From the Sector

The world’s largest fashion brands and retailers must increase transparency to tackle the climate crisis and social inequality, according to the latest Fashion Transparency Index.

The seventh edition of the Fashion Transparency Index ranks 250 of the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers based on their public disclosure of human rights and environmental policies, practices, and impacts, across their operations and supply chains.

• Brands achieved an average score of just 24%, with nearly a third of brands scoring less than 10%
• The majority of brands (85%) do not disclose their annual production volumes despite mounting evidence of clothing waste around the world
• Most major brands and retailers (96%) do not publish the number of workers in their supply chain paid a living wage

The Index reveals insights into the most pressing issues facing the fashion industry, like:

• As new and proposed legislation focuses on greenwashing claims, almost half of major brands (45%) publish targets on sustainable materials yet only 37% provide information on what constitutes a sustainable material.
• Only 24% of major brands disclose how they minimise the impacts of microfibres despite textiles being the largest source of microplastics in the ocean.
• The vast majority of major brands and retailers (94%) do not disclose the number of workers in their supply chains who are paying recruitment fees. This paints an unclear picture of the risks of forced labour as workers may be getting into crippling debt to accept jobs paying poverty wages.
• While many brands use their channels to talk about social justice, they need to go beyond lip service. Just 8% of brands publish their actions on racial and ethnic equality in their supply chains.

Despite these results, Fashion Revolution is encouraged by increasing supply chain transparency among many major brands, primarily with first-tier manufacturers where the final stage of production occurs, e.g. cutting, sewing, finishing and packing. Nine brands have disclosed their first-tier manufacturers for the first time this year. It is encouraging to see significant progress across market segments including luxury, sportswear, footwear and accessories and across different geographies.

Fashion Revolution’s co-founder and Global Operations Director Carry Somers says: “In 2016, only 5 out of 40 major brands (12.5%) disclosed their suppliers. Seven years later, 121 out of 250 major brands (48%) disclose their suppliers. This clearly demonstrates how the Index incentivises transparency but it also shows that brands really are listening to the millions of people around the world who keep asking them #WhoMadeMyClothes? Our power is in our persistence.”

More key findings from the Fashion Transparency Index 2022:

Progress on transparency in the global fashion industry is still too slow among 250 of the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers, with brands achieving an overall average score of just 24%, up 1% from last year
For another year, the initiative has seen major brands and retailers publicly disclose the most information about their policies, commitments and processes on human rights and environmental topics and significantly less about the results, outcomes and impacts of their efforts.

Most (85%) major brands still do not disclose their annual production volumes despite mounting evidence of overproduction and clothing waste
Thousands of tonnes of clothing waste are found globally. However, brands have disclosed more information about the circular solutions they are developing (28%) than on the actual volumes of pre- (10%) and post-production waste they produce (8%). Brands have sat by as waste importing countries foot the bill, resulting in serious human rights and environmental implications.

Just 11% of brands publish a responsible purchasing code of conduct indicating that most are still reluctant to disclose how their purchasing practices could be affecting suppliers and workers
Greater transparency on how brands interact with their suppliers ought to be a first step towards eliminating harmful practices and promoting fair purchasing practices. The poor performance on transparency in this vital area is a missed opportunity for brands to demonstrate they are serious about addressing the root causes of harmful working conditions, including the instances where they themselves are the key driver.

Despite the urgency of the climate crisis, less than a third of major brands disclose a decarbonisation target covering their entire supply chain which is verified by the Science-Based Targets Initiative
Many brands and retailers rely heavily on garment producing countries that are vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis, yet our research shows that only 29% of major brands and retailers publish a decarbonisation target covering their operations and supply chain which is verified by the Science Based Targets Initiative.

Only 11% of brands publish their supplier wastewater test results, despite the textile industry being a leading contributor to water pollution
The fashion industry is a major contributor to water pollution and one of the most water intensive industries on the planet. Only 11% of major brands publish their wastewater test result, and only 25% of brands disclose the process of conducting water-related risk assessments in their supply chain. Transparency on wastewater test results is key to ensuring that brands are held accountable for their potentially devastating impacts on local biodiversity, garment workers and their communities.

Most major brands and retailers (96%) do not publish the number of workers in their supply chain paid a living wage nor do they disclose if they isolate labour costs
Insufficient progress is being made by most brands towards ensuring that the workers in their supply chain are paid enough to cover their basic needs and put aside some discretionary income. Just 27% of brands disclose their approach to achieving living wages for supply chain workers and 96% do not publish the number of workers in their supply chain paid a living wage. In response, we have joined forces with allies across civil society to launch Good Clothes, Fair Pay. The campaign demands groundbreaking living wage legislation across the garment, textile and footwear sector.

The 50th INNATEX fair opens its gates to a Green Fashion trade audience from 29 to 31 July 2022 in Hofheim-Wallau, near Frankfurt. At this anniversary fair, over 200 labels will be exhibiting, a wide range of experts and organisations will be gathering, and elaborate features and facilities are planned for the Rhein-Main exhibition centre.

According to INNATEX project manager Alexander Hitzel, one highlight is the Community Area, which brings together a range of experts. In short lounge talks, they reveal insights into what they are currently working on and a dialogue format encourages personal discussion. Mirjam Smend, whom we know well from Greenstyle Munich, introduces her recently launched sustainability magazine, Pureviu, and facilitates the morning talks.

Alongside standard bodies such as IVN and GOTS, which have taken part in INNATEX for many years, younger projects such as Fairmodel and the digital platform Retraced will be part of this special area. Fairtrade Germany, Femnet and the VDMD are to be found there too. Almost all of them are joining in with the Ask Me Anything dialouge format. Interested attendees can pre-book a slot of up to ten minutes for a personal discussion with the expert of their choice.

The supportive activities that had to be suspended during the pandemic are enjoying a comeback at this year’s summer fair: five newcomers to INNATEX designated DesignDiscoveries will be presenting their projects in another special area. Vegtus, from Barcelona, produces sneakers and other products from cactus leather. Natural textiles such as organic cotton are used by Lounge Cherie, a yoga fashion label.

Products for kids through to seniors, classics and streetwear, footwear and accessories
Nordlicht similarly relies on recyclable, renewable natural fibres for its outerwear, bags and accessories. The field of circular fashion is also served by the remaining two Design Discoveries. Both Nature is Future, with its handmade sneakers, and Freibeutler, with its functional rucksacks, make extensive use of recycled materials, while also paying due attention to broader sustainability aspects.

Regular INNATEX exhibitors include Lana, Chapati and Didymos, all of whom are also celebrating anniversaries. Labels such as Anokho with their colourful accessories in jacquard fabrics and Danish label Angel Circle with its plus-size fashion are exhibiting for the first time.

The new Swedish luxury womenswear brand presented its first couture runway show, ‘Midnight in the Persian Garden’, in the Salle des Textiles of Paris’ Musée des Arts et Métiers on Thursday, July 7th at 10.30am CET.

As earthly manifestations of an imaginary paradise, where architecture and horticulture were brought together into meticulous perfection, the Persian garden was the point of inspiration for ArdAzAei’s debut couture collection.
A poetic ode to the transcendent beauty of nature, ‘Midnight in the Persian Garden’ honours the incredibly complex systems of engineering required to create such sublime spaces through couture’s intricate techniques of smocking, pleating, embroidery, and appliqué.
 
An evening wear collection of red-carpet gowns and cocktail dresses, tailoring, jewellery and accessories, the collection sees a recurring reference to the Persian Rose and the Parrot Tulip, with the flowers informing silhouettes, three-dimensional sculptural forms, and elaborately embroidered jacquard.
 
Sharp tailoring in the form of contemporary women’s suits see sleek jackets and flared pants with hypnotic floral patterning evoking the undulating chaos of nature’s rhythms.
 
Another key theme running throughout the collection is the dynamic between mathematic forms of composition—a key element of Persian garden architecture—and the craft of the handmade, evident in crystal sequins custom-cut to the lines of the ArdAzAei logo, designed by M/M (Paris), which are then hand-embroidered to create organic forms.
 
The dynamic is also evident in an evening dress which sees 60 metres of fabric pleated and cut into geometric shapes appliqued to its top, while 100 hand-painted pleated fans go into the construction of its flared skirt.

In order to realise such intricate forms of construction, the collection is made in France in collaboration with highly skilled couture artisans focused on upholding the highest craftsmanship and material standards. The show venue, the ‘Salle des Textiles’ at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, pays homage to the country’s rare artisanal expertise.

“I have been searching for the long-lasting beauty and respect for nature that you’ll find in the Persian garden, some of which date back to as early as 4,000 BC,” says Bahareh Ardakani, ArdAzAei’s founder and creative director.
 
“This is reflected in our endeavours to certify part of our collection to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), and why this collection is made in France with the country’s leading couture artisans. Every detail is precious, and we want to express the feeling of walking through a Persian garden in the midnight to the smallest of details.”
 
With ateliers in Paris and Stockholm, ArdAzAei is where Persian heritage, Swedish modernism and French savoir-faire collide.

As a luxury womenswear brand engaged in the search for the sublime, ArdAzAei eschews trend-based consumption to instead offer made-to-measure couture, and one prêt-à-porter collection of formalwear per year, released in drops according to the seasons on the digital flagship ArdAzAei.com
 
ArdAzAei focuses on working with textile suppliers that can reveal the details of the origins and processes behind its products, tracing each fabric right through the supply chain of raw materials, yarn spinners, weavers, print and dying techniques.

adidas and Juventus reveal the club’s 4th kit, designed in collaboration with Brazilian street artist, Eduardo Kobra. Together, the partners look to extend the borders of the sport and build connections with the realm of art to celebrate a more diverse and inclusive world.

Kobra, born and raised in São Paulo, is famed for his photorealistic street art murals which often challenge deep cultural and societal issues, and inspire and provoke thought with messages hidden within the art.

Kobra’s artistic expression and the values of Juventus draw many parallels, from being born in the streets to working as a platform for socialization that brings people together – both contributing to society, culture, and the new generations.

With adidas’s focus on creativity, telling real stories about real people, and the belief that sport has the power to change lives, the collaboration carries a powerful and unified message that helps bring to life the most authentic side of football.

The jersey design is instantly recognisable as one of Kobra’s own, featuring his signature geometric style with the use of bright colours and bold lines, allowing the club’s diverse fanbase to express itself in a different way. The adidas and Juventus logos are embroidered into the fabric with the jersey finished by Kobra’s distinct signature as a back neck sign off.

“What we express and the way we do it speaks about who we are. We cannot be our best version if we don’t embrace diversity. Our differences are what makes us unique, which is why adidas and Juventus have been such perfect partners to work with on this special project. I hope it resonates with people as much as I enjoyed creating the artwork for it,” said Eduardo Kobra.

The new jersey is made with recycled materials, putting sustainability at the heart of the garment. It features the latest in adidas’ temperature regulation technology, AEROREADY – FEEL READY.

Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), the non-profit organisation that fosters collaboration on sustainability in fashion to drive impact, has forged a new alliance with UN Climate Change secretariat (UNFCCC) to accelerate the fashion industry’s climate action.
 
The Fashion On Climate report projects that if the fashion industry does not accelerate its response to climate change, by 2030 it will produce around twice the volume of greenhouse gas emissions required to align with the Paris Agreement global warming pathways by 2050. With the urgent need for industry transformation, the new alliance between GFA and UNFCCC will accelerate the impact of the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action which aims to drive the fashion industry to net-zero emissions no later than 2050 in line with keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees.
 
The collaboration will be activated around the organisations’ prestigious forums including GFA’s Global Fashion Summit and UNFCCC’s annual Conference of Parties (COP). Through these forums, the organisations will collaborate to unite fashion leaders and core stakeholders to facilitate knowledge sharing, impactful partnerships, and the implementation of bold actions needed to meet the Fashion Charter targets.
 
Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2022, the leading international forum for sustainability in fashion, will take place on 7-8 June in the grand setting of the Royal Opera House, Copenhagen, Denmark. Under the theme ‘Alliances For a New Era’ - the Summit will endeavour to form previously inconceivable alliances within the fashion industry and also examine atypical cross-industry alliances, in a bid to accelerate the transition to a net positive reality.
 
UNFCCC will, through the Fashion Charter, contribute to the Summit content, where they will share insights on its progress and what further solutions are needed. UNFCCC will also hold its annual Fashion Charter meeting at the Summit, where the organisations will convene relevant experts to join resources and discuss tools that can enable the sector to achieve its climate targets laid out in the charter. The alliance will also continue for future editions Global Fashion Summit in other locations, in addition to Copenhagen.
 
Beyond the Summit, GFA and UNFCCC will continue to work together to elevate publications and reports, such as the Fashion CEO Agenda, and inform Fashion Charter meetings during COP27 to raise awareness among leaders on the most pressing issues and priorities and urging commitments from industry leaders to drive change within social, environmental and circular dimensions.
 
Federica Marchionni, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda, says: “GFA is striving to create impactful alliances that can accelerate the fashion industry’s transition to a net zero reality. We are therefore thrilled to be collaborating with UNFCCC as its Fashion Charter is an essential tool to mobilise the necessary industry transformation. Through our collaboration, we hope to bring together core fashion stakeholders, foster pre-competitive collaboration and provide even deeper insights and guidance to advance progress.”
 
Niclas Svenningsen, Climate Action manager, UNFCCC, says, “We are excited for this opportunity to reinforce our collaboration with the Global Fashion Agenda. The climate crisis is today the paramount issue for the fashion sector to address. While the Fashion Charter brings together a wide range of stakeholders to work collaboratively on solutions, the Global Fashion Agenda is an important venue for broader sustainability discussions in the fashion sector. We see many opportunities for further strengthening and highlighting both the sustainability and the climate work through this collaboration.”

Premium Group, important trade fair organiser in the German fashion industry and biggest player for advanced contemporary fashion in Europe, is returning to the capital and, in July 2022, is set to present a completely new live event concept around the Berlin Radio Tower and summer garden.
 
Interactive live event concept for B2B and D2C and redefines the future of fashion fairs
After decades of everything being the same, the constantly changing market environment forces brands, retailers, consumers and trade fair organisers alike to continuously develop and reposition themselves. Two years after the start of the pandemic, the Berlin-based company is now reacting with a surprising step: Anita Tillmann, Jörg Arntz and the team are bringing their passion for people, fashion, innovation and entertainment back home and setting new standards for live fashion events.
 
The creators of PREMIUM, SEEK, FASHIONTECH and THE GROUND are redesigning the sustainability of future-proof fashion fairs with the commitment of the Berlin government, and launching a completely new event concept in which the B2B and D2C sectors merge. In the new Premium Group cosmos, brands can present themselves emotionally and interactively to retailers and consumers. All realities are represented: the new kids in the industry, such as D2C brands, e-com and influencers, are given their place in the Premium Group cosmos in the form of the new fashion festival THE GROUND. But also long-standing partners of established brands and representatives from traditional stationary retail will profit from further developed B2B spaces.

Taking into account the different needs of all visitors, the events will take place from Thursday to Saturday for the first time: from 7 to 9 July 2022.
 
Classic trade fair formats are no longer up to date
'Classic trade fair formats are no longer up to date', sums up Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the Premium Group. 'We have to reinvent ourselves and look to the future – to a new stage in the life of the fashion industry post pandemic, which has changed everything. Digitisation, climate change, pandemic, changing values, new industry cycles and new players, as well as topics around gender equality, diversity, metaverse, gaming and NFTs, are just a few areas we are dealing with. We aim to set new standards for the future of trade events and merge B2B and D2C with our new event concept.'
 
Move to Frankfurt am Main fell victim to the coronavirus
The planned kick-off of the Premium Group Events in Frankfurt am Main could not take place because of the coronavirus, and the plan to establish the events at the new location has fallen victim to the pandemic.
 
'It's a shame that the move to Frankfurt didn't work out', says Jörg Arntz, Managing Director of the Premium Group. 'We all tried very hard and did our best. As an entrepreneur, you always have to remain capable of acting and questioning decisions that have been made. In order to do justice to our customers and the market environment, we have decided – after intensive discussions with the city of Berlin – to hold our events in our home city again. We are Berliners at heart and are confident that the new government will anchor Berlin as Europe's creative metropolis in a sustainable and economic way.'

New government brings Premium Group power back to Berlin
“Berlin is THE metropolis for the cultural and creative industries and Europe's largest start-up scene. As the new state government, we are committed to an economically strong Berlin. Trade fairs and events are an important economic factor and a centre of attraction for Berliners and guests from all over the world. We are therefore delighted that we have succeeded in bringing the events of the Premium Group back home”, says Franziska Giffey, Mayor of Berlin.
 
“The Premium Group events strengthen Berlin as a fashion and trade fair location, attract tens of thousands of trade visitors and fashion enthusiasts, create additional economic effects in hotels, gastronomy, retail and the service industry, multiply the global appeal of the city as a location and will open the summer of creativity brilliantly in July. The fact that the fair organiser is returning to its home venue with a new concept is a special opportunity for Berlin and will give the city an additional boost. Opening up the events to end consumers ideally rounds off the trade fair concept. With the Premium Group, Berlin will sustainably strengthen the core themes of fashion and digital transformation”, says Stephan Schwarz, Senator for Economics, Energy and Operations.

• BLUEZONE & KEYHOUSE move forward to 3 - 4 May 2022

The team of the Munich Fabric Start Exhibitions GmbH has dedicated the last weeks to the finalisation of the upcoming BLUEZONE and MUNICH FABRIC START: the new measures for safe events have been implemented; the organisers are ready to welcome the industry In Munich in just a few weeks.

And the current status is impressive: more than 600 suppliers from 33 countries are registered for
MUNICH FABRIC START from which some 90 international denim mills are ready to show at BLUEZONE. In such extraordinary times, the enormous support from the industry is a milestone and anything but a matter of course.

At the same time, the ongoing dynamic situation, the ever-increasing demands on events and the enormous
planning uncertainty make the next necessary steps more difficult. With the rapidly increasing infection
rates of the Omicron variant across Europe and especially in some neighbouring countries that are
already in a new lockdown, the organisers do face very complex challenges in many respects.

After the extensive consideration of the overall situation with an extremely serious situation
in many places, the organisers feel obliged to cancel MUNICH FABRIC START Spring.Summer 23
from 25 - 27 January 2022.

With regards to BLUEZONE and KEYHOUSE, an alternative scenario will be realised:
both formats will skip the January show and move forward to 3 – 4 May 2022 as a dedicated
denim and innovation show on the Zenith grounds in Munich.

The decisive factors for this major decision are various realistic scenarios which need to be considered to occur within the coming weeks: a new lockdown in Germany with a possible event ban imposed at very short notice, further restrictions on events and additional travel restrictions.

On 21st October the Managing Director of Officina+39 Andrea Venier has joined a panel discussion in the prestigious arena of the Kingpins24 Digital Show. He contributed to the discussion with his and Officina+39’s point of view on “Water Conservation”, together with Emrah Özkorkmaz from Bregla and Taimur Malik from Stylers International, with Edward Hertzman from Sourcing Journal & Rivet as moderator.

Water crisis remains one of the top issues for humanity and 90% of the world's natural disasters are related to water. Officina+39 has been working hard to rethink the way water is used throughout the denim processes: Andrea's contribution emphasized the company’s practical and consolidated experience in this field, as in recent years their main objective has been to drastically reduce water use in line with UN SDG6.

Andrea pointed out how “fashion industry is still currently deeply rooted in a linear approach: make, use, dispose.” Accordingly to Andrea and Officina+39, the fashion world is becoming aware of this reality and is trying to reinvent itself in order to decrease the use of this precious resource and its negative impacts but there is still work to do in order to redesign a better sustainable model, where circularity should represent the new sustainability: circularity not only when it comes to the materials, but also to water.

In the textile industry water is used as the vehicle for colors and chemical auxiliaries but luckily today many technologies aim at significantly reducing water consumption. Officina+39 is really focused on this target: Andrea explained that “Officina+39 has developed the AQUALESS MISSION, a process suitable for conventional machines that leads to a 75% reduction of the water typically used in denim and garment laundry processes, using a waterless technology and saving costs for producers.”

Despite the start-up cost of investing in the development of sustainable technologies may discourage some in the industry, it is about time to realize that these actions cannot be delayed and that we will increasingly hear about water scarcity, water stress and water risk.

Andrea stated: “It is necessary to develop water management strategies and systems in any company: today there is ISO 14000 related to environmental management, but I believe that governments, brands and related organisations should think about an ISO related just to water management. In this way, every company can understand how much value can be generated in the medium-term and how much money could be saved by investing in this kind of technologies. To create new standards related to water management, we must change the approach.”

Freudenberg Performance Materials (Freudenberg) offers a range of efficient interlinings, tapes and thermal insulation materials for workwear and protective clothing. The materials not only withstand diverse kinds of strain they are exposed to in everyday work and washing procedures but also offer great comfort.

Innovative materials and manufacturing technology
The nonwoven and woven interlinings and tapes stand out due to a number of features, such as increased stability, elasticity, abrasion resistance and wind-blocking properties. Thanks to the sophisticated adhesive technology used by the manufacturer of technical textiles, some products are especially resistant and durable.

Highly flexible and resilient interlinings as well as Freudenberg comfortemp® thermal insulation materials are used for protective clothing, and they do not only protect the wearer from danger but also ensure the wearer’s comfort in any kind of weather. Furthermore, hem and edge stabilisation tapes ensure optimal fit and reflective tapes provide additional safety.  

Active contribution to sustainability
Many products of the Freudenberg Workwear Range consist of a high percentage of recycled polyester coming from post-consumer PET bottles.

A research report released today has revealed the innovative new ways retailers are using RFID technology in-store to improve profitability. Authored by Emeritus Professor Adrian Beck from the University of Leicester and the ECR Retail Loss Group and supported by Checkpoint Systems, Utilising RFID in Retailing: Insights on Innovationhighlights how companies are employing the technology for a broader range of purposes. It demonstrates the value the technology is bringing to their businesses and ultimately, the impact it is delivering to their bottom line. Crucially, it also shows thatmore retailers than ever are recognizing the benefits of RFID and driving uptake within their organisations. The report claims that as businesses are becoming more established in their use of RFID-generated data, they are gradually incorporating more usecases into their business-as-usual practices.

The report claims that as businesses are becoming more established in their use of RFID-generated data, they are gradually incorporating more usecases into their business-as-usual practices.

In particular, more and more retailers reported using RFID to streamline the audit process (as an alternative to infrequent organisational stock takes), which not only delivers considerable cost savings, but also provides more regular insights into the status of inventories. It also found that using RFID was having a significant impact on store processes. While RFID has always been key to inventory accuracy, some companies are now using this data to further improve business activities such as reducing phantom out of stocks, improving rapid stock search and find tasks and developing an efficient ship from store (SFS) capability.

Beyond the more traditional retail model, RFID was seen as a key facilitator in delivering omnichannel retailing by all those questioned. Without the inventory accuracy offered by RFID, few retailers believed they could reliably use their stores as fulfilment centres to output online orders. Indeed, one retailer admitted to only making RFID-enabled store stock available for this purpose. The use of RFID to improve online order accuracy is also becoming more commonplace, to reduce errors in the picking and packing process, therefore improving customer satisfaction. One retailer reported a 90% reduction in incorrect orders and customer complaints since introducing RFID into the process.

Looking to the future, one area where the benefits of RFID are starting to be tested is self-checkouts (SCO). While currently limited due to the need to have a 100% SKU tagging strategy in place, retailers are starting to recognize the benefits the technology could offer including increased speed of checkout, reduced likelihood of double scanning and thereby improved customer service. Another area where retailers also reported reaping the benefits of RFID was loss prevention. While none of those interviewed argued that reducing loss was the primary reason for investing in RFID, many acknowledged they were benefiting from it by using the technology to tackle refund frauds, enable dynamic loss product profiling, manage e-frauds and identify stolen products.