Milan, the capital of sustainable fashion

After the last awards ceremony that took place in digital format during the year of the pandemic, the association's event supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italian Trade Agency (Ita) and the Municipality of Milan, will award, with twelve exclusive recognitions, the personalities and realities of the sector that have distinguished themselves for their vision, innovation, circular economy, human rights and craftsmanship. For the first time, it will be done according to a preliminary ESG due diligence and reporting framework, created in collaboration with the United Nations' new partner Ethical fashion initiative (Efi).

The criteria for the awards will also measure the sustainability of the industry. "All our brands are deeply connected to this issue, in order to build a circular vision for the planet and its people. Fashion opens worlds and builds bridges, but it also anticipates some of the issues it brings forward first. Italy represents 70% of high-quality fashion production, so we have an important voice and responsibility in becoming a point of reference for the sector," Carlo Capasa, President of the National chamber of italian fashion (Cnmi), explained yesterday during a dedicated press conference.

«From this change, we wanted to give a stronger and more institutional message. That is why we started from a table of origins with the first four founding brands, namely Armani, Prada, Gucci and Valentino, to discuss the restart, sharing with them the vision of this event through meetings, roundtables and brainstorming he pointed out to MFF. These are very ambitious awards because today is the time to be so. First, we changed the name from green (carpet, ed.) to sustainable in order to embrace the whole concept of sustainability, both social and environmental. Second, we took a further step, using the initiative to do scientific work for this event to become an actual laboratory aimed at building something unique for the future. Moreover, we reaffirmed Milan’s centrality». The President then highlighted further initiatives, ranging from establishing an advisory committee of nonprofit entities to initially select nominations, such as Camera buyer Italia, Assopellettieri, Confartigianato moda, Sistema moda Italia (Smi) and The woolmark company, to introducing an international jury, which will be chaired by Dame Ellen MacArthur, founder of the Ellen MacArthur foundation, who will decide the winners of each award.

It was specified that the agreement between Cnmi and the institutions will continue. The members of the committee will be announced in the coming weeks at a series of overseas appointments to present the event, from London, Paris and Munich in June to New York in July. The symbol of the event will be Michelangelo Pistoletto's Third Paradise, which has been representing Cnmi's commitment since 2012 with the drafting of the Manifesto for the sustainability in Italian Fashion on the initiative of Anna Zegna and Carlo Capasa. Three consecutive circles, with the central one representing the generation of a new humanity, merging nature and artifice. «Sustainability should not be just a status but an obligatory choice. We are witnessing it now with the energy crisis and not only that, we have to make daily choices in every sector, starting from enterprises. From Milan, fashion is sending messages all over the world» Alessia Cappello, Milan’s Councilor for Economic Development and Labor Policies and Responsible for Trade, Fashion and Design, explained.

She was echoed by Carlo Ferro, President of the Italian trade agency (Ita): «Companies should position their offerings based on the values of future consumption, those of the next generation. This is where the qualities of beauty and well-made meet that of sustainability». Simone Cipriani, Founder and Manager of EFI, concluded: «We have to stay within certain planet’s limits in order not to face an environmental catastrophe. These limits involve issues such as emissions reduction, deforestation, pesticide-related nitrogen and phosphorus cycle, and water resources. Together with Cnmi members, we have been experimenting with performance indicator tools to assess risks. Making a change in Italian fashion means doing it at a global level. (All rights reserved)