There are countless sustainability initiatives, but who in the fashion industry is truly driving the transition, whether their efforts are visible to the general public or not? We interview changemakers, consultants, sustainable fashion experts and activists. What can we learn from their work?

In this second instalment, FashionUnited spoke with Romain Narcy, a denim expert turned entrepreneur and sustainability advocate, with over two decades of industry experience. He is the co-founder and CEO of Rematters, a consultancy focused on circular supply chains and textile recycling. Narcy is also a partner and head of strategy and innovation at Ereks-Blue Matters and a key figure in the international Denim Deal initiative.

Change in fashion - Part two: Romain Narcy, co-founder and CEO of Rematters, a consultancy specialising in textile recycling and circular supply chains

1. Can you introduce yourself and provide an overview of your professional background and expertise?

I’m Romain Narcy, a Frenchman with a background in business administration. Internships and a civil service with Sodexo took me to Turkey in the late 1990s, where I met my future – now current – wife. In 2004, I joined Ereks Blue Matters, my father-in-law’s denim production company, where I learned every aspect of garment production and helped grow the client base. Ereks does design to finished garments and exports mainly to the EU and the US, serving brands like Fabienne Chapot, Kings of Indigo, Ralph Lauren and Anine Bing.

My focus shifted in 2009, when a client, Stéphane Popescu (then at Bonobo Jeans), asked me if I understood the environmental impact of jeans. I didn’t. Once I became aware of the environmental impact, I couldn’t continue business as usual. His question led Ereks down the path of more sustainable production, which we have been doing for over fifteen years.

Around the same time, in 2012, I joined the Dutch Denim Alliance (the precursor to the Denim Deal). This was our first trial with post-consumer recycled cotton in the production of jeans.

“The COVID-19 pandemic felt like a signal from the planet: ‘You’re heading straight into the wall—why not change course?’ With fashion producing 100 billion garments a year and projections reaching 250 billion by 2030, I decided not to return to production - not even the ‘sustainable’ kind. In 2023, I co-founded Rematters with Hakan Uçar, a chemical engineer working in textiles. Rematters is a consultancy and engineering company that helps build circular fashion and textile systems by linking ideas to the industry and scaling up innovation and solutions—because we believe scale is essential for impact.”

2. Can you tell us about your current projects, progress and key achievements so far?

Currently, we are a team of five people working internationally in countries such as Switzerland, Benin, Ghana, Turkey and France. Rematters advises large fashion and home textile companies on circularity and supports them with data, research and the latest technologies. One of our partners, the US-based Colourizd, has developed a yarn dyeing technology that uses only one litre of water per kilo, compared to the usual one hundred and 50 litres for dyeing wool, and produces no wastewater. Precisely the changemakers we like to support as changemakers.
Recent work also includes collecting primary data for lifecycle assessments for Sphera consulting, on behalf of Textile Exchange, on recycled cotton in Bangladesh, Turkey and Pakistan; projects on supply chain decarbonization and textile-based insulation materials. We are also very proud of the feasibility and business case studies we did for Tell-Tex Switzerland to help them finalise their investment in a post-consumer textile recycling hub with a twenty thousand-tonne per year capacity.

Since 2020, I have been active in the Dutch Denim Deal, first as a signatory and later as a member of the steering committee. In 2024, together with Nicolas Prophte, I founded the Denim Deal International Foundation to scale the initiative globally. Our mission is to scale circularity in the global denim supply chain by building an inclusive ecosystem, by working with brands, manufacturers, recyclers and innovators from across the globe, not just the West. Today, the Denim Deal has almost 50 members from ten countries, including universities, NGOs, factories, brands and technology providers. What makes this initiative so impactful is that we don’t just talk about collaboration, we do it. A key result: a clear rise in jeans made with at least 20 per cent post-consumer recycled cotton.”

3. What is the future of fashion? What opportunities and challenges lie ahead?

Leaders in the fashion industry need to be aware that a wave of a wave of regulation is coming fast. Under the EU Green Deal, the textile industry is directly in the spotlight, with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), carbon taxes, etc. Some measures have been postponed, but they are on their way. Many companies still underestimate the impact this will have on their operations, their supply chains and ultimately their business models.

In my opinion, fashion cannot grow and reduce emissions while continuing to produce more. Even with efforts to decarbonise the supply chain, around 70 percent of retail’s emissions still come from production. The solution is not just greener factories, but rethinking the entire model. Growth needs to be redefined, with circular strategies such as resale, rental and product-as-a-service at its core.

At Rematters, and also via the Denim Deal, we support companies in their transition to circularity. Through the pilots we offer, brands can start to understand what needs to change from a regulatory point of view, what circular design really means and how they can adapt production accordingly. Denim is a great test material: it’s iconic, complex and has a high impact.

4. Where does the fashion industry stand today? Is there meaningful change happening and are brands truly aware of what a circular future requires?

Circularity will not happen in isolation; it requires active collaboration. Yet many brands are still focused on short-term EBITDA and quarterly results, with some even downsizing their sustainability teams. Fortunately, others, like our client Ralph Lauren, are truly enabling transformation with a long-term vision and support for decarbonisation.

We are not at a tipping point yet. The urgency still needs to be stressed multiple times. But I see the glass as half full. We are aware of the problem, now we need to fight for solutions.

5. What concrete steps should fashion leaders take to accelerate meaningful change?

First: rethink your business model. Circularity isn’t just recycling – it’s reduce, reuse, repair, regenerate. Without systemic change, we are just emptying a bathtub with a spoon while the tap is still running. Support innovation. Invest in incubators. Join initiatives like the Apparel Impact Institute or the Good Fashion Fund.

Second: I reiterate what manufacturers shared on stage during the Innovation Forum Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference in Amsterdam (April 2025): ‘The era of one-way supply chains – ‘I place the order, you produce’ – is over.’ A manufacturer is not just someone who makes 5,000 pairs of trousers, for example – it’s a community of people in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Turkey with deep expertise. With long-term visibility, they can invest in decarbonisation and innovation. Collaboration, co-creation and shared responsibility are the only way forward, especially in a time of global uncertainty.

Reshoring of production is increasingly discussed, but that won’t work with outdated systems. If we want to bring production back to Europe, we need to innovate in how we make clothes – cutting, sewing, finishing, everything. Disruption is the only way forward.

Read also:

• Changemakers in fashion (part 1): Thami Schweichler van United Repair Centre
• Where is the system change in the fashion industry?
• The transition to a circular economy: Is less more in the future of fashion?
• Repair is increasingly gaining attention - also in the fashion sector - What if we can wear our favorite clothes for longer?
• What exactly does “regenerative” mean in fashion?
• Who makes our clothes? Fashion production and the supply chain explained
• Jeans and denim: everything you need to know about jeans
• From fibre to garment: the technical 'make-up' of your clothing
• “Sustainable Textiles”: what are next-gen materials, biobased materials and recycled materials? When is a material truly recycled?
• Helena Helmersson from Circulose on the next phase of sustainability in fashion industry

In the third part of this changemakers interview series, we speak with Saqib Sohail, Lead for Responsible Business Projects at Artistic Milliners, a vertically integrated denim manufacturer headquartered in Pakistan.