Renowned sustainability leader, Fashion for Good, is set to spearhead a groundbreaking strategy aimed at propelling regenerative fashion innovations to new heights. The bold move involves a substantial commitment to fortify the Innovation Platform, intensify efforts in brand integration, supplier collaboration, financing, and impact measurement. Simultaneously, the iconic Fashion for Good Museum is set to close its doors in a grand finale at the end of January, metamorphosing into a dynamic blended-use and co-working space by June 2024.
Revolutionizing collaboration in sustainable fashion
In response to the dynamic shifts in the fashion landscape over the last five years, Fashion for Good has strategically repositioned itself to ensure continued leadership in innovation and drive transformative change within the industry. Acknowledging the surge in circularity and innovation, the organization has embarked on a critical reflection to navigate the complexities posed by macroeconomic risks, climate crises, and evolving policies.
Reflecting on achievements
Since its inception in 2017, Fashion for Good has evolved into the pinnacle global platform for collaborative innovation in the fashion industry, boasting impressive achievements:
Innovation mastery: Over 2,800 innovations assessed, with 173 innovators experiencing first implementations with industry partners.
Global partnerships: The partner base has expanded to include 25+ leading brands, retailers, and manufacturers, representing 12% of the industry.
Industry orchestration: Aligning innovators, brands, manufacturers, and financiers resulted in 400 implementation cases and 15 collaborative projects.
Financial catalyst: Fashion for Good, in collaboration with investors, has catalyzed a substantial 1.9 billion EUR in funding towards innovators.
Strategic realignment for future success
In 2023, Fashion for Good conducted extensive interviews with industry stakeholders, identifying barriers to scaling innovations across innovators, industry, and investors. The organization's unique strength lies in orchestrating these three actors to overcome these barriers, enabling scalable solutions. The renewed strategy focuses on five pillars:
Innovators: Establishing a dedicated Scaling Team for bespoke support in brand uptake, supplier integration, financing, and impact measurement.
Suppliers: Launching the Strategic Supplier Programme to actively engage brand key suppliers in scaling and implementing innovations.
Brands: Facilitating cross-functional innovation agendas, structures, and processes to empower brand partners.
Investors: Increasing support to cover all innovator stages and capital types.
Public: Enhancing public awareness through sharing insights, learnings, and proof points via various channels and media partnerships.
Museum's grand finale and transformation
The Fashion for Good Museum, after curating 13 exhibitions and welcoming over 100,000 visitors since 2018, is set for a grand finale around circularity in January. Subsequently, the museum will evolve into an expanded co-working space, fostering collaboration among mission-aligned organizations, offering flexible spaces for new tenants, and ensuring the legacy of sustainable change in fashion persists.
Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, emphasizes the strategic shift, stating, "We're making operational adjustments to drive industry-wide innovation adoption more effectively. This strategic shift goes hand in hand with the decision to close the Fashion for Good Museum." The commitment to sustainable change remains unwavering, marking a significant leap forward in the organization's transformative journey.