29 exhibitors to display at Greenshowroom

In this context, sustainable production means that the brands not only keep the environment in mind during their manufacturing processes but also ensure compliance with high social standards. The eighth edition of the Greenshowroom will feature 29 exhibitors.

“All in all, more than 100 organisations will exhibit at our two green fashion shows, the Greenshowroom and the Ethical Fashion Show Berlin. Together, they have evolved into the largest platform for sustainable fashion in Europe,” says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President for Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt, the organiser of the Greenshowroom.

The participation of a total of 19 labels from abroad – including Estonia, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Spain and the Ukraine – is proof of the Greenshowroom’s internationality and features a balanced mix of established and new brands. Even in the pre-season, designers including Aleks Kurkowski, Elsien Gringhuis, Katharina Kaiser and Myuli joined the event.

Among the newcomers are Henrieta Duffner/Swiss Affaire, Løndstrupp, Issie Collection, Tatjana Prijmak, and many others. The labels represented show a high level of quality both in the design and the workmanship of their exhibited products. “The young designers truly are pioneers for green fashion,” says Magdalena Schaffrin, co-founder and coordinator of the Greenshowroom. “We can look forward to strong collections that stand for an exciting symbiosis of sophisticated design and contemporary materials and, at the same time, keep ecologic and social production criteria in mind.”

Focus on social standards

The key focus of the Greenshowroom will be on the conditions during the production of the showcased collections. With numerous examples, the participating labels will demonstrate how progressive, clean textile manufacturing is possible. Reet Aus, for example, procures its products in Bangladesh where it co-operates with the Awaj Foundation that fosters better working conditions for local seamstresses.

Cocccon breeds its own silkworms in a rebel controlled region of India and pays fair wages to underprivileged groups of workers. In line with tradition, silk is produced manually here. Katharina Kaiser co-operates with a social project in Germany and has parts of her collections produced in a workshop for physically and mentally challenged people. The Schreif label is active in El Salvador where its collection is manufactured in a small factory with a staff of 14 who earn fair wages and are covered by insurance.