Can a Streetwear ARG Change Clothing Recycling?

We all know fashion has a waste problem.
Some of you might not know how big it is.

Less than 15% of clothing is recycled globally each year; yet we produce 92 million tons of textile waste in the same period. 

Most of that ends up burned or in landfill. 

Can storytelling change behaviour?

People are not going to stop producing fashion. It’s a part of who we are. How we make it, what we make it out of, and what we do with it after, is all going to change.

Historically, we’ve never had to worry about what happened to it after we were done. Can how we feel about what we’ve bought change that?

A photo representing the circular fashion process, organic cotton fibres clean enough to break down and reuse.

Why organic cotton isn’t enough.

If it was only that easy. Changing how people behave is hard.

Cotton is one of the most toxic fabrics on the planet, synthetics and micro plastics are another big topic. We’ve seen incredible and ridiculous innovations in textiles, but these are more often clickbait than sustainable.

GOTS certified organic cotton is grown free from harmful chemicals making it easier to recycle.

But organic cotton alone is not the main reason why most people buy.

Building a streetwear ARG.

The world I am building has game play elements. Comics, games and a series are in the pipeline, but the overarching question is how can we change behaviour?

A small incentive is a start. But is it enough to make you go through the steps of returning a t-shirt?

We all have clothing we value; we tend to keep those items. Often regardless of condition. What we do with the stuff we don’t want, or is damaged, is barely a thought.

The Canis is the experiment.

Do we not recycle because that’s the way it’s always been and ‘all it will take’ is a few regulations?

How long will these regulations take to become globally enforceable?

Or can we do something about it in the meantime?

I’m not saying I have the solution. But maybe, when you’re done with your tee or it’s looking a little haggard, you’ll hear Tenet’s voice saying, “The Canis takes it back” and scan the QR code.

The Problem With Circularity

We produce 92 million tonnes of textile waste globally per year, with projections rising further by 2030.
Circular fashion has a long way to go.

Voluntary schemes like Remill, has recovered over 100 tons of clothing in the first two years of opening the scheme to all brands.

This is why we don’t have a branded logo tag. So that you can recycle your tee or hoodie.

This is what recycled fashion looks like. Recovered, prepared for remanufacturing.

Asking people to change behaviour

I don’t think this is impossible, we do it all the time. Asking businesses to change, that’s another thing altogether.

Some fast-fashion retailers (you know who) add thousands of new products every day.

Which has been designed for speed, scale and profit rather than longevity, repairability or what happens once it's out in the world.

With fast fashion being increasingly the affordable choice, this is only going to get worse.

Poverty and Sustainability are linked

This is a tough one.

People living with fewer resources are often forced into behaviours that look sustainable from the outside. Having fewer options available isn’t the same thing as sustainability.

Being able to make ‘conscious choices’ is a privilege.

It shouldn’t have to be.

Does building circularity into a streetwear ARG help?

I don’t know yet. Is it going to help solve the worlds problems, probably not.
I’m bothered when business push recycling issues downstream, but in this case, downstream is where the t-shirt is.

People do need to be more invested in what they buy, how often they buy, which brands they support.

I don't know how you resolve these two conflicts.

Will change be regulated?

Many countries are developing textile waste regulations, but much of the sector still relies on voluntary participation.

Regulations are coming, but slowly.

How can a game fix this?

Well, that remains to be seen.
But if we are going to ask people to participate, then surely, we need to build something better. Not more expensive. Just with more meaning.

Not saying I’ve solved that.

Cash for recycled bottles (and t-shirts😉) aside.

Which I’m down for. But, we need so much more. Nobody has solved this yet.

I’m trying.

Building Streetwear Mythology

I grew up in the era of gaming magazines, comics, album covers, flags and posters. I thought Gerald Brom had superhuman abilities. Mythology and fantasy were my textbooks.

I can talk to you about stories, systems and art for days. The Canis is my attempt to build mythology, collectibles, comics and game mechanics into a streetwear brand.

What’s left of what was on my wall in the 00s.

Mapping game to garment

The first part was easy, ARG mechanics slot right in, designing the characters and mythology, however, can be painfully slow.

I just spent the entire weekend drawing a new version of Sun Eater and the villain, both of which were canned. I’m torn between game iconography and art and have not stopped testing concepts.

Comic books

Accompanying the core range and TCG’s are comics. This is where the story unfolds.

The next generation of art is in progress; provided I stop canning them.
The rulebook is done, version one. The first series of cards is done as well. As the visual language evolves, so will these.

Never thought that kid cutting art and articles out of gaming mags would be designing TCG’s but, there we are.

Star maggots

Sun Eater is part of The Originals; the first batch of my old teenage art I used to start the shop. Weird, misfit art. In its own right.

Reworking this doodle into a re-usable artifact of The Canis has been one of the biggest challenges to date. Raptor is on this list as well.

Due to an obsession with cosmology (Et Al) we have star maggots and axiomatic entities.  

Building worlds

I used to complain about my to-do list. Now, I miss it.

It’s been fun and challenging but it’s the start of mythology.

ARG game mechanics, rules, cards, comics, and an evolving world all mapped to our core range.  
Can’t stop now, this giant world keeps rolling.