Ethical Fashion Forum activities include the following:
1. Network Building
2. Advice And Training
3. Market Access: Skills Training, Links And Access To Market
4. Young People, Creativity And Inclusion
5. Creative Events and Commissioning
6. Ethical Sourcing
7. Research and Resource Development
See below for further details.
The EFF is supported by its consultancy arm, the Ethical Fashion
Consultancy (EFC), which was set up in order to deliver services in line
with the goals of the EFF.
1. Network Building
Network building is central to the work of the EFF.
The EFF organises networking meetings, round table discussions, and events, in order to encourage communication, links and shared practice within the sector.
Some of the network building initiatives launched by the EFF include:
Fashion 3
The title Fashion 3 makes reference to the triple bottom line, where social, environmental, and financial performance are seen as equally important.
The Ethical Fashion Forum joined forces with Anti Apathy to bring together representatives from a series of organisations and initiatives in the ethical fashion sector. A series of meetings were held in order to build a platform, focused upon the promotion of sustainability in the sector.
Industry round table events
A series of round table meetings have been held to bring together focus groups on specific challenges facing the fashion industry, including Fashion: Ethics: Education and Fashion: Ethics: Retail. The aim of these is to exchange information, encourage collaboration, and develop industry working groups/ support initiatives to address these challenges.
Bangladesh Design and Fashion Forum
The Bangladesh Design and Fashion Forum project focused upon building better links between fair trade and values led fashion products and businesses in Bangladesh and designers and businesses in the UK. The initiative included setting up an online e-networking group to facilitate direct links between suppliers and designers and businesses.
2. Advice and Training
Seminars, workshops, networking, & advice
The EFF provides advice and training to fashion businesses and works with other organisations to make sustainability an integral part of fashion training courses.
Recent initiatives include ethical fashion advice surgeries held at the London Fashion Week Exhibition at the Natural History Museum, and fashion business advice open days held at the Hub.
In addition to a seminar series, the EFF will be offering ethical standards training for individuals and businesses in the fashion sector from 2008. This will focus upon the development of a sustainable sourcing and trading policy and strategies to achieve progressively sustainable practices.
If you would like to register interest in EFF ethical standards training, send an email to info@ethicalfashionforum.com
3. Market Access
Skills training, links and access to market
The EFF works to facilitate access to market for values led fashion supply systems. Projects have included competitions such as Design4LifeGhana, skills and market training in South Africa, and Fashion Bangladesh, which included network building in Bangladesh and catwalk show featuring high quality fair trade fashion at Expo Bangladesh in London.
4. Young People
Creativity and inclusion
The EFF works with young people to inspire and raise awareness about sustainability and to encourage creativity.
The EFF has worked with the BBC (BBC Blast Scrap Fashion Project) and with minority communities such as the Bangladeshi community in East London on a series of creative projects.
5. Creative Events and Projects
Catwalk events, fashion shoots, competitions, auctions , publications and awards ceremonies are all means used by the EFF to promote sustainable practices. The EFF organises creative events and has collaborated with the Ecologist, Expo Bangladesh, the BBC, Tabeisa and others.
Some of the creative events and initiatives of the EFF include:
Conscious Style series of catwalk and awareness raising events held in Oxford, London , and in partnership with the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris www.ethicalfashionshow.com
RE Fashion Awards
The EFF , in collaboration with Futerra and Anti-Apathy has launched the first awards to celebrate authentic, beautiful fashion made with improving social and environmental standards. www.refashionawards.org
Inspiration, a photography project to document the way culture, style, and identity is expressed in dress across the world, was launched by the EFF through a series of exhibitions in Paris and London. Photographs reveal another side of fashion, and an emerging movement in fashion which recognises individual creativity and style; and celebrates the value of innovation in a global culture.
6. Ethical Soucing
Promoting and facilitating ethical sourcing in the fashion sector is a core goal of the EFF.
The EFF is building an ethical sourcing database for the industry, will run an ethical sourcing training and event series during 2008, and is working with other organisations to facilitate sustainable sourcing in the fashion sector.
7. Research and Resoure Development
The EFF carries out market research and other research projects and produces publications, reports and fact sheets in relation to sustainability in the fashion industry.