Paris' New Sustainable Fashion Initiative
By 2024, Paris plans to be the sustainable fashion capital of the world after the launch of its Paris Good Fashion initiative.
The five-year proposal was announced at the Institut Français de la Mode on Monday by Antoinette Guhl, the deputy in charge of social economy and solidarity, Frédéric Hocquard, the deputy to Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo in charge of cultural diversity and nightlife, and former fashion journalist Isabelle Lefort. The initiative will bring a wide range of fashion professionals, designers and brands in the industry together to push a more eco-friendly style of production.
The initiative will follow three main themes: "creating a circular economy, improving sourcing and traceability, and making distribution, energy and communication – including Paris Fashion Week – more sustainable," according to WWD. This plan will cover every aspect of a garment's construction from sourcing and production to its debut at Fashion Week. According to WWD Antoinette Guhl said, “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.”
With the threat of global warming constantly rising, it is reassuring to see the world's second-most polluting industry take on the rewear, reuse and recycle mindset. With Paris being the fashion capital of the world and it housing some of the oldest fashion houses, this initiative should set the precedent for fashion brands worldwide.
Others for the fight of redesigning our future by adopting a circular economy are brands like H&M and Adidas, vowing to use only recycled material by 2030 and 2024 and Stella McCartney adopting a completely transparent production chain.
Copenhagen set a 2020 initiative among dozens of brands to use fabrics that are easier to break down. The European Parliament also does their part to benefit the environment, climate, and human health by setting ambitious recycling goals for households.
Lefort says, "When I started out in fashion 20 years ago, no one talked about sustainability, 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."
The city's sustainability roadmap will be released in June.