At Pulse eCommerce Summit ’25, we brought together some of the boldest voices in sustainable fashion to ask the big questions - and get real about the answers. In a powerful panel hosted by our co-founder Kate Walmsley, we explored what sustainability and transparency truly mean today, and why rethinking retail is no longer optional.
Our co-founder Kate Walmsley was joined by two brilliant voices in the industry:
- Bronwen Foster-Butler, CMO at Finisterre, climate advocate, feminist, and the force behind one of the UK’s most respected purpose-driven brands
- Stuart Trevor, founder of All Saints and now STUART TREVOR, a fashion label redefining what it means to make and sell clothing - by not producing any new garments at all
Together, they delivered a session that was honest, hopeful, and deeply necessary:
“What does sustainability actually mean in today’s fashion landscape - and what should brands and retailers be doing now to get it right?”
Bronwen spoke with her signature clarity about transparency - not as a campaign, but as a commitment. “Customers aren’t looking for perfection. They’re looking for brands they can trust, who are upfront about where they are and where they want to go.”
In addition to their commitment to sustainable production and work that promotes and protects their love of the sea, Finisterre offer multiple circular retail services that help extend the life of the products they make, reducing waste in the process. These include rental, repair, takeback and resale. As part of the panel discussion, Bronwen shared how these services allow customers to ‘try before they buy’, hold on to favourite well-worn items,and recapture value from the clothing they no longer wear (keeping it out of landfill, and in circulation) – generating revenue for the company and enhancing brand loyalty and CLV.
Stuart brought fire to the stage with his radical approach: a clothing brand that doesn’t make any clothes.Instead of new products, his brand, STUART TREVOR, upcycles existing garments. Vintage military wear, forgotten stock, unloved classics -all re-imagined into something new without creating waste. “We've already made more clothes than we’ll ever need. Reinventing what’s already here isn’t limiting - it’s liberating.”
Stuart has a storied background in retail, he was the lead designer at Reiss in its formative years and brought ‘rock & roll’ to the high-street when he founded All Saints. Amongst the many pearls shared, it was his simple reminder that (to be successful) we need to make sustainability fun, which may have resonated the most.
Kate helped pull these powerful perspectives together, weaving in what we’ve seen first-hand at Tern: Brands want to do better - they just need the tools, guidance, and confidence to get started. “Circular fashion doesn’t just look good on paper. It creates real business value - deeper loyalty, reduced waste, new revenue streams. The challenge is making it practical. That’s our job.”
It was another chance to share the stage with the people building the future, to show what’s possible, and to invite others into this growing community of brands doing things differently.
If you're a retailer or brand who’s been thinking about circular retail - resale, repair, take-back, rental - but aren't sure where to begin, we’d love to talk. The future of fashion doesn’t belong to the loudest brands or the biggest budgets. It belongs to the bold, the honest, and the ones ready to make better business models the norm.
Let’s grow the future of retail together. Contact us hello@tern.eco
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