The role of circular fashion practice in creative placemaking and place identity

The current linear fashion industry influences the manifold processes within textile value chains leading to waste generation and toxic pollution of livelihoods whilst urban environments reflect the repetitive dominance of large fashion brands and a decline of independent retail. Overconsumption fuels the latter albeit consumers find retail diversity more appealing. Transitioning to a circular economy addresses the consequences of a linear system – can it also impact urban space? By looking at opportunities within the sphere of otherways[project], a Hamburg circular fashion brand, this chapter identifies how circular design can support local economies as a form of creative placemaking. Feeding into retail, the independent stores Lena the Fashion Library (Amsterdam) and Col8 (Birmingham) highlight how retail modes can foster circular consumption behavior through sharing garments and selling second-hand. Complementing both, the community-driven hub Moseley Hive (Birmingham) offers clothes swaps based on community engagement and demand. Whilst both Birmingham examples differ slightly from competitive retail because of their supported background, results show how circular consumption behavior in form of sharing, second-hand and swapping contributes to the development of creative placemaking and place identity. Vice versa, an existing place identity can inform the demand for circular retail modes that contribute to creative placemaking.