Credit: Presstigieux

3 January 2024

At Fashion for Good, we recognise the pivotal roles played by different technologies in reshaping the fashion industry. This article delves into the distinctions and synergies between hard tech and soft tech, exploring how each category is instrumental in advancing sustainable and transformative solutions.

DEFINING HARD TECH AND SOFT TECH

Hard Tech: This category includes technologies that require significant capital investment and extensive development time. Examples include new fibre production lines, dyeing machinery, and recycling infrastructure. These technologies are asset-intensive and involve complex R&D cycles and substantial deployment risks.

Soft Tech: In contrast, soft tech involves less physical infrastructure and includes digital solutions like re-commerce platforms and traceability systems. These technologies allow for rapid scalability and generally require less capital, enabling quicker market entry and potentially faster returns on investment.

Innovations in fashion tech, whether hard or soft, typically follow a structured development pathway:

1. Initial Research: Often conducted in academic or research institutions, funded by grants focusing on fundamental research without immediate commercial expectations.
2. Prototyping: Innovations that show promise move to the prototyping stage where they are developed and tested for practical application.
3. Pilot Testing and MVP Development: Innovators create Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and engage in pilot testing to refine the technology and demonstrate its effectiveness in operational settings.
4. Commercialisation: Achieving commercial viability requires scaling the technology to meet market demands and competitive price points, a process that can extend over several years.

Development Cycles and Capital Requirements

Hard tech’s development trajectory is typically longer and more capital-intensive due to its complexity and the infrastructure needed. Soft tech, benefiting from digital adaptability, might attract more immediate funding and achieve quicker implementation.

Balancing Investments for Industry Transformation

For the fashion industry to fully realise its sustainability goals, an equilibrium between investing in hard tech and soft tech is crucial. While soft tech can quickly address certain efficiency improvements and transparency, hard tech is essential for fundamental changes, such as material recycling and advanced manufacturing processes, that support a truly circular economy.

Both hard tech and soft tech are crucial for the transformation of the fashion industry. Each plays a unique role, with hard tech laying the groundwork for deep systemic change and soft tech accelerating adaptability and immediate improvements. At Fashion for Good, we are committed to fostering a balanced approach to technology development, ensuring that the industry can innovate effectively to achieve substantial environmental and social benefits. Through strategic support and collaboration, we aim to catalyse advancements that will sustainably transform the fashion landscape.