Opening a fashion brand in 2026, means stepping into a market where material choices are no longer just a design choice, they are directly connected to cost volatility, reorder risk, and supporting documentation.
Textile Exchange reports global fibre production reached 124 million tonnes in 2023.
In the policy side, requirements are getting more robust. The EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) became effective in July 2024 and is the framework that enables product-specific rules, including Digital Product Passports, to roll out through delegated acts. In parallel, the EU’s targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive took legal effect on October 2025, introducing common rules for textile extended producer responsibility (EPR).
For early-stage brands, this creates tension: they need creative range, but resources get absorbed by sampling cycles, high minimums, testing, and document collection. One way to reduce sampling, minimums, and documentation workload is to build a collection around fewer repeatable fabric programs rather than many one-off materials.
If your goal is to keep your creativity flowing without having to turn sourcing into a full-time compliance project, start with five fabric families that will cover most of your initial needs, from there you can start building your range through silhouette, finish, fit, and color.
1. Recycled Polyester
Polyester has grown to be the most popular fiber used by the fashion industry. Textile Exchange reports polyester accounted for 57% of total fibre production in 2023.
According to the same report, recycled polyester production increased slightly in 2023, but its market share fell from 13.6% to 12.5%, attributing the change to lower virgin prices and current limits in recycling technologies. Less than 1% of the global fibre market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles, and that most recycled polyester still comes from PET bottles.
Scaling textile-to-textile inputs is active, but not yet a default system across the supply base.
Although it’s still not biodegradable, according to a Common Objectives' article, recycled polyester can still reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 to 50% compared to virgin polyester. While rPET has lower impact, it still sheds microfibers during wear and washing. Therefore, brands and designers should look at options to explore pairing it with design-for-recyclability principles or closed-loop systems.
How it Shows Up in Final Products:
In product development, recycled polyester tends to feel smooth, cool-to-the-touch, and low-friction, which is why it is commonly used as a lining in trousers, skirts, blazers, and light outerwear. Depending on the construction, it can range from crisp and structured to soft and fluid. It also holds colour well in many dye/print applications and is usually resistant to creasing compared to many natural fibres, which is one reason it shows up in travel and performance-adjacent product briefs.
In knits, recycled polyester is used where durability, recovery, and fast dry time are needed, this includes active tops, leggings, base layers, and swim categories, often shown blended. It can also be engineered into mesh or pique structures for breathability, or brushed for a softer handfeel in fleece-like applications, though brushed surfaces can increase the need to manage shedding and pilling expectations. As for accessories, it can be used for bags and shoes where abrasion resistance and tensile strength are strong requirements.
2. Organic Cotton
Cotton is the second most produced fiber in the industry, accounting for 20% of global fiber production. However, “regular cotton” – cultivated using modern agricultural methods, often reliant on synthetic chemicals – is falling short on sustainability. It has a heavy water footprint, relying on unsustainable irrigation in water-scarce regions.
On the other hand Organic cotton is defined by Textile Exchange, as a cotton that grows with the avoidance of toxic and persistent synthetic agrichemicals and genetically modified seeds. Thereby promoting soil health, biodiversity, and safer working conditions. According to The Organic Center, organic cotton practices can reduce water consumption by 91%.
How it Shows Up in Final Products:
In first collections, organic cotton can show up in two forms: knits and shirting wovens. Mostly shown in “essentials” products like tees, tanks, long sleeves, underwear basics and fitted tops in jersey or rib. In its woven form, it covers shirts, shirt dresses, lightweight bottoms, and lining alternatives when brands want a natural touch. It becomes the base fabric that supports brand consistency across multiple SKUs, because one knit quality can be run through several silhouettes with fewer patterns.
From a product brief perspective, organic cotton is often treated as a low-risk upgrade because it keeps the fibre familiarity designers rely on while supporting claims that can be verified through certification. In wear, it is typically specified for soft, breathable comfort in close-to-skin categories, and it is also used when teams want fibres that tolerate heat in laundering or pressing and suit babywear, intimates, and sensitive-skin markets.
3. Linen
Keaton two piece linen material. Source: maisonrogue.com
Textile Exchange reports that linen production was around 0.4 million tonnes in 2023, representing about 0.3% of global fibre production. In trade-fair trend reporting, linen continues to be positioned as a key natural material, often through blend development rather than only “pure linen” stories. Peclers Paris’ Première Vision S/S25 coverage points to a “seasonless” direction where linen is blended with cotton and wool.
How it Shows Up in Final Product:
Linen shows up across shirting and summer wovens and tailoring-focused pieces. Depending on construction and finishing, linen can feel crisp and structured (denser plain weaves for shirts) or softened and drapier (washed or blended linens for bottoms and sets).
In PV’s SS25 “Virtuous Hybrids” preview, linen is also referenced in premium streetwear pieces, and in dress/top-focused fabrics where linen is combined with viscose, lyocell, or cupro to create smoother surfaces while keeping visible plant-fibre texture.
4. Lyocell
Lyocell sits inside the broader MMCF category (viscose, modal, lyocell, acetate, cupro). Overall MMCF production increased from 7.4 million tonnes (2022) to 7.9 million tonnes (2023), representing about 6% of the global fibre market. In other words that places lyocell in a growing segment, but still significantly smaller than synthetics in overall volume.
As stated by Wired, lyocell is often selected for its drape, surface smoothness, and a soft sheen. Wired also reports that lyocell production typically uses a closed-loop system that recycles over 99% of the solvent used, often cited as a key difference versus conventional viscose routes.
On a brand side, Vogue Business has reported on sourcing moves in wood-based cellulosics, including H&M Group’s multi-year deal with Circulose aimed at replacing a substantial share of virgin viscose, with references to substituting inputs with Circulose-made viscose or lyocell in some cases.
How it Shows Up in Final Product:
In collections, lyocell most often appears in drape-led categories and soft tailoring like fluid dresses, blouses, wide-leg trousers, relaxed sets, and lightweight shirts. It shows up as smoother wovens and in blends that adjust opacity, weight, and surface.
Because finishing and construction can materially change outcomes, lyocell can be briefed on specific controls (GSM, opacity expectations by colour, shrinkage/growth targets, abrasion performance) rather than treating it as interchangeable from one supplier to the next
5. Hemp
Danushka hemp coat. Source: Garmentory
Textile Exchange’s report shows that Hemp production was ~0.2 million tonnes in 2023, with a market share of ~0.2% of global fibre production. Similar to linen, hemp remains a small-volume fibre in the total global output, which is a relevant context for availability and scaling discussions.
In trend and sourcing editorial, hemp is being discussed largely through hybrid fabric development. Première Vision’s SS25 “Decodings” explicitly reference “hemp and lyocell” among the season’s “hybrid compositions,” presented as part of broader blending work across plant, animal, and cellulosic fibres. Peclers Paris’ SS25 fabric trends coverage also places “vegetal draperies” and blend experimentation at the center of its natural story, which aligns with how hemp is being surfaced.
How it Shows Up in Final Products:
In product terms, hemp appears primarily in woven applications, often through blends that adjust drape and surface behavior. Denim and casual cottons compete with hemp for premium streetwear pieces, and also references compositions where plant fibres interact with more fluid cellulosics for flowing tops and dress-oriented fabrics.
It’s presented as part of a broader category of blended fabrications intended to create new handles and drapes while keeping end-use considerations (including end-of-life) in view.
A Sourcing Takeaway Following 2026
The market data and policy direction both point to the same pressure point: brands that standardise their evidence early move faster later. ESPR and the revised Waste Framework Directive are explicitly building toward stronger product rules and producer responsibility in the EU.
For early-stage teams, that doesn’t mean chasing a perfect material list. It means building a repeatable sourcing practice where the materials you choose can be specified, reordered, and documented without turning every drop into a new compliance sprint.
It’s worth stating plainly: there is no perfect fibre. Redress’s fibre guidance puts it directly: there is not one “perfect” option across the lifecycle. The job is to compare trade-offs in your context, then choose the materials that reduce harm and hold up under real product requirements, pricing, and proof.
Source Your First 5 Materials with Less Friction
If you want to actually start sourcing these materials (not just read about them), World Collective’s Source Now section already includes supplier listings that match this starter system.
You can start with organic cotton and recycled polyester knits from LMA such as 8666 “EcoFusion”. For linen, you can browse linen options from Fabrics4Fashion, Tekboy and Mithela. For lyocell, the Ecosystem includes suppliers such as SGM Tekstil, Tekboy and SKD Fine Decór. And for hemp, there are structured woven options like the cotton–hemp twill made by ISKUR DENIM or the elegant basket weave fabric blends UK hemp, recycled cashmere, and New Zealand merino lambswool Morpho by Papillon Bleu.
Source Now and explore the supplier network inside our Ecosystem.
