How to Reduce Waste in the Fashion Industry

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The fashion industry is at a turning point. Despite technological progress and rising consumer awareness, many brands continue to rely on outdated systems that lead to poor fit, excess returns, and massive overproduction.

If the fashion industry wants to move forward sustainably – and profitably – there are three urgent fixes that cannot wait.



1️⃣ Start Creating Clothes That Actually Fit

One of the fashion industry’s most persistent problems is its reliance on guesswork when it comes to sizing. Most size charts are created based on outdated assumptions – not real customer data. This mismatch between clothing and body leads to high return rates, poor customer satisfaction, and unnecessary waste.

To fix this, the fashion industry must begin collecting and using actual body measurement data from its customers.

With accurate data, brands can:

  • ✅ Understand the true body measurements of their audience, organized by size groupings
  • ✅ Identify common body shapes across their customer base
  • ✅ Spot gaps in their size range where customers consistently struggle to find a good fit

Data-driven sizing isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a competitive edge.



2️⃣ Offer Personalized Size Recommendations

The traditional sizing system is broken. It assumes everyone with a 28” waist should wear the same size, regardless of height, body shape, or how they prefer their clothes to fit.

Instead of relying on generic charts, the fashion industry should offer personalized size recommendations that take into account:

  • Customer body measurements and body shape
  • Product-specific measurements and design details
  • Fabric elasticity
  • Customer fit preferences (relaxed vs. snug)

This shift in approach can significantly reduce returns and help customers feel more confident in their purchases.

Solutions like SizeSense.ai are leading the way by offering smart, data-powered recommendations tailored to individual shoppers – creating a better experience for both customers and brands.



3️⃣ Embrace On-Demand Production

Overproduction is one of the fashion industry’s biggest contributors to environmental waste. Millions of garments are produced each year that never get worn, ending up in clearance bins or landfills.

But what if brands only produced what their customers actually want to buy?

By using customer data to understand which sizes, styles, and fits are in demand, brands can produce smarter – not more. On-demand or small-batch production based on real insights allows for better inventory planning, less dead stock, and less environmental impact.

The fashion industry must recognize that not every design suits every body type. Producing for diversity – and with precision – will save money, materials, and customer trust.



A Smarter Future with SizeSense.ai

SizeSense.ai helps fashion brands implement all three of these urgent fixes.

By aligning body measurements with product data, identifying customer shape trends, and providing hyper-personalized size recommendations, SizeSense empowers brands to:

  • Reduce returns
  • Improve fit accuracy
  • Understand their customer base on a deeper level
  • Make smarter production decisions

If the fashion industry wants to remain relevant, reduce waste, and deliver better customer experiences, it must move beyond outdated sizing models and guesswork. The future of fashion is data-driven, inclusive, and tailored to real people.

So the next time you wonder why your customers are still guessing their size, ask yourself:
Why isn’t your brand using SizeSense yet?


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