Global Fashion Agenda and Institut Français de la Mode to sign sustainability MoU

As French president Emmanuel Macron makes his official state visit to Denmark today, Global Fashion Agenda and Institut Français de la Mode will mark the occasion by signing an MoU to push for sustainability in fashion.

The signing will take place during the Economic Forum this morning (29 August) and will state the intent for the organisations' "mutual wish to strengthen their ties and establish more partnership agreements to accelerate sustainability in the fashion industry".

Global Fashion Agenda is a leadership forum on fashion sustainability and organises the annual Copenhagen Fashion Summit. Its CEO Eva Kruse said the organisation was "on a mission to tackle the social and environmental challenges facing our industry and planet".

"Confronting those global challenges requires a united effort. The French fashion industry is one of the world's most powerful and influential, which is why we already work closely with sustainability pioneer and leading French luxury group Kering, but signing this MoU is vital to accomplishing broader changes in French fashion companies and to creating concrete initiatives to educate and guide industry leaders towards new business models that will secure the future of people, profits and the planet," Kruse said.

Future projects to arise from the MoU could include, for instance, the possibility of engaging the decision makers from the c-suite, mainly CEOs and creative directors, via Leadership Roundtables or issuing joint communications on the challenges, advancements, actions taken and policies implemented regarding sustainability.

Dominique Jacomet, Director General of Institut Français de la Mode, added: "Working with Global Fashion Agenda is a great opportunity to promote sustainability at all levels of the fashion industry, and increase awareness among executives, designers and researchers."

Pascal Morand, Executive President of Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, is also supporting the move. "Promoting sustainability by tackling environmental issues, advocating corporate social responsibility and combining innovation with long-term savoir-faire is a major challenge highly supported by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. This is why the collaboration between Global Fashion Agenda and Institut Français de la Mode, which reinforces expertise in the field, marks an important step towards sustainable fashion on a global scale," Morand said.

Along with Morand and Jacomet, the French Minister of the Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, will also be present at the signing of the MoU.