a bag produced by Stella McCartney in collaboration with Ponda, an Ahluwalia upcycled polo shirt, a pair of Salomon shoes made with Ranra for disassembly, or garment’s from Toast’s recent visible repair line.
Shirt and knit tank from Toast’s 2024 visible repair line.
Falabella bag with BioPuff padding, by Stella McCartney in partnership with Ponda, in Tomorrow’s Wardrobe.
Footwear by Vivobarefoot, 3D-scanned and printed on- demand.
Ahluwalia Sahara Short Sleeve Polo.
Yellow jumper designed by Phoebe English, produced in partnership with South East England Fibreshed, in Tomorrow’s Wardrobe.
Large-scale commissioned illustration by Max Guther made in collaboration with a group of design researchers, that imagines the fashion landscape for the late-2030s.
Tomorrow’s Wardrobe.
Jeans by Nobody’s Child, featuring a Digital Product Passport.
Tomorrow’s Wardrobe.