Is Overproduction Still Destroying Sustainability in Fashion?

Yesterday, I stumbled upon a very old picture of myself at my very first fashion show in Vienna on February 17, 2010. It was a bitterly cold winter day, and Vienna was covered in ice and snow. Back then, I had a tiny budget and very little experience. I was always surprised why sustainability in fashion was not as prominent as it was in the food or cosmetics industries. A journalist even asked me why I wanted to make money while doing something good.

Fast forward to 2025. While researching trouser production, I realized how difficult it is to manufacture a trouser collection in Austria. Production prices are too high, and fewer customers are willing to pay more than €200 for a regular chino.

During my email exchanges with a European production company, I was told that producing fewer than 200 pairs of trousers is considered sampling, making the cost per trouser more than double. This is a common challenge. Similarly, many fabric suppliers have high minimum order quantities (MOQs), making it nearly impossible for small labels to produce market-relevant products.

Let’s do the math: I have a relatively large shop for an independent label with space for six clothing rails. One rail accommodates 12 garments if displayed nicely for customers. That means I would need 16.6 clothing rails or 2.7 shops just to showcase a single product!

I strongly believe that overproduction is one of the key issues affecting sustainability in fashion. The industry must quickly develop solutions to tackle this challenge. What are your thoughts on overproduction? Are you facing similar issues?