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"It goes without saying that the world of retail and fashion that I joined over 25 years ago has completely transformed.

My journey started out at P&G in Surrey – from there, my work took me to Switzerland, Paris, London, Shanghai, Milan and most recently, New York. I’ve witnessed hugely differing consumer attitudes towards clothing and seismic industry changes, including the death of the high street, the rise of e-commerce and the terrifying ascendance of fast fashion."

“We have opened fitting rooms with strict measures in place [...] and any products tried on and not purchased are quarantined before going back on sale. 

We are also trialling w'air – a portable cleaning & sterilising machine and may roll this out if the trial is successful. We are trialling it in two stores to gauge consumer reaction and staff feedback on it. We like the concept as it sits well with our sustainability goals of reducing water use, reducing pollution via detergents and preserving clothing to last longer.”

The pursuit of convenience is part of human progress; innovation in consumption is inevitable, we can’t reverse these advances.

We also have to recognise that many people will feel that switching to a fully-sustainable form of consumption isn’t a luxury they can afford. However, to believe that individuals don’t have agency or the potential to impact the bigger picture is simply unfounded. There is huge potential in making small changes to behaviours, habits and attitudes – not least because they can evolve into societal norms.