# Tracking Apparel Origins The IOU Project Allows Wearers to Learn About Each Product's Life Story By Katherinev123 | Published 2011-05-03 | Social Good Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-iou-project References: [springwise](http://www.springwise.com/fashion_beauty/iou/) & [theiouproject](http://www.theiouproject.com/) If you've ever wondered how the shirt on your back was made, wonder no more. If you fill your closet with clothes from The IOU Project, you'll know the exact life story of each of your garments. This clothing brand tracks the processing of each garment using a QR code. Via videos and pictures, the buyer can find out upon purchase exactly how the garment was made, from the "artisan who made the fabric in India [to] the artisans who made the garment in Europe." In addition, The IOU Project offers one-of-a-kind clothing -- literally. Each piece is hand-woven from Indian textiles so that each garment is completely unique. The IOU Project, due to launch in early May, was created by Madrid-based fashion designer Kavita Parmar. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.7/10 - Popularity: 31% | Activity: 41% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Social Good](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialgood) > [Social Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialbusiness) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Transparent Apparel:** Create apparel with transparent supply chains to increase consumer trust and sustainability. - **Traceable Garments:** Develop a tracking system for garments to allow consumers to trace back the origins of their clothing and the people that created it. - **Unique Hand-woven Apparel:** Produce one-of-a-kind hand-woven textiles and clothing that are environmentally conscious and ethically made. ### Who This Affects Most - **Fashion:** The fashion industry can benefit from creating more transparency in the supply chain and sustainability in production methods. - **Technology:** Develop new technologies and QR tracking systems to enable consumers to learn about the lifecycle of products. - **Textiles:** Collaborate with weavers and handcrafters to create unique and eco-friendly textiles that align with consumer values. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Product-Tracking Digital Brochures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/another-tomorrow.md) - [Whimsical Ethically Made Apparel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/iclothing.md) - [Conscious Consumerism Apparel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/or-collective-and-h-project.md) - [Ethical Organic Cotton Apparel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sport-sweatshirt.md) - [Sustainable Indian Streetwear Lines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cloveify.md) - [Innovative Textile Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/textile-production.md) - [NFC Chip-Embedded Vintage Clothing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mntge-and-dukes-cupboard.md) - [Web3-Based Storytelling Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-fabricant-1.md) - [Timeless Knit Apparel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mudana-clothing.md)