"Owning stuff is out," says fashion trend forecaster

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According to Fashion Futures, a report by trend analysts Forum for the Future and denim brand Levi's, we will exclusively source our clothes locally or in vintage shops by 2025.

"Owning stuff is out," the analysts said in one of their four animations depicting fashion scenarios for the future. Instead, we will be swapping our clothes with each other, buying them in vintage shops or leasing them from companies due to astronomical prices for new clothing, they predict.

"Luxury [will mean] stuff that is good for people and the planet," Fashion Futures stated. Amid the continuing popularity of sustainable clothing, the report also says that consumers will increasingly demand that business be transparent, while shopping less, locally and in higher quality if they shop at all, and invest in vintage pieces for variety.

Another way of dealing with the higher prices of clothes, the analysts explained, will be bulk-buying and sharing with communities. Already, self-sufficient communities exist to alternatively tackle resource shortages in all kinds of fields, but by 2025, this will also be the case for fashion. 'Clothing libraries,' as the report calls them, might develop where people can borrow clothes just like books in a conventional library.

Early examples of these trends can already be observed: there are several designer clothes rental services, such as Wear Today, Gone Tomorrow (http://www.weartodaygonetomorrow.com) and Rent me a Handbag (http://www.rentmeahandbag.com) in the US, the Australian Dressed Up (http://www.dressedup.com.au), or the British service Girl meets Dress (http://www.girlmeetsdress.com), and clothes swapping parties among girlfriends or on a broader scale - such as Shop my Closet in Paris - have gained popularity internationally.

http://www.forumforthefuture.org/