Sustainable Fashion and Circular Economy: Historical Trends and Future Orientations

This article explores the role of sustainable fashion in achieving a circular economy and accelerating its implementation. The fashion industry has long been associated with environmental pollution and resource depletion, but sustainable fashion offers innovative solutions by prioritizing the circular economy approach. The study uses mixed research methods, including a narrative review, expert analysis, and a survey of trends and orientations toward sustainable fashion, to examine the main concerns and opportunities for sustainable fashion in the context of the circular economy. The findings suggest that the 7R strategies of regulations, reduction, reuse, repair, recycling, renovation/redesign, and recovery are crucial in the context of sustainable fashion and require a collaborative effort among consumers, producers, and governments to improve economic, social, and environmental dimensions. While the government’s role is to supervise and legislate, consumers and producers have a critical role in implementing circular economy strategies. Sustainable input, production, and output should be a focus of manufacturing, while consumers should prioritize sustainable purchasing, usage, and disposal. Researchers should pay attention to the overlapping effects of the 7Rs to effectively weigh the indicators. The article concludes that with the increasing demand for environmentally conscious products, it is time for the fashion industry to embrace sustainable fashion and take steps toward a more sustainable future.