Gathered at the Institut Français de la Mode recently, Frédéric Hocquard, deputy to Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo in charge of cultural diversity and nightlife; Antoinette Guhl, deputy in charge of social economy and solidarity, and Isabelle Lefort, a former fashion journalist, launched “Paris Good Fashion,” an initiative aiming to push the fashion industry towards adopting more sustainable practices.
Stephane Feugere/WWD
Over the next five years — the projected end date is the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris — Paris Good Fashion will bring together a cast of diverse fashion players joining forces to work on becoming more eco-conscious.
“Paris Good Fashion is an open community regrouping fashion professionals, brands, entrepreneurs, designers and experts who will be working together to establish a roadmap of the steps that can be taken to make Paris the sustainable capital of fashion,” said Lefort.
The Paris administration, the IFM, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, creative platform Eyes on Talent, the Ellen McArthur Foundation and fashion incubator Les Ateliers de Paris are all part of the initiative, which has gathered support from LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and the Galeries Lafayette.
Committee members will focus their efforts on three themes: creating a circular economy; improving sourcing and traceability, and working on making certain processes more sustainable, such as distribution, energy and communication. This last theme also includes the subject of Paris Fashion Week.
The sustainability roadmap for 2019 will be unveiled in June during an event that will include a cycle of conferences, an awards ceremony for the new Eyes on Talent prize for inclusive design, in partnership with France Handicap, as well as a campaign promoting recycling within fashion.
“When I started out in fashion 20 years ago, no one talked about sustainability,” said Lefort, who in 1997 was chosen to be the first editor in chief of fashion magazine Jalouse. “But the world has changed: we are in a situation of ecological disaster. This is a huge concern for the younger generations, who are appealing to fashion brands to change their processes. We need to create a dialogue between those two worlds.”
“It’s our task to invent a new future for fashion,” agreed Guhl. “Our role is to encourage creation while fighting against climate change, to continue production in France while protecting natural resources and to develop our industry while looking out for our artisans. I hope this day marks the beginning of a collective movement within the fashion industry.”
Source: WWD