John Lewis, Decathlon and Tapestry join Ellen MacArthur’s Fashion ReModel project

A number of established brands and fashion groups have joined in the second cohort of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s The Fashion ReModel project. Among the new names are sportswear retailer Decathlon, British department store John Lewis and US luxury group Tapestry. Secondhand marketplace Ebay and Colombia textile manufacturer Crystal S.A.S have also joined the cause.

The multi-year initiative, launched at Global Fashion Summit 2024, intends to encourage industry leaders to work together on “breaking the link between revenue and new garment production” to access economic opportunities. At the crux, the foundation’s mission is to demonstrate how business-led action and strong policy measures can drive forward circular business models.

Companies participating reflect various divisions of the fashion industry, and work to highlight both challenges and solutions in integrating circular practices into their operations. This latest cohort of partners “is a strong signal that industry leaders are ready to take the next step towards a new normal for the fashion industry”, the foundation’s fashion lead, Jules Lennon, said in a release. They join the likes of existing partners H&M Group, Primark and Arc’teryx.

Lennon continued: “While practices including rental, repair, and resale are already firmly on the agenda of businesses across the globe, successfully implementing them has often proved challenging, resulting in them remaining at a small scale. Brands must now demonstrate that they can take the next step and embed these models into their core operations, driving change towards an industry where clothes are kept in use for longer and their lives are extended to many more people.”

For Tapestry, meanwhile, participating in the programme “represents a pivotal moment in our sustainability journey”, said the group’s vice president of sustainability, Logan Duran, a “one where innovation meets responsibility”. Duran added: “By quantifying the climate impacts of circularity, we’re not just following industry trends; we’re helping to create the roadmap that others may follow.”