European Fashion Alliance for a more sustainable industry

Last March 2022, the Fashion Council Germany, with the support of Messe Frankfurt and the global Texpertise Network, brought together leading European fashion industry organizations in Frankfurt to form the European Fashion Alliance. What is this new organization? And what are its goals?

EFA, the European Fashion Alliance

The European Fashion Alliance follows a previous organization, United Fashion, co-founded by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union. United Fashion, which ended in 2021, aimed to provide independent stylists with the tools and skills to develop their own brand.

Today, EFA is a network of fashion organizations that aims to promote the transition of European fashion towards sustainability, innovation and inclusiveness.

Indeed, these organizations have understood the strategic role of the fashion and textile industry in building a more sustainable future. After all, fashion has a strong environmental and social impact, and a sustainable future can only be achieved through cooperation.

Through the European Fashion Alliance, members can share knowledge and best practices, research and educate. Furthermore, they will be able to represent the fashion and textile industry in economic, political and social bargaining at European level. The goal is to make fashion sustainable and inclusive, but also to strengthen it, promote it and make it an active part in decision-making.

In this regard, the Alliance is going to give a common voice to a sector populated by different realities, but united by the same values and willing to translate them into concrete actions.

That’s why EFA fits well within the transition policies of the European Union. In fact, the EU is calling for the strengthening of the European fashion industry and, at the same time, is supporting the European Green Deal, the agenda for sustainable growth. The New Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and the Directive for Sustainable and Circular Textiles are two examples of how the EU is driving change in the textiles industry.

EFA's activities will not only have repercussions on the big fashion players, but also on SMEs, professionals and support organizations.

EFA’s activities

As reported in EFA official website, the organization:

• defines sustainable, innovative and future driven objectives;
• promotes multidisciplinary and innovative forward-thinking tendencies and action;
• co-creates common policy and dialogue between policy makers and fashion professionals;
• represents the fashion design sector in national and international forums;
• actively participates and creates awareness for the need to drive the industry into a faster Green Deal;
• develops awareness in relation to fashion professionals, audience and policy makers on regional, national and international level.
• encourages cross-national cooperation and connections, and supports mobility between creative actors and the fashion industry;
• empowers entrepreneurial creativity and innovation skills by supporting the exchange of information.

Members of EFA

The current 25 members of the European Fashion Alliance come from 20 different countries. They are:

• Asociación Creadores De Moda de España (Spain);
• Austrian Fashion Association (Austria);
• Baltic Fashion Federation (Latvia);
• Bulgarian Fashion Association (Bulgaria); 
• Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana (Italy);
• Copenhagen Fashion Week (Denmark);
• Council for Irish Fashion Designers (Ireland);
• Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia);
• Fashion Council Germany (Germany);
• Fédération de la Haute Couture de la Mode (France);
• Fédération Français du Prêt-à-Porter Féminin (France);
• Flanders DC (Belgium);
• Icelandic Fashion Council (Iceland); 
• Gran Canaria Moda Cálida (Spain);
• MODA-FAD (Spain);
• Modesuisse (Switzerland);
• Modalisboa (Portugal);
• Norwegian Fashion Hub (Norway);
• Slovak Fashion Council, (Slovakia);
• Swedish Fashion Council (Sweden);
• Finnish Textile & Fashion (Finland);
• Taskforce Fashion (Holland);
• The Prince’s Foundation (UK);
• Wallonie Bruxelles Design Mode (Belgium).

The Alliance is open to other fashion and textile organizations active at European but also regional, national or global level. To join the network, candidates must meet some minimum requirements that will be communicated.

From an organizational point of view, the Alliance is managed through a rotating presidency and is funded by the members themselves by paying a fee that varies according to their size and national budget.

The European Fashion Alliance has already scheduled a new summit during the Gran Canaria Swim Week of Moda Cálida from 18 to 21 October 2022.