The Forum de la Mode

The Minister of Culture Françoise Nyssen and the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire will, for the second consecutive year, show their support for the fashion industry with the organisation of a national forum on 10 November.

The Forum de la Mode will be held at Bercy with cooperation from the Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin and the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. The event, also supported by all the fashion industry’s federations, including the Union Française des Industries de la Mode et de l’Habillement, the Union des Industries Textiles, and the Fédération des Enseignes de l’Habillement, will bring together all the sector’s players. 

The theme of the forum’s second edition is “Le Sens de la Mode” (“The Meaning of Fashion”), with “meaning” as a plural, since today’s businesses are faced with numerous challenges representing as many opportunities. Some of these major challenges will be addressed during five round tables: Fashion Tech, Research in Multiple Disciplines, The New Training Ecosystem, Fashion’s Values, and The Digitalisation of Business Models. Each round table will include several speakers. 

The Ministers will also speak, and I hope their discourse will be promising for the current budget negotiations. Though words are important, businesses and the sector really need concrete actions, particularly concerning regulations and taxation, and the key topic of access to financing. 

Two exclusive studies will also be presented at the Forum. One, conducted by Alcimed Consultants, presents key technologies for the apparel industry; and one for the Fédération from the FaberNovel agency reports on the impact of digital technology on the ready-to-wear sector. We initiated this study, with support from DEFI, to get a structured outline of the main changes digital technology brings to every facet of our businesses’ lives. 

The Forum de la Mode will be a wonderful opportunity, despite the unclear economic context for businesses, to open our minds and together imagine new meanings for fashion.   

 Pierre-François Le Louët