AtISEM Fashion Business School, we’reproud to have one of the leading experts (and we’re not exaggerating) on university entrepreneurship in Spain:David Luquin. And as such, we’ve asked him for his opinion on the new business models emerging in the fashion world. He’s already settled on one: subscription-based fashion.

If we were to look back now at the predictions experts made 30 years ago about 2020, we’d at least crack a smile. A smile that would reflect, on the one hand, how ridiculous these forecasts seem from our current perspective—what was then an imagined future. And, on the other hand, the questions we, as readers of those gurus, asked ourselves.

These and other failed predictions lead me to reflect on two issues:

• How pointless it is to predict a future in which we are constantly surprising ourselves.
• I'm embarrassed to share my predictions now and to have to read them (I hope so, anyway) when I'm older (even older).

That's why, when I look at all the "evangelizing" we do—both as brands and as people with some influence over sustainability—and then see how users actually behave, I can't help but smile the same way I used to when I still had hair.

Let me give you an example. On the one hand, we’re committed to offering organic cotton garments, but on the other, customers let us know that they don’t care that much about where the materials come from. However, when they open their closets—especially after the crisis caused by COVID-19—they decide that what they don’t want is to have so many clothes, some of which still even have the tags from last season attached. They then conclude that perhaps what they should have is a good selection of basics and be able to enjoy more special pieces only when they’re actually going to wear them. For them, this would be their way of being environmentally friendly.

But in this day and age, when image is so important and so prominently displayed on social media, is it possible to have a minimalist wardrobe and still feel different whenever you want to? To this question, we can add the reality that subscription-based consumption has become the norm (Netflix, Spotify…)—a trend we shouldn’t resist culturally.

It is in this context that the subscription-based fashion business was born. For a reasonable monthly fee (€65–80), you can enjoy 3–4 pieces of clothing that you’d love to wear but would be unlikely to buy yourself, either because of their price or their exclusivity. It’s a new way to become more aware of the problems caused by excessive clothing consumption and to feel part of a network of people who, like you, are willing to give garments a longer life. Plus, you can still enjoy that feeling we all love so much: wearing something new and different every season.

Subscription-based fashion, as a new way of consuming, is closely tied to how the younger generations (Generation Z, Millennials) view life. However, it’s also true that we, the older generations, quickly pick up certain behaviors from these younger generations. They help lift an educational burden that we’ve long carried on our shoulders, allowing us to embark on this journey that is life.

Is subscription fashion here to stay? Will it be the way we shop in the future? Do you really want to make me blush in front of my grandchildren? I don’t know. But I do know that there are companies like H&M that are already offering subscription fashion, some well-known brands that will be offering it soon, and brands like Pantala and Verone that are a breath of fresh air on the Spanish fashion scene.