On March 5th, the European Fashion Alliance (EFA) held its first conference in Brussels, The State of European Fashion. A meeting that brought together sector leaders, policy makers and other ecosystem agents to debate decisive issues for the future of fashion in Europe. During the conference, attendees were able to learn about the first conclusions of the survey promoted by EFA to evaluate the current state of the industry and identify significant challenges and opportunities in light of the imminent legislation on sustainability. Full results will be published in April.
In his opening speech, Scott Lipinski, president of EFA, stressed: "We created the European Fashion Alliance because there were many regional entities dedicated to textiles, but there was no organization that represented the creative side of the European fashion industry. There was a need for an alliance with shared interests that would promote the exchange of knowledge in the sector and whose purpose would be to create a better European fashion ecosystem.”
Next, Elke Timmerman, member of the EFA Board of Directors, presented the results of the report The State of European Fashion. According to the participants in the survey, the key actions that would help improve the negative image that European society has of the fashion industry would involve consumer education, effective and harmonized regulation, as well as promoting sustainable business models. Another of the notable conclusions of the survey is that European SMEs are not fully aware of or prepared for the upcoming European Union regulations, despite their efforts and investments made to guarantee the durability of the products. In most cases, lack of resources prevents the creation of sustainability director’s positions or corporate social responsibility departments.
The roundtables subsequently organized focussed on sectorial policies, education and innovation, and were led by leading figures from the fashion industry, allowing speakers to share their views and experiences on how to navigate the changing sustainability landscape.
Furthermore, the day culminated with a roundtable led by members of the EFA Board of Directors, including Carlo Capasa, president of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana; Caroline Rush, director general of the British Fashion Council; Pascal Morand, executive president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode; Elke Timmerman, international and business relations at Flanders DC; Scott Lipinski, general director of the Fashion Council Germany and Zuzana Bobikova, general director of the Slovak Fashion Council.
Araceli Díaz Santana, responsible for the Gran Canaria Moda Cálida program of the Gran Canaria Council, attended this meeting; Sergio Álvarez, director of the Spanish Fashion Academy Foundation, and Pepa Bueno, executive director of the Asociación de Creadores de Moda de España, an organization that has promoted the creation of said alliance since its inception.
