Stockholm Fashion Week returns for August 2020 with a new digitized platform after opting out of the last two seasons. The Swedish Fashion Council (SFC) attributed its decision to withdraw from the 2019 season due to sustainability concerns.
Now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, global fashion weeks such as Paris, London and Milan have moved exhibitions online. The SFC was quick to follow in this more sustainable format. But could this pandemic-friendly fashion week format be a glimpse into the future of a more sustainable fashion industry?
Recently the focus in the fashion community has narrowed in on the importance of lowering carbon emissions. The recent study Zero-to-Market aims to quantify the impact of Fashion Season. The results estimated travel and transport carbon emissions at a whopping 241,000 tons per year. And that number is just for buyers and designers attending the four major fashion weeks.
Calls to lower the carbon footprint of the fashion industry have led to innovations throughout. In 2019, Copenhagen Fashion Week put forth a sustainability action plan, which set requirements for both brands and the event itself. Similarly in Paris, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode began investing in a new tool to monitor the environmental impact of Fashion Week. It’s clear that the fashion industry as a whole is working to become more sustainable.
The narrative surrounding the digitization of the 2020 Fashion season put forth by the SFC has been especially focused on the potential environmental benefit of going digital. In an interview with Vogue, Catarina Midby, the Secretary-General of SFC, spoke of a possible shift in the fashion industry which would bring digital presentations to the forefront over physical shows in the post-pandemic world.
Stockholm Fashion Week 2020, running from August 26-28, is only one way Sweden is bringing the sustainability agenda into the spotlight. In the Stockholm Fashion District, exhibitions such as the Encouragement for Action 2020 on August 12 celebrate sustainability achievements. Stockholm will also feature a collaboration with Beckman’s College of Design students and the Zero Waste Project.
