Carlo Capasa (Chairman, CNMI), Livia Firth (Founder and Creative Director, Eco-Age) and Cristina Tajani (City of Milan Cabinet Member for Labor Policies, Business, Fashion and Design Municipality of Milan), Piergiorgio Borgogelli (General Manager, ITA) today announced The Green Carpet Fashion Awards, Italia 2018 (GCFA). The announcement ignites the search for the next Franca Sozzani GCC Emerging Designer recipient and an evaluation of the world-famous Italian network of fashion producers and artisans working with renowned global brands. The celebration of the very best will take place at Teatro alla Scala, September 23rd 2018, during Milan Fashion Week.
Now in their second year, the GCFA, Italia celebrate the best in sustainability in the luxury fashion chain. The GCFA Italia celebrate the commitment of luxury fashion houses to sustainability, as they work to embrace rapid change while preserving the heritage and authenticity of small-scale producers.
‘I am delighted to announce the return of the awards process,’ said Carlo Capasa ‘The world has a small window to reach globally agreed targets on climate change, poverty alleviation and social justice.’
Within this challenge lie immense opportunities. Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana has been working for years on setting strong sustainability guidelines that are the result of the commitment of CNMI Commission on Sustainability, guided by Gucci together with Giorgio Armani, Prada, Valentino, Versace, and of the Working Group on Sustainability, established by CNMI since 2011. Our brands represent the downstream of the value chain and they made themselves the first promoters of the change among the supply chain and the whole fashion industry. Our supply chain of Italian manufacture and artisans is agile enough to embrace sustainable innovation, and an inherently sustainable way of producing high quality, sustainable fashion. It is a supply chain rich in exemplars. Their stories, knowledge and values are key to driving sustainable progress in this industry.’ said Carlo Capasa.
The Handprint of Fashion was announced as the underlying theme of this year’s awards process. ‘We often talk of the ecological footprint of the fashion we produce,’ said Livia Firth, ‘But a narrow focus on environmental accounting ignores some of the other facets inherent in truly sustainable supply chains. By talking about the handprint of fashion we also include the decent livelihoods, community cohesion and cultural value that is abundant in Italy’s artisan-driven supply chains.’
It was also announced that the GFCA, Italia will feature an immersive snapshot of production, alongside the ceremony during Milan Fashion Week, September 2018. La Scala’s garden square will be transformed into the Garden of the Artisan.
‘It is critical that the public get to see as much of this incredible supply chain as possible, up close,’ said Carlo Capasa ‘not least because we want to inspire the next generation of producers to work in this supply chain.’
‘A new edition of an international event like the Green Carpet Fashion Awards at the September 2018 Fashion Week means that sustainability and environmental issues in general have been effectively placed at the centre of the entire fashion industry’s agenda, from design to production. Thanks to its trade fairs and the presence here of all the main Made in Italy operators, but above all events like this one, Milan has regained its status as an international forum for delicate issues that can no longer be put off, such as sustainability and the safeguarding of the quality of labour in the fashion industry,’ said Trade, Productive Activities, Fashion and Design counsellor Cristina Tajani, adding that ‘The Green Carpet Fashion Awards are part of a bigger strategy to promote Italian know-how in subsequent Fashion Weeks and make Milan the showcase of Made in Italy.’
‘The Green Carpet Fashion Awards are a key opportunity to assert the value added of the Italian fashion industry. Results on international markets (up 4.8% on 2017) show very strong performance by the entire Italian fashion system on European markets and key markets like China (up 16.5%) and Russia (up 13.7%). The theme of sustainability is crucial for promoting the high quality of Made in Italy value chains, but also for leveraging the purchasing segments that are driving the new export channels, such as e-commerce, and putting customer experience to the forefront. If we remember that nearly 50% of Millennials see eco-friendliness as one of the main purchase drivers, we will immediately understand the massive potential involved. Potential we can tap into through ICE’s digital promotion on foreign marketplaces and with the major global e-tailers in this trade, which are already an integral part of an increasingly omnichannel promotion setup. The Italian fashion industry is to the forefront in offering new solutions geared to sustainability and is showing an integrated approach committed to long-term progress. This is a unique advantage in intercepting growing demand on international markets and rising to the challenges of sustainability.’ Said Piergiorgio Borgogelli, General Manager of ITA.