The Sustainability of Bespoke Fashion- Is It Scalable?

By Connie Aluoch

Conversations around the Sustainable Development Goals have become louder in recent years. This means the fashion industry has to check its tendencies of overproduction. The focus on speed and volume is now under scrutiny. And attention is shifting. And people’s focus is changing. Models that emphasise longevity, reuse, and reduction are becoming more prevalent.

Many brands have embraced circular fashion through thrifting and upcycling. These approaches patch the holes after the ship has sprung a leak.

Bespoke, made-to-order fashion intervenes much earlier. Waste is designed out from the very first stitch, like a tailor anticipating the shape of the body before cutting the fabric. In this way, bespoke aligns most closely with the “reduce” principle of sustainable practice.

The scale of the problem is staggering. The Guardian gave a shocking report in 2024. The fast fashion industry produces between 80 and 150 billion garments every year! This is a huge figure, but what is more shocking is this…

“Up to 40% of these pieces do not get sold.”

In fact, some are dispatched directly from factories to landfills or incinerators.

Annually, the waste from the fast fashion industry is around 92 million tonnes. Experts assert that by 2030, it could increase to 134 million tonnes. All these shows that producing fewer garments is no longer optional but essential.

The Sustainability Problem
Brands like PantsLagos push back against the current of mass production. The brand embraces slow fashion which offers clear advantages. Precision. Fit. Intentionality. But it comes with constraints. It is labour-intensive, relies on skilled craftsmanship, and requires ongoing communication with clients. As demand for pieces grows, these strengths can become weaknesses. Available skilled labour can become swamped and stretched too thin.

Obviously, fast fashion scales through factories. Bespoke scales through people. So growth demands managing labour and time, not just inventory. For PantsLagos, the challenge is a delicate balancing act. Move too fast, and quality frays. Move too slowly, and reach remains limited.

Pricing adds another layer of complexity. Higher price points reflect labour and fair compensation, supporting ethical production. But they also place tailored pieces beyond the reach of many consumers. This way, sustainability and scalability is achieved, but with trade-offs.

Customers need to be completely informed and involved for bespoke fashion to grow responsibly. providing precise measurements. being honest about their preferences. and consenting to wait for a specified period of time.

This is different from what people are accustomed to.

The fast fashion model that prioritises speed and convenience over environmental safety.

A Case Study in Slow Fashion Ethics
PantsLagos takes a modern woman’s wants into consideration when it comes to slow fashion. And while the brand focuses fully on made-to-measure, it incorporates a size chart into its structure.

This creates the needed balance. And even this segment avoids fast fashion habits. Supply-chain transparency and demand forecasting guide production. Ethics are upheld and overproduction is prevented.

Conclusion
In an industry that often screams “buy now,” bespoke fashion nudges people to take their time.

Brands like PantsLagos act as a necessary pause.

They remind consumers that clothing does not have to be driven solely by speed or impulse. But by durability, ethics, functionality and the rare satisfaction of something made ‘JUST FOR YOU’.

There is a bittersweet reality. The very qualities that make bespoke fashion compelling (hyper-personalisation and human craftsmanship) are also what make it hard to scale. Not impossible though. Just complex.

This leaves us with a question the industry cannot avoid for long. How can bespoke brands preserve this artistry without placing it permanently out of reach? Finding that balance may be where fashion’s most meaningful progress lies.