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Romain Liot, Author of Reset Fashion, on Sustainability & Industry Innovation

A conversation about fashion, & sustainability 

Romain Liot began his career at McKinsey & Company before co-founding Adore Me, a lingerie brand that became one of the major success stories of the direct-to-consumer model, acquired by Victoria's Secret & Co. in 2023. Today, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at A Magazine Curated By, he advises companies developing sustainability solutions for the fashion industry and works at the intersection of fashion, technology and climate innovation.

During his visit to IFA Paris, he hosted a masterclass with students and sat down for the interview below, retracing his journey, his reflections on the fashion ecosystem and the key ideas behind his book Reset Fashion.

Interview with Romain Liot

Q: Can you first introduce yourself in a few words ?

Romain Liot: I’m a fashion entrepreneur, I started my career in consulting and then launched a lingerie brand in the U.S. called Adore Me. Like every entrepreneurial adventure, it was quite a ride. It ended well because we were acquired by Victoria’s Secret & Co. Since then, I’ve been dedicating my time to sustainability in fashion and innovation.

The reason I’m here today is for the launch of my book Reset Fashion, which tries to explain how fashion works, what the challenges are, and what opportunities sustainability can create for the industry.

 

Q: What does your role really look like on a day-to-day basis?

Romain Liot: I spend a lot of time meeting people, challenging ideas and trying to connect the dots. One of the major challenges in fashion and sustainability is that everything is extremely fragmented.

If I can help connect a few dots between companies, technologies, brands and solutions that help decarbonize fashion, then I’ve had a great day.

 

Q: Would you say you work in fashion, sustainability or business? How would you define yourself?

Romain Liot: I’m interested in sustainability within fashion, leveraged through business. I see myself as a link between different parts of the fashion ecosystem : between artistic direction and business, but also between all the other stakeholders that contribute to fashion.

Fashion is a fascinating ecosystem because it sits at the crossroads of craftsmanship, culture, economics and identity. Sometimes I have a complicated relationship with fashion because there’s a lot about appearance. But fashion is also magical, it shapes identities, describes the world and can even challenge it. Beyond its economic influence, fashion has cultural power. Everyone wants to be fashionable, and there’s a reason for that.

Fashion is also a microcosm of global capitalism and global culture. That complexity makes it difficult to understand, but also incredibly interesting. And within that complexity, sustainability has become central.

 

Q: How do you integrate sustainability into fashion?

Romain Liot: I don’t think sustainability is something “on top” of fashion. I think it’s at the center.

Fashion has always been about perpetual reinvention, and there have always been constraints. Sustainability is a new constraint, but it doesn’t reduce opportunities. On the contrary, it creates new ones : new colors, new materials, new ways of doing things and reconnecting craftsmanship with global systems.

I believe sustainability will become one of the leading forces driving the reinvention of fashion.

 

Q: Is this what you talk about in your book?

Romain Liot: Yes, among many other things. I talk about what I call “Reset Fashion”: how we can truly reimagine fashion to ensure the industry remains vibrant in the future. Fashion is currently facing many challenges and needs new energy.

Protecting something bigger than ourselves, like nature, air, people… It can become a meaningful purpose for the fashion industry.

 

Q: IFA Paris students are preparing to become the next generation of fashion managers and creatives. What skills do they need today?

Romain Liot: Curiosity. The ability to understand things you are not naturally comfortable with. Data literacy as well. In these new territories, fashion students will find meaning, resources and opportunities to help solve the climate challenges we are facing.

The future of fashion is really starting in schools like IFA Paris, with a new generation of students who will make fashion in the next decade much more interesting.

 

Q: What pushed you to write your book Reset Fashion?

Romain Liot: I’ve always wanted to share ideas and experiences. Each time I shared stories, people encouraged me to share more.

Last year, after leaving Adore Me, I took some time to step back and better understand the fashion landscape because it’s incredibly complex. I wanted to help people understand the tensions shaping the industry today: economic tensions, geopolitical tensions, sustainability challenges and technological transformations.

The book is really about making all these topics understandable, actionable and workable.

 

Q: How would you “reset” fashion?

Romain Liot: I think it starts with acknowledging that we are not on the right track. Once you acknowledge that, the next question becomes: what is the right track?

To answer that, you need to deeply understand the fashion ecosystem : social media, outsourcing, regulations, technology, culture and production systems. You can’t stay superficial.

Then you need action. Start where there is both impact and a good return on investment. You also need to understand production better, even if many fashion people don’t naturally want to look at that side of the industry.

Most importantly, we need better collaboration between stakeholders : luxury brands, mass-market brands, manufacturers, factory workers and innovators... Schools like IFA Paris are important because they help foster the next generation of collaborators and contributors.

And finally, resetting fashion requires a collective will to transform the industry for the greater good.

 

Shaping the next generation of fashion innovators

Through this masterclass with Romain Liot, IFA Paris once again reaffirmed its commitment to preparing students for the major transformations shaping the fashion industry.

By connecting creativity, business, innovation and sustainability, the school encourages future fashion professionals to develop a broader understanding of the challenges facing the sector today.

Encounters with industry leaders such as Romain Liot give students the opportunity to engage directly with the realities of contemporary fashion and imagine new ways of creating, producing and collaborating.

Want to explore fashion through innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability? Discover the programs at IFA Paris and prepare to shape the future of the industry.