The Limits of Growth – A Fashion Phenomenon, Three Conclaves, and then, Tolstoy !!

‘Conclave’ brings to mind an intense Ralph Fiennes shepherding an assembly of Cardinals, some with papal ambitions of their own, as they go about electing a Pope; grouped into ‘us’ vs ‘them’, based on where they belong in the vast tapestry of beliefs, where ‘faith’, ‘progress’, and even ‘technology’ are divisive concepts,  deeply mirroring the society that these very Cardinals govern (spiritually, albeit). So, ‘Conclave’ seems like a nice term to borrow, along with Christopher Nolan’s narrative format! So, here goes…BE PREPARED !! (Imagine Scar, Lion King?) 

When New York Times reported on Zara ushering in Fast Fashion trends, brands like Gap and H&M following Zara into this segment, little did anyone contend with the idea that they would be dwarfed in a big way. Shein, the leader today, has exponentially increased the number of new designs brought into the market, with new designs hitting the shelves daily instead of weekly or monthly. Shein brings 300000+ new designs annually, as against 4000-5000 by H&M or Zara, a feat made possible by AI-driven trend forecasting, rapid prototyping, and just-in-time manufacturing. And, alsofueled by the ability to leverage AI to rapidly churn out (FOMO centric) marketing messages tailored for social media— driving buying behavior through real-time social signals!  Apparently, FOMO impacts 70% millennials and 60% GenZ! So, there’s your phenomenon! 

On a weekend in mid-May (2025), a clandestine mathematical ‘conclave’ convened. Thirty of the world’s most renowned mathematicians traveled to Berkeley, Calif., with some coming from as far away as the U.K. The group’s members faced off in a showdown with a “reasoning” chatbot that was tasked with solving problems they had devised to test its mathematical mettle. The chatbot in question is powered by o4-mini, a so-called reasoning large language model (LLM), trained by OpenAI to be capable of making highly intricate deductions. Although the group did eventually succeed in finding 10 questions that stymied the bot, the researchers were astonished by how far AI had progressed. By the end of the conclave, it was clear that the impact of this would be far-reaching, not only for mathematics but for everything else as well.  

In 2019, on the sidelines of a G7 summit, spurred by the French President Macron, Henri Pinault, the CEO of Kering group ( of Gucci fame), brought together a ‘conclave’ consisting some of the leaders in the Fashion Industry (Capri Holdings, Farfetch, Ferragamo, Prada, PVH Corp, Ralph Lauren, Bally, Tapestry, Under Armour, Zegna and Zimmermann) – the group spanning 56 leading international fashion houses presently, representing nearly 250 brands, to commit to achieving: 

• 25% low-impact material sourcing by 2025 

• 50% renewable energy by 2025 (100% by 2030) 

• Net zero carbon impact by 2050 

Shein was yet to burst the bubble of Fast Fashion as it existed at this time, nor had concepts like ultra-fast or real-time fashion become reality !! And OpenAI had yet to introduce the world to ChatGPT !  

Much before all this transpired, in 1968, a group of scientists, economists and business leaders came together in Rome, disillusioned by the inability of governments and leaders to tackle global crises. Calling themselves the Club of Rome, this ‘conclave’ caught the world’s attention in 1972 when it released its ground-breaking report “The Limits of Growth”. Based on a computer simulation model developed by MIT researchers, the report warned of the potential consequences of unchecked economic and population growth on a planet with finite resources. It suggested that if growth trends continued, we could face resource depletion, environmental degradation, and societal collapse. The terms ‘climate change’, ‘global warming’ were yet to be coined, or maintstreamed, and the first Earth Summit wouldn’t happen till 1992 !! 

Well ! 

Globally, an estimated 90+ million tonnes of textile waste are generated each year, a number exacerbated by the rise in AI-fueled fast fashion. The fashion industry is already responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, and this figure is expected to rise as AI accelerates consumption cycles. The United Nations has warned that fashion’s climate impact could increase by 50% by 2030 if current trends continue. A report by McKinsey (circa 2023) suggests that AI could add up to $275 billion to the operating profits of apparel, fashion, and luxury sectors over three to five years. And, ironically, this doesn’t account for the carbon footprint of GenAI, which is rapidly accelerating the ability to design and market. (A 2023 study estimated that training a single LLM can emit over 500,000 pounds of CO₂, roughly equivalent to the lifetime emissions of five cars.) 

Circa 1880s Leo Tolstoy wrote the classic “How Much Land Does a Man Need”; the story of a peasant, Pahom, who states that if he had enough land, he wouldn’t fear the Devil. The Devil overhears this and decides to test him. Pahom is given the opportunity to acquire as much land as he can walk around in one day, provided he returns, by sunset, to the exact point he started.  

Pahom dies in the attempt. 

Storyteller