For 2023, have faith in fashion

We’re coming out of three completely crazy years. 

But faced with crises and adversity, we knew how to show immense resilience. And our businesses remain positive and forward thinking, even with war at Europe’s doorstep. Confronted with rising energy costs, they’ve quickly moved into conservation mode, just like in the past when, in a few weeks, they were able to manufacture masks for a country. They’re making progress with their digital transformation and bringing production back to Europe.

Will 2023 be a more normal year? Yes, I think so.

It will also be the year when we accelerate efforts to deal with two major challenges: the urgency of climate change and new intelligences.

Climate change is happening, and it’s now impossible to ignore it. We must act with strength and courage, without letting certain people block efforts with their conservatism and complaints of being stifled at every proposal. To further the needed changes, we need to be pragmatic by setting up measures that are both highly efficient and educational. 

To learn how to consume sustainably, the first step is clear: we cannot let fast fashion become even more intense, generating environmental destruction with no responsible, humane ethics. Those manufacturing and selling processes must be regulated. The Fédération will be involved, along with public authorities, to find ways to stop this destructive version of fashion. 

We owe it to ourselves to create using tools from this century. With the development of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence, we can now take on certain complex problems confronting humanity, such as fighting disease, reducing poverty, and inventing clean energy. 

This new form of intelligence has a major role to play in fashion. It make it easier to bring production closer to home and reduce manufacturing’s carbon footprint. It will also help us create by exploring new artistic possibilities, and make selling simpler and more efficient.

The Fédération will be active in presenting tools and bringing partners together for this new digital transformation for ready-to-wear professionals. For 2023, I encourage each of us to explore the new paths our creativity and ingenuity have provided, with the goal of imagining and shaping a new, more sustainable fashion industry.

There’s just one solution for building this future: living intensely in the present moment.

Let’s believe in each other, in the future, and in fashion.