The European Fashion Alliance (EFA) has convened the German Fashion Council with the aim of empowering the German fashion scene to become more successful, sustainable and interdisciplinary. The first alliance of its kind is an initiative of all 25 countries, which started with a 2-day workshop in Frankfurt at the end of March 2022.

Inspired by the call from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, for the European fashion industry to join forces, the newly created alliance aims to play a key role in the sector's green turnaround, accelerating its transformation towards a more sustainable and innovative industry.

In her opening speech at the Frankfurt meeting on 23 March, Mariya Gabriel added: "Fashion is a key sector for the creative industry. Fashion is a key sector in the industry. Today we have come together to plan the creation of a new European Fashion Council and I think it is a brilliant idea. You can certainly count on my help as your partner and supporter."

The aim of the national fashion associations, centres, incubators, clusters and universities that have joined the international network is not only to share knowledge, contacts, information and best practices, but also to act as advocates on economic, political and social issues related to fashion at European level. This is especially the case at a time when the European Union's strategy for sustainable and circular textiles for 2030, proposed by the European Commission, is paving the way for a large number of new regulations and objectives that will have a major impact on all fashion businesses and the industry at large. One of the most important roles of the newly created Alliance is precisely to bring together, at local and international level, fashion designers, companies, production units and professionals and SMEs more closely involved in the sector, in order to collectively support a more sustainable and circular fashion industry. Amongst other things, it aims to make policy recommendations at local level and to provide support in the interpretation and implementation of new legislation in the sector.

Estonia is represented in the EFA by DiMa, the Sustainable Design and Materials Laboratory of the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), which links research and teaching with sustainable product development and design practices, bringing together students, researchers, practitioners and companies. Reet Aus, one of the lab's leaders and a senior researcher, believes that joining EFA is also an important step in making the Estonian fashion landscape more sustainable. "At DiMa, we have been working for years to make the fashion and textile industry more circular. The creation of the EFA is a clear confirmation that Europe has come to understand the need for a joint effort towards practical action," added Aus.

The first meeting of https://www.fad.cat/moda-fad/en Allianssi in Frankfurt on 23 March was sponsored by Messe Frankfurt, one of the largest and most important organisers of international textile fairs and a global network of textile and fashion experts and companies.

Today, 21 June, EFA will use this international platform to publicly present the newly created association's vision and mission to a wider industry audience in a panel discussion at Techtext in Frankfurt.

EFA members:

Asociación Creadores De Moda de España (Spain),
Austrian Fashion Association (Austria),
Bulgarian Fashion Association (Bulgaria),
Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana (Italy),
Copenhagen Fashion Week (Denmark),
Council for Irish Fashion Designers (Ireland),
Estonian Academy of Arts, Sustainable Design and Material Lab DiMA (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),
Gran Canaria Moda Cálida (Spain),
MODA-FAD (Spain),
Modesuisse (Switzerland),
Modalisboa (Portugal),
Norwegian Fashion Hub ( Norway ),
Slovak Fashion Council, (Slovakia),
Finnish Textile & Fashion (Finland),
Taskforce Fashion (Netherlands),
The Prince’s Foundation (England),
Wallonie Bruxelles Design Mode (Belgium),