Redesigning the world of fashion

Public Habit / 7 Min read / Sustainability Stories

The global fashion supply chain is broken. Retailers must predict future trends up to a year before they hit the high street, resulting in over 60% of products manufactured end up as waste in landfills. Public Habit’s on-demand fashion model is designed to create a better, brighter future with less waste and more freedom.

Every year, the United States imports $2.4 trillion worth of products, of which textiles account for $120 billion (5%). Of the 17 million tons created, over 60% ends up in landfill and only 15% are recycled.

Fast fashion was a term coined to describe the quick turnover of fashion designs from the catwalk to the high street designed to help retailers increase their profits through increased manufacturing speed at a low price. The results have been catastrophic with worsening environmental impacts stemming from a highly materialistic society—most notably in the West.

Ubuntu partnered with Public Habit to help rethink how they could simplify their messaging and reach a broader market with their on-demand, slow fashion model—something shoppers simply haven’t been exposed to. The brand wanted to leverage Ubuntu’s knowledge and expertise in the environmental space to create a new wave of conscious consumers.

Ubuntu Stories - Public Habit: Fashion Faux-Pas: Redesigning the world of fashion

“We partner with the most innovative suppliers to create high-quality items with minimal environmental impact and only what we need at fair prices for all, and ship directly from the source.”

Our work started by looking at the brand positioning and creating a foundation from which to build a cohesive message. The essence of Public Habit was about envisioning an equitable world where creators, makers, and consumers felt respected, included, and valued—all while elevating and protecting our planet by inspiring connection between consumer and product.

Building on the “Power of Three”, Ubuntu developed a framework called the “Impact Agenda,” formalising the brand’s social and environmental commitments in a public-facing strategy. The model was built to support the wider business strategy and outlined Public Habit’s ambition to contribute to a healthier world by creating better ways to embrace the interconnectedness of our product, people, communities, and the planet.

The Impact Agenda focus areas were selected to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 17 goals which were adopted by all UN member states as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to help combat urgent global environmental, political, and economic challenges. By setting out a clear methodology for baselining, tracking, and measuring adherence to these goals, Ubuntu was able to quantify and create a repetitive initiative that is continuing to help Public Habit engage with customers and stakeholders alike.