Eco Fashion
Sustainable Standards Guaranteed at ReSOURCE
With increasing importance placed on sustainability, the need to guarantee truly sustainable standards is in greater demand by buyers and brands. Ahead of their showcase at ReSOURCE at the next edition of MUNICH FABRIC START, we interviewed representatives Heike Hess of the International Association of Natural Textiles (IVN) and Franziska Dormann of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
Briefly, IVN awards two quality seals for ecologically produced products: NATURTEXTIL and NATURLEDER. For both seals, the association has defined parameters that have become a standard in the industry. The association is co-owner of GOTS, the worldwide standard for the production of sustainable textiles on an industrial scale.
What is the most frequently asked question at the beginning of a consultation?
GOTS: Often it begins with a general introduction to the Global Organic Textile Standard, i.e. What is covered by the standard? How is this ensured? By reviewing the strict social and environmental criteria throughout the entire textile supply chain – from the fields to the wardrobe – GOTS guarantees safety and transparency for the consumer. The independent certification ensures credibility compared to mere self-explanatory statements.
IVN: Most visitors ask us for certifications and seals. How to get certified, which fabrics and accessories must be sourced to reach IVN BEST or GOTS requirements or how do our seals differ from others founds in ReSOURCE, register here.
What changes do you want brands to make in the next 5 – 10 years to bring about and anchor sustainable aspects of the textile industry?
GOTS: I think most people have recognized the importance and urgency of this because no one can fly under the radar for long. Sustainability interests those who have to justify themselves the most. For us, these are the brands that sell. Everyone involved is interested, the question is which actions follow? In industry, the spectrum ranges from greenwashing to genuinely practiced sustainability. Consumers range from lip service to showing a real willingness to spend more on sustainable products.
IVN: Many buyers, especially brands, are looking for certified fabrics. The selection of certified fabrics made with natural fibres in ReSOURCE is quite large, but for synthetic and regenerated fibres there is a lack of products that have been awarded truly sustainable seals. I would like to see more interest from the brands here, which would result in a stronger commitment on the part of the fabric suppliers.
How has the brands’ approach to research and purchasing changed over the last seasons?
GOTS: The trade fairs, as well as specific enquiries by e-mail, have resulted in more and more brands wanting to find out which suppliers are already GOTS-certified. Here I refer to the public database with almost 6,000 certified companies. Many companies that are interested in GOTS want to continue working with their existing suppliers and therefore jointly go the way of gaining certification of their entire supply chain.
IVN: You can clearly see that the topic of sustainability is becoming increasingly important for brands. Visitors at ReSOURCE are better prepared and ask more concrete questions. Many are looking for specific products and have clear expectations about what a fabric should be like. The typical length of time brands exhibit in the ReSOURCE area has definitely increased. More and more buyers who do not explicitly belong to sustainable companies are also showing interest in the products exhibited at ReSOURCE.
What are the specific challenges facing a future-oriented fashion industry?
IVN: The challenges vary depending on the size and orientation of the fashion companies. Smaller brands – especially in the sustainable segment – have problems finding certified suppliers who also supply small quantities. Larger companies use many different materials and accordingly many different suppliers. It is difficult to have an overview of the entire supply chain up to your own company, especially if you attach importance to a certain level of sustainability held by suppliers and sub-suppliers. It is still a challenge to reconcile certification and sustainability with the profitability of products. For particularly fashionable brands, it is still challenging to find exclusive or unique fabrics and additionals in sustainable qualities. There are certainly some other challenges, but overall it is more important that today means making sustainable fashion easier and more profitable than it was a few seasons ago.
New Heritage Festival: Strong Performance on the Rhine
Under the motto buy things that matter, the New Heritage Festival took place for the third time on 7th & 8th December 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Around 5,000 visitors admired, tried and informed themselves about the high-quality and often handmade goods of 125 small and large exhibiting manufacturers.
Exhibitors included leather goods manufacturer Croots England, beeswax cloth producer Toff & Zürpel and shoe manufacturer Zeha Berlin. “We are proud that we are able to inspire so many different exhibitors for the New Heritage year after year”, said Moritz Fuchs, initiator of the fair. “The feedback we have received from our exhibitors is very positive throughout: they appreciate the interested and affluent audience, the exchange with colleagues and the great atmosphere in the location Areal Böhler”.
“The New Heritage is a great opportunity to take our products on the road and to show people who we are and what we do. We have met many new, enthusiastic visitors and it is great how interested they are in our products and the store, Clutch Cafe.”
Ben Chamberlain, Clutch Cafe
In addition to end consumers, visitors from the B2B sector were also encountered at New Heritage. Uwe Maier of AMTRAQ Distribution confirms this and explains: “For us as a trade agency, New Heritage offers the opportunity to get direct feedback from end consumers and to test the reactions to our products. But the fair also has a wholesale function, so we have been able to make some new contacts with dealers”.
The eight workshops and lectures were particularly well attended this year. Among the highlights were the lecture Restoring Furniture by Stephan Beek (Unicum Krefeld) and the TrashTalk by Victoria Blocksdorf, organizer of Blockblock Rhein Cleanups, who provided valuable information on the topic of plastic avoidance.
Friends of high-quality manufactured articles have something to look forward to: The New Heritage Festival returns to its hometown Munich on May 9th & 10th, 2020 and for the first time will not take place on the Praterinsel but in the Zenith and Kohlebunker.
“We have grown steadily in recent years – the new location meets our space requirements and offers the chance to open the festival to even more visitor groups. We are therefore planning to integrate lifestyle brands with Heritage DNA as well as sustainable labels that place great value on the fair and ecological manufacture of their products into New Heritage and to make the range of products on offer to visitors even larger”. Sebastian Klinder, also managing director of New Heritage.
On 5th & 6th December 2020, the New Heritage will then take place again at the Areal Böhler in Düsseldorf.
‘Sustainability is not just a trend but a MUST’
At Munich Fabric Start, we are constantly evolving and expanding our offering to meet the demands of the fashion industry. As a whole, the fashion industry is experiencing the effects from increasingly consumer led trends and habits. We are undergoing a shift from fast fashion to slower, sustainable and more responsible manufacturing, transparent supply chains as well as inherently greener brands, products and materials.
“Sustainability is more than just a trend. We are convinced that the industry will fundamentally change in the coming years from within and as a result of this topic.”
– Jo Baumgartner, Trend Researcher at Munich Fabric Start
The upcoming edition of Munich Fabric Start puts issues around sustainability at the forefront with revolutionary new formats. Here are our platforms and initiatives which are making it easier and more accessible to source sustainable at the next edition of Munich Fabric Start.
ReSource
With ReSource, Munich Fabric Start has established an advanced sourcing platform that demonstrates new dimensions of sustainability for innovative and future-oriented production processes. It has defined a forum, initiated and supported by experts that provides real solutions, provides information on the latest standards through seminars and lectures, even bringing together potential cooperation partners.
Find the complete ReSource range online to source your eco fabrics and trims 24/7. This unique platform facilitates the sourcing of responsible and clean fabrics and accessories from around the world.
Check out the full list of events happening at ReSource here.
Trend Forum
In our Trend Forums we explore the theme of sustainability with “FORWARD ETHICS” the clothing brand concepts which represent the demand for transparency and caters to the more conscious and informed consumer. Fundamentally it explores the transparency in the production and supply chain, all the way from the seed used by farmers making natural dyes to production and distribution. Keynote speakers, panel discussions and round tables discussions will shed more light on this ongoing transformation as well as provide food for thought and insights into the future.
“Consumer behavior has changed a lot and with it, so too has the market. The consumer is more informed than ever before. The consumer is more conscious and critical, demanding transparency in the production and supply chain.”
– Jo Baumgartner, Trend Researcher at Munich Fabric Start
Events
The event program on offer at Munich Fabric Start is a reflection on the issues, strategies and common themes the industry as a collective are facing right now. With many of our seminars, panel discussions and keynote talks led by the theme of sustainability, we are equipping our visitors with the necessary tools and know-how to grow their brand and business successfully during these times. In particular you should be sure not to miss these two highlights:
SusTECHability – HOW TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCE SUSTAINABILITY IN FASHION
Lifestyle & Design. Sustainable Resources & Circular Processes. Big Data & Artificial Intelligence. Topics that were completely separate in the past influence each other and become the melting pot of the future of fashion.
Li Edelkoort | Founder and President of
the Parisian trend forecasting agency Trend Union
Michael Stanley-Jones | Co-Secretary, UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion
– United Nations Environment Programme
Tricia Carey | Director Global Business Development Denim at Lenzing Fibers
Natasha Franck | CEO & Founder EON Group Holdings Inc.
Erik Bang | Innovation Lead H&M Foundation
Muchaneta Kapfunde | Founding Editor-in-Chief FashNerd.com
Moderation: Jana Kern & Alex Vogt | KERN. Consulting
Tuesday, 3rd September 2019 at 11.30am, KEYHOUSE Hall 5
HIDE ME
HIDE ME
RESHAPING THE FASHION INDUSTRY FOR GOOD
From slow fashion to mainstream business, materials to education, sustainability is a vast and complex issue that has raised many questions on how we can reshape the fashion industry for good.
Muchaneta Kapfunde, Founding Editor-in-Chief FashNerd.com, interviews these 4 ladies:
Charney Magri | Co-Director: Catwalk to Creation and Partner: Do Epic Good
Olivia Pinnock | Fashion Journalist, Lecturer and Founder of The Fashion Debates
Abigail Morris | Founder and CEO of Compare Ethics
Rosanne van der Meer | Founder The Girl and The Machine & N.I.O.
Wednesday, 4th September 2019 at 10.30am, KEYHOUSE Hall 5
Keyhouse
Our think tank for the fusion of fashion, innovation and technology with seminars, panels, presentations and guided tours, Keyhouse presents the latest innovations for smart textiles, sustainable developments and innovative production methods. The lecture area in Keyhouse will host a series of talks, presentations and discussions centered around the theme of sustainability.
Sustainable Innovations
Presented in Hall 5 at Keyhouse, Sustainable Innovations exists somewhere between poetry and problem solving. Showcasing inspirational applications of revolutionary innovations ranging from 3D printing, to human capital, to circular solutions.
‘With this edition we show several projects that provide concrete examples of what the successful interplay between poetry and problem solving can look like.’
– Simon Angel, Curator of Sustainable Innovations
Exhibitor Developments and Sample Areas
Samples submitted to our ReSource area will be showcased throughout the show in various convienient locations, including in the walkways of the MOC building, a selection of samples will be presented at Keyhouse to compliment the sustainable innovations area as well as dotted throughout the trend forum. Of course ReSource fabrics, labelling and additional products will be on display in the dedicated ReSource area in Hall K4.
As you can see, sustainability and its related areas are broadly and comprehensively represented. MUNICH FABRIC START became committed at a very early stage and initiated strong forums which are continuously expanding.
You’re invited to attend MUNICH FABRIC START, where more than 1000 suppliers will present more than 1800 collections for Fabrics and Additionals for Autumn.Winter 20/21.
MUNICH FABRIC START: 3-5 of September 2019