From niche to industry: repair and upcycling are shaping a new model for production and consumption

From a creative and productive niche to a large-scale organised industrial system: this is, or will soon be, the future of upcycling and the circular economy, as revealed by the first edition of the ‘Stati Generali della Riparazione e dell’Upcycling’, an event organised in Milan by Giovanni Lucchesi’s benefit corporation Prism, a company that has placed the recovery and enhancement of marginalised groups at the heart of its business: founded in Milan in 2023 and specialising in contract tailoring, it involves people from vulnerable backgrounds – particularly migrants – seeking an opportunity to start their lives afresh. The event also involved Confindustria Moda, the City of Milan, the Lombardy Regional Government, the National Chamber of Fashion, CNA Federmoda, universities, businesses and operators within the sector.

“The transition we need to make,” explains Lucchesi, “is from best practice to the supply chain. Today we know how to repair a garment and repurpose a material; the real challenge is to do this on hundreds of thousands of items, whilst ensuring quality, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, traceability and measurable data. The ‘Stati Generali’ has brought together the key players needed to make this leap.”

Among the key areas for action highlighted is the need for the durability of garments to be conceived, engineered and designed right from the outset: circularity cannot be a belated remedy; design processes and the choice of materials must be changed at their very roots. Furthermore, priority must be given to developing new business models dedicated to repair: the decision on how to organise repairs (managing them directly, outsourcing them to third parties, centralising them or utilising local networks) remains a strategic decision for the brand, which must take into account volumes, stock levels, frequency and the experience it wishes to provide for the customer. Furthermore, a broad cultural shift is required, focused on the value of time, recycling, repair and product care.

In this sense, collection, reuse, recycling, repair and upcycling cannot remain separate spheres: networks must be built, and consortia can play a central role in the new system, linking businesses, consumers and institutions. A new paradigm must also be fuelled by new professional skills, which it will itself help to develop, by involving universities, fashion schools and businesses, which together must devise more interdisciplinary training programmes, incorporating knowledge of materials, repair, disassembly, consumer ethics and end-of-life product management.

During the course of the day, it was reiterated that craftsmanship and innovation are complementary rather than in conflict, as Italia’s rich manufacturing heritage can serve as the driving force for developing new circular and globally competitive industrial models.