Fashion is changing fast – and so is the language we use to talk about it. Between AI design tools, digital product passports, and new sustainability laws, it can feel hard to keep up. That’s why we put together this ultimate glossary for 2025, covering everything from fashion tech and circular design to Web3 buzzwords and compliance terms. Whether you’re a brand owner, designer, developer, or just curious about where fashion is headed, this guide has you covered.
Decoding the future of fashion – one term at a time.
125 fashion, fashion tech, sustainability and circular fashion words and terms to know right now:
3D Fashion Design
Designing garments directly in 3D software (like CLO3D or Browzwear), replacing traditional sketch-to-sample workflows.
A
Adaptive Fashion
Designing clothing that accommodates the needs of individuals with disabilities, promoting inclusivity and accessibility in fashion.
AI Fashion Design
The use of artificial intelligence to assist or automate elements of fashion design, including generating patterns, styling, or predicting trends.
Algorithmic Merchandising
Data-driven product assortment and presentation, tailored using machine learning and consumer behavior analysis.
Authentication Technology
Digital tools (like blockchain or NFC chips) used to verify the authenticity of a garment and prevent counterfeiting.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A way for fashion systems (like e-commerce, PLM, or DPP tools) to connect and exchange data in real-time.
B
Biodesign
Integrating biology into the design process – think lab-grown materials, microbial dyes, or fungi-based textiles.
Biodegradable Fashion
Garments made from materials that can decompose naturally without harming the environment, reducing landfill waste.
Blockchain
A decentralized digital ledger used in fashion to secure supply chain transparency, product traceability, and authenticity.
Brand Purpose
The foundational reason a brand exists beyond profit – often tied to impact, sustainability, or social causes.
B2A (Business to Avatar)
Selling digital fashion directly to virtual identities in the metaverse or gaming platforms.
C
Carbon Footprint
The total CO₂ emissions linked to a product’s life – from making it to getting it to you. In fashion, it includes everything from fabric production to shipping. Lower = better for the planet.
Carbon Labeling
Labeling that indicates the carbon footprint of a product to inform eco-conscious purchasing.
Carbon Neutral
When a brand or product balances out its CO₂ emissions by reducing what it can and offsetting the rest – usually through things like tree planting or carbon credits. Net impact = zero.
Carbon Offset
A credit purchased to compensate for emissions elsewhere -e.g., planting trees to offset shipping emissions.
Carbon Tunnel Vision
Focusing exclusively on carbon reduction while ignoring other environmental or social factors.
Circular Business Model
A model that prioritizes reuse, resale, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling over linear production and disposal.
Circular Design
Designing products with their entire lifecycle in mind, enabling longevity, reuse, or reintegration into the system.
Circular Fashion
A regenerative approach to fashion where products are designed and produced with the intent of being reused, repaired, or recycled, extending their lifecycle.
Circular Readiness
A brand or product’s preparedness to meet circular economy criteria, including recyclability, durability, and traceability.
Circular Economy
An economic system aimed at eliminating waste and regenerating resources, contrasting the take-make-waste model.
Circularity Score
A calculated metric that evaluates how circular a product, brand, or system is based on key indicators (reuse, recyclability, longevity, etc.).
Closed Loop
A production model where materials are kept in continuous circulation with minimal waste or leakage.
Closed-Loop Recycling
A sustainable process where post-consumer waste is recycled back into the same product, minimizing resource consumption and waste.
Co-Creation
A model where customers or communities are invited to participate in the design or development of fashion collections.
Consumer Transparency
Providing accessible information to consumers on how, where, and by whom a product was made – including social and environmental impacts.
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
EU legislation requiring companies to report on sustainability risks and impacts alongside financials.
Cruelty-Free
Means no animals were harmed or tested on at any stage of making the product – from ingredients to final garment or cosmetics. It’s about ethics, not just sustainability.
D
Data-Driven Design
Using consumer data, performance data, or environmental data to inform design decisions.
Design for Disassembly (DfD)
A design principle where products are made so parts can be easily separated for repair, reuse, or recycling.
Delegated Acts
Legally binding rules issued by the EU to implement regulations like ESPR – highly relevant for DPP rollouts.
Digitalization
The transformation of business models, supply chains, and customer touchpoints through digital tools, data systems, and cloud-based platforms. For fashion brands, this includes digital sampling, PLM systems, DPPs, predictive analytics, and AI-powered design.
Digital Closet
A virtual inventory of what a consumer owns (real or digital), often linked to resale, styling, or gaming integrations.
Digital Fashion
Clothing and accessories that exist solely in digital form, often used in virtual environments, gaming, and social media platforms.
Digital Identity
The way users present themselves online, often through fashion – including avatars, digital outfits, and linked NFTs.
Digital Sampling
Creating and evaluating garment samples in 3D rather than producing physical prototypes, saving time and reducing waste.
Digital Traceability
Real-time, tech-enabled tracking of every stage in a product’s lifecycle to meet ESG or DPP requirements.
Digital Twin
A virtual replica of a physical product used for testing, marketing, or consumer interaction in digital environments.
Distributed Manufacturing
Producing goods locally or regionally through a decentralized network, often enabled by on-demand or tech-enabled production.
Diversity & Inclusivity
A commitment to representing and respecting different races, genders, body types, abilities, and backgrounds – across campaigns, sizing, hiring, and design. It’s about making fashion for everyone, not just a few.
DPP (Digital Product Passport)
A digital record containing key data about a product’s origin, materials, manufacturing, and end-of-life instructions, increasingly required under EU regulations.
Dupe
Short for “duplicate,” a dupe is an item designed to closely mimic the look of a more expensive or branded product, often without being an exact counterfeit. In fashion, dupes are widely shared on social media and sold at lower price points, raising ethical questions about originality, intellectual property, and sustainability.
E
E-textiles (Electronic Textiles)
Fabrics integrated with electronic components, enabling functionalities like sensing, heating, or lighting, merging fashion with technology.
Eco-design
Design that integrates environmental considerations across the product’s lifecycle – now part of EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
Eco-Modulation
A pricing strategy where eco-friendlier products are taxed less under EPR schemes, incentivizing circular design choices.
ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation)
EU regulation setting rules for product sustainability, circularity, and transparency across industries, including textiles.
Ethical Fashion
Fashion that prioritizes ethical practices, including fair labor conditions, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.
EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility)
Policy that holds producers responsible for the end-of-life management of their products, including collection, recycling, and disposal.
End-of-Life Strategy
A brand’s plan for what happens to a product when it’s no longer used – e.g., take-back, resale, or composting.
F
Fair Trade / Fairtrade
A certified system that ensures workers and farmers are paid fairly, work in safe conditions, and have rights protected. In fashion, it means ethical sourcing from start to finish – no exploitation, just dignity.
Fashion-as-a-Service (FaaS)
A business model where clothing is accessed through rental, subscription, or resale instead of ownership.
Fast Fashion
A high-volume, low-cost production model responsible for significant environmental and social impact—being phased out in favor of slower, more conscious models.
Footprint Tracking
Monitoring a product’s environmental and social impact throughout its lifecycle, including emissions, water, and labor inputs.
Fashion Operating System
Integrated digital tools (like Portia) that manage design, production, traceability, sustainability, and compliance workflows for fashion businesses.
G
Garment Traceability
The ability to track and verify the path of a garment from raw material to end-of-life.
Generative Design
AI-driven design process where machines create multiple variations based on user-defined inputs like silhouette, size, or impact targets.
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
An internationally recognized certification for organic textiles, ensuring ecological and social criteria are met throughout the supply chain.
Green Claims Directive
A proposed EU law to regulate how companies market their environmental claims, aiming to stop greenwashing.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Gases like CO₂ and methane that trap heat in the atmosphere and drive climate change. In fashion, they’re released through energy use, materials, and transport. Less is better – for the planet and all of us.
Greenhushing
When brands avoid talking about their sustainability efforts out of fear of being called out or greenwashed. It’s the opposite of greenwashing – and just as problematic when it hides real progress.
Greenwashing
Misleading marketing that makes a product or brand appear more sustainable than it actually is.
H
Hyper-Personalization
Using AI and data to tailor products or experiences to individual customer preferences, body types, or shopping habits.
I
IoT (Internet of Things)
Technology enabling smart fashion items (e.g., connected wearables) to collect and exchange data via the internet.
Impact Measurement
Assessing the environmental and social effects of fashion products and operations, guiding sustainable decision-making.
Impact Reporting
Disclosing the environmental and social effects of a brand’s operations, often through standardized metrics.
Inclusive Design
Creating fashion products that are accessible and usable by people with diverse abilities, sizes, and backgrounds.
Intelligent Fashion
Garments enhanced with tech features like sensors, adaptive materials, or connected experiences.
Interoperability
The ability of different tech systems and tools to communicate and work together seamlessly. In fashion, this means your PLM, ERP, DPP, e-commerce, and traceability platforms must be connected to avoid data silos, reduce duplication, and ensure a smooth, end-to-end digital workflow.
L
Lifecycle Assessment (LCA)
A scientific method to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product from raw material to disposal.
Living Wage
A wage that covers a worker’s basic needs – like food, housing, healthcare, and education – with a bit left over for savings. In fashion, it means paying garment workers enough to live with dignity, not just survive.
Low-Impact Design
Product development strategies that reduce waste, emissions, and resource use through smarter choices and processes.
Local Production
Manufacturing goods close to the point of consumption, reducing transportation emissions and supporting local economies.
M
Material Circularity Indicator (MCI)
A metric developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation that quantifies how restorative a product’s material flows are.
Microfactory
A small-scale, tech-enabled production setup that allows for local, agile, and on-demand manufacturing.
Microplastics / Microfibers
Tiny plastic particles shed from synthetic fabrics (like polyester) during washing. They end up in oceans, animals, and even our bodies – making them a major issue in fashion’s impact on the planet.
Modular Fashion
Garments designed with interchangeable parts that can be reconfigured or upgraded to extend use.
Material Passport
A dataset that documents all materials in a product to enable sorting, recycling, or reusing at end-of-life.
Machine Learning in Fashion
Training algorithms to improve forecasting, personalization, or automation in design and retail.
N
NFT Fashion
Digital fashion items sold or authenticated using NFTs (non-fungible tokens), often used in gaming, metaverse, or luxury authentication.
O
On-Demand Production
Manufacturing only after a product is sold, reducing overproduction and waste.
Open Source Fashion
Designs, processes, or tools shared publicly for collaborative use and improvement.
Organic
Grown without harmful pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. In fashion, organic cotton or wool means better for soil, water, and farmer health – and often gentler on your skin too.
P
Phygital
Merging physical and digital experiences – e.g., buying a physical sneaker that comes with a digital twin/NFT.
PLM (Product Lifecycle Management)
Software that helps brands manage products from idea to retirement, including design, sourcing, compliance, and sustainability data.
Predictive Analytics
Using historical and real-time data to forecast trends, inventory needs, or customer preferences.
Product-as-a-Service (PaaS)
A circular model where consumers subscribe to use clothing instead of owning it – brands maintain responsibility for upkeep and reuse.
Product Stewardship
A philosophy that places responsibility on the producer for minimizing environmental impact throughout the product’s life.
R
Recycling
Turning old clothes or textiles into new materials or products. In fashion, it helps reduce waste and save resources – but not all fabrics are easy to recycle, so design matters too.
Resale-First Model
A brand model where resale, peer-to-peer swapping, or secondhand sales are prioritized alongside or even before new sales.
Repairability Index
A score that indicates how easy it is to repair a garment, increasingly required under EU regulations.
Reverse Logistics
Processes involved in returning or redistributing used items, including resale, repair, recycling, or upcycling.
Regenerative Fashion
A holistic approach to design and sourcing that restores ecosystems and communities – often going beyond sustainability.
S
SaaS for Fashion
Cloud-based tools that offer subscription-based solutions for managing design, production, traceability, and sustainability.
Second-Hand Fashion
Pre-loved clothes that get a second life through resale, thrift, swaps, or vintage shops. It’s a simple way to reduce waste, save money, and lower fashion’s footprint.
Second-Life Strategy
A business or product strategy that extends a garment’s life through resale, upcycling, or repurposing.
Slow Fashion
A movement advocating for mindful consumption, emphasizing quality over quantity and promoting sustainable production practices.
Smart Tag
A digital tag (QR, NFC, RFID) embedded in garments to link to information such as care, repair, or authenticity.
Supply Chain Traceability
The ability to track each step in a product’s journey – from raw material to final sale – to verify ethical and sustainable practices.
Sustainable Fashion
Clothing made and used in ways that are better for people and the planet – from eco-friendly materials to fair wages and low-impact production. It’s about doing less harm and lasting longer.
Sustainability Reporting
A framework for disclosing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) data to stakeholders, now increasingly regulated.
Synthetic Media
AI-generated images, videos, or voices used in digital marketing, virtual models, or avatar-based fashion content.
Swipe Commerce
Mobile-first, Tinder-like interaction for shopping or swapping – gaining popularity with Gen Z users (e.g., Trade or Pass concept).
T
Take-Back Program
A brand initiative that allows customers to return used items for repair, resale, recycling, or upcycling.
Transparency
When a brand openly shares how and where its products are made – including factories, materials, wages, and impact. It builds trust and helps hold companies accountable.
Transparency Index
A measure of how openly a brand shares information about its practices, supply chain, and impacts.
Traceability Tech
Technologies used to track a product’s journey across the supply chain, like blockchain or digital passports
Traceability
The ability to track the origin and journey of a product through the supply chain, ensuring ethical and sustainable practices.
Token-Gated Access
A Web3 commerce model where owning an NFT or token unlocks exclusive product drops or community content.
U
Ultra Fast Fashion
An extreme version of fast fashion – with new styles dropping daily, super low prices, and hyper-speed production. It drives overconsumption, waste, and huge environmental and social costs.
Upcycling
Transforming waste materials or products into new items of higher value without breaking them down into raw materials.
User-Centered Fashion Tech
Designing digital tools or garments with user experience as the starting point – often informed by feedback loops and data.
User-Centered Design
Designing products with a focus on the needs, preferences, and limitations of end-users, enhancing usability and satisfaction.
V
Value Chain Mapping
The visualization of every actor and process in bringing a garment to market, used for optimization and sustainability efforts.
Vegan
Made without any animal-derived materials – like leather, wool, silk, or fur. Vegan fashion avoids animal harm, but not all vegan products are automatically sustainable.
Virtual Influencer
Computer-generated characters that act as brand ambassadors or fashion content creators – fully digital.
Virtual Sampling
Creating 3D prototypes for approval before producing physical garments, reducing waste and time.
Virtual Try-On (VTO)
AR/VR-based technology that lets customers digitally try on garments or accessories before purchasing.
W
Waste-to-Value
Turning textile waste into profitable new materials, products, or energy.
Water Risk Assessment
Evaluating the environmental and business risk related to water use in fashion production.
Water Stewardship
Responsible management of water resources throughout the fashion supply chain, aiming to minimize water usage and pollution.
Web1 (Web 1.0)
The first era of the internet (1990s–early 2000s), characterized by static web pages and one-way communication. In fashion, this was the birth of brand websites and early online lookbooks, offering little to no interaction with users.
Web2 (Web 2.0)
The interactive internet phase where users create content and engage with brands (2004–2020s). This includes e-commerce, social media, influencers, UGC, and community-based brand building. Fashion in Web2 evolved with real-time feedback loops, social selling, and brand democratization.
Web3 (Web 3.0)
The next phase of the web that centers around decentralization, ownership, and interoperability, using blockchain and crypto-based assets. For fashion, this includes NFT fashion, digital wearables, virtual stores in the metaverse, and user-owned identity and assets across platforms.
Z
Zero-Waste Pattern Cutting
Designing garments so that fabric is used entirely, leaving no scraps behind.
Zero-Waste Design
A design approach that seeks to eliminate textile waste during the production process, often through innovative pattern-making techniques.
Final Thought
Fashion in 2025 is not just about what we wear – it’s about how we design, produce, sell, reuse, and regenerate. This glossary is a living document for fashion professionals ready to lead the future. Bookmark it, share it, and use it as your go-to guide.
