Swedish Fashion Council cancels Fashion Week to focus on sustainability

Moving forward, the Swedish Fashion Council hopes to improve the fashion industry.

The Swedish Fashion Council has officially cancelled Stockholm Fashion Week, scheduled to take place on August 27-29, in order to focus on more sustainable alternatives.

Jennie Rosén, CEO of the Swedish Fashion Council, commented: “The Swedish fashion industry is extensive and growing, so it is crucial to support brands in their development of next-generation fashion experiences. By doing this we can adapt to new demands, reach sustainability goals and be able to set new standards for fashion.”

Recently, fashion weeks around the world have been facing major challenges to “meet the demands for sustainability, innovation, relevance and timing.” Let’s not forget that fashion plays a major role within the global economy, with an annual revenue of over £1 trillion.

The Global Fashion Agenda and the Boston Consulting Group have predicted a rise of 63% in overall fashion consumption between 2017 and 2030, with an increased demand from developing countries. This will lead to over 100 million tonnes of clothing and footwear purchased every year.

Luckily, in recent years, consumer demand for sustainability in fashion has grown and brands have started to produce sustainably-sourced clothing.

“Stepping away from the conventional fashion week model has been a difficult, but much considered, decision. We need to put the past to rest and to stimulate the development of a platform that is relevant for today’s fashion industry,” Rosén added.

Moving forward, the SFC hopes to improve the fashion industry by developing tools to help companies digitize their operations and adopt new and innovative business models, as well as reaching sustainability goals.

The SFC will announce plans to the new strategy later this year and will launch its Fashion Talents incubator program, which will help brands to develop their own sustainable credentials.

Copenhagen Fashion Week is still set to take place on August 4-7.

words
Alice Ierace
cover image
Josefine Laul