Make Cotton Sustainable

NEWS REPORTS / MESSE FRANKFURT

Messe Frankfurt acquires Ethical Fashion Show

Messe Frankfurt recently announced the acquisition of Paris-based Ethical Fashion Show, the six-year-old event which is one of the highlights of busy Paris Fashion Week. The absorption of Ethical Fashion Show by the world's third biggest trade fair firm with annual turnover of almost half a billion euros (671 million dollars) demonstrates the interest being generated in sustainable development globally.

While the market for ethical fashion is far more dynamic in Britain, where there is a fiercer emphasis on dressing different, Paris's Ethical Fashion Show is currently the world's largest event spotlighting eco and fair-trade fashion.

The Ethical Fashion Show was launched in 2004 by Isabelle Quéhé and now features more than 100 brands covering couture, accessories, ready-to-wear garments, sportswear and street wear. It focuses exclusively on ecological, socially responsible and environmentally friendly garment production.

Since its inception in 2004, Ethical Fashion Show strives to publicize the ethical fashion which includes economic, human and environmental aspects.

One of the focus areas for ethical fashion show is fashion that respects the environment through standards for raw material including cotton which represents 70% of the world’s textile production, accounting for only 4% of the cultivated land but 25% of the pesticides used.

For The Ethical Fashion Show, being part of Messe Frankfurt's portfolio of trade events will allow it to develop its international presence while for Messe Frankfurt, the acquisition means it now covers the entire value chain in the textile-fair sector.

In the world's fashion capital, the growing success of the Ethical show has acted as a catalyst, spurring a bevy of mainstream trade fairs to host eco and fair-trade corners of their own.

Likewise, Messe Frankfurt's own twice-yearly textile shows in Paris now feature eco-labelling -- giving the tens of thousands of buyers who pour into the city an instant look at who is offering organic cottons, or fabrics certified under fair trade practices. This year's event will take place September 25 to 28 at Paris' new Fashion and Design City at the Docks en Seine.