Fashion and beauty insiders’ predictions for the future if global warming continues to wreak havoc, an inspiring british design project spearheaded by HRH The Prince of wales, how to improve your environmental impact and advice from Indigenous makers.
What will our lives look like in 2050? Self-repairing clothes and cosmetics ingredients grown in the sea are just two of the predictions from these fashion and beauty insiders.
“Clothing will need to evolve quickly as it will become crucial to the survival of the human race. Headgear that filters toxins and pollution from the air will become necessary, as will clothing and accoutrements that can collect and purify water directly. Garments that protect us from everything from extreme temperatures to bullets will also become increasingly important as the world devolves into climate chaos and its accompanying wars. Wearable technology will provide a means of escape to the spectre of a beautiful elsewhere, and fully immersive metaverse suits will be a highly desired commodity.”
– Mic. Carter, creative director, L’Uomo Strano; lecturer at X University (formerly Ryerson University); elementary-school teacher
“The future of fashion will see us moving away from using new fabrics To focus more on upcycled materials that will minimize our carbon footprint and reduce waste. The use of dead stock will hopefully become more of The norm, ensuring that our clothing remains in circulation rather Than ending up in a landfill.”
– Hannah Kim, co-founder, Ai
“petroleum by-products will no longer be part of our routines. More of our packaging will be compostable and made from 100 per cent pcr materials. we’ll be able to refill our household and beauty products in every major grocery store and pharmacy. sustainable plants will be the leading ingredients in our multi-use formulas.”
– Julie Clark, founder and co-CEO, Province Apothecary
“in much the same way that lead and mercury were legislated out of consumer products, we will see many fabrics and production methods used today eventually outlawed.”
– Doug Stephens, founder and CEO, Retail Prophet
“sustainable synthetic materials will respond to our surroundings to protect us from whatever dangerous elements we have invoked on ourselves, like heat, germs and cold. and ethically harvesting and using traditional materials that we know are biodegradable and functional, like fur, will be more critical than ever.”
– Sage Paul, executive and artistic director, Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto
“We may see a need for dietary supplements that will protect us from UVA and UVB exposure as a natural SPF 50+.”
– Mathilde Thomas,
co-founder, Caudalie
“In the future, consumers will look for clothing that responds to an increasing number of criteria—weather, planet, lifestyle and self-expression—without compromising the future of our planet. We’ll also see advancements that conserve resources, like base layers and outerwear with temperatureregulating insulation.”
– Francis Guindon, VP of marketing, Want Les Essentiels and Quartz Co.
“We may not have access to the natural resources that we’re so fortunate to be using on a global scale today. We’ll need to source ingredients that are kind to the planet and still highly effective. An example of this would be using hydroponic farming— a way to foster and grow plants in water— which would allow us to use less water.”
– Abena Antwi, associate product developer and director, Burt’s Bees
“We’ll know that ‘natural’ doesn’t always mean safe or sustainable. We’ll continue exploring innovation to improve sourcing, use synthetic lab ingredients and produce smarter packaging options. If we don’t start now, our natural resources will be scarce and the beauty industry will not be a priority. Instead, our beauty routines will be replaced by sanitary routines.”
– Jennifer Brodeur, founder, JB Skin Sävvi; celebrity facialist
“Sci-fi films fill our imagination with what fashions might look like in 2050, but the more important message is: What are we doing to make sure we’ll get to see 2050? We might experience hot weather, freezing rain, snowstorms, floods and tornadoes all in one day, so we’ll need items that can transition and function for us.” »
– Courtney Chew, founder, Ocin
“We’ll see a shift toward glass packaging, bioplastics, bulk purchasing and refill options aimed at reducing needless waste. We’ll start to see shelves with unlabelled containers from refilleries that are reused multiple times before eventually being recycled. Products sold in labelled containers will be made from renewable or recycled materials and end up in composts.”
– Laura Whitaker, founder, Wildcraft “The free radicals that result from extreme heat will age our skin faster, resulting in a huge demand for antioxidantrich skincare with UV protection. consumers will likely find Themselves looking for natural antiaging producTs at a much earlier age Than previous generations did.”
– Melissa Della Porta, founder and CEO, Poetry of the Gods
“I think we’ll be wearing fully traceable garments made from entirely biodegradable, circular and sustainable materials that transform into many different outfits so all of us can have tiny closets that encourage us to do more with fewer items.” – Kristi Soomer, founder and CEO, Encircled
“Climate Change will only get worse from here, and we’ll find the wisdom to adapt in plants. textiles will be solely hyper-regional and all-natural, and we’ll be fostering low-water, droughtresistant plants to make them. these innovative fabrics will be layered to withstand extreme weather. large-scale supply Chains will Collapse, and fashion will focus on local textiles. it will be a new era—one that Champions items designed to last. we’ll wear them more and repair them only as needed.”
– Rene Gauthier, CEO, Ecologyst
“Minimalist routines with multi-use products will be the new norm. We’ll use fewer products with more creativity, techniques and intention. Creating 52 shades of anything will be a thing of the past. From ingredients grown in the sea to refill stations, the world of cosmetics will be based on innovation, science and community marketing.”
– Brandi Leifso, founder and CEO, Evio
“Fashion evolves with human needs, and by 2050, the need will surely be to consume less and respect more— to value the minds and hands that make the garments, to wear that which doesn’t harm the planet and to recognize that clothing is an extension of personal beliefs and therefore an opportunity to be and do better.”
– Lesley Hampton, founder and designer, Lesley Hampton
“I foresee beauty-care regimens potentially evolving into multi-step routines to meet the demands of extremely stressed skin due to the environment and multi-tasking technologies to meet the needs of skin that may begin to experience changes sooner than later. People may also begin to adopt skincare regimens at an earlier age to address changes happening in their skin due to external stressors.”
– Rolanda Johnson Wilkerson, senior director, Fellow Beauty Care, Procter & Gamble
“In the future, we’ll be wearing slow-fashion pieces that are modular, adaptable and regenerative and made with local fibres, Indigenous knowledge and recycled waste. The year 2050 will also see bioengineered garments that respond to personal needs and the environment and that can even selfrepair, like an enhanced secondary skin. These ‘living’ looks will provide built-in health benefits, like vitamin delivery, and shield us from invisible harmful pollutants. Maybe we won’t even be wearing clothing as we know it but ethereal clouds of micro-organisms that morph around our body, both beautiful and protective. Speculative fashion science!”
– Anika Kozłowski, assistant professor, Fashion Design, Ethics & Sustainability, The Creative School at X University
“Retailers will have to make climate concerns a priority, similar to what Holts has done by committing to a net-zero carbon target by 2040. Focusing on how we can reduce our carbon footprint will influence everything from the textiles of the apparel we sell to the materials our stores are furnished with— really everything.”