Edition #2

MEETING MINUTES

As part of MADIFESTO MAD Brussels Fashion Festival Edition #3

MEETING MINUTES MADIFESTO 2015

AN UNIqUE rEFlEcTION MOMENT BETwEEN EUrOpEAN FAShION prOMOTION INSTITUTIONS AND MAIN FAShION INFlUENcErS & ExpErTS

1. TO DEFINE

... ThE cUrrENT STATUS OF FAShION DESIGN IN EUrOpE

... ThE MAJOr chAllENGES DESIGNErS & lABElS ArE FAcING NOw AND IN ThE FUTUrE

... OBJEcTIVES & SOlUTIONS TO SEcUrE ThE FUTUrE OF EUrOpEAN crEATIVITY

2. TO IMprOVE ThE ExchANGE OF INFOrMATION AND kNOwlEDGE ABOUT

BEST prAcTIcES IN ThE FAShION SEcTOr wIThIN EU BOrDErS

3. TO UNITE ITS MEMBErS, AS wEll AS All prOFESSIONAlS AcTIVE wIThIN EU FAShION SEcTOr,

FOr cONNEcTION AND rEFlEcTION MOMENTS ABOUT ThE STATE AND FUTUrE OF EU-rOpEAN FAShION DESIGN,

TO rAISE ThE AwArENESS OF BEST prAcTIcES INVOlVED IN FAShION DESIGN, prODUcTION, crEATIVITY, ETc.

MADIFESTOAIMS TO INcUBATE AND crEATE AN ExchANGE plATFOrM TODAY.

# madifestowww.madifesto.be

wOrk AND SkIllS

I. TO INFOrM pEOplE: rE-DYNAMISE ThE IMAGE OF ThE INDUSTrY

whAT wAS DIScUSSED?

The need to

• promote the variety of jobs available in the fashion industry

• protect and redevelop the skills needed throughout the fashion industry, particularly technical skills for manufacturing

• promote the value of craftsmanship , of ateliers

SUGGESTED AcTIONS

• Set up “sexy” communication/media campaign on EU level

• Set up national fairs about craftsmanship (if non-existing in countries)

II. TO TEAch ThE NEw GENErATION: chANGE ExISTING EDUcATIONAl plATFOrMS

whAT wAS DIScUSSED?

• The need for changes in education programs in schools in order to continue to teach the skills

• To find the experts/ teachers who continue to develop and improve the technical skills necessary for the manufacture process of fashion design

• Reintroduce this into colleges, learn the process, upgrading the traditional skills, sharing the skills (a designer brings his knowledge to a manufacturer), mentoring.

SUGGESTED AcTIONS

• Stimulate internships and work placement programmes

• Companionships and mentoring of young professionals

• Transdisciplinary workshops in education

>>> lIFElONG lEArNING

SUGGESTED AcTIONS

• To create the community by bringing the industry players together

• To support collaborative initiatives between the different actors of the fashion industry

• Listings:

> List the different countries involved with existing websites, databases and structures

> List of resources (fabrics, industrial, finishing, sales channels, internet experts,

general expertise, institutions…)

> List of job offers

> Other lists: list of fairs and market places per country (via fashion councils or Chambers of

commerce), list of FabLabs per country, list of small e-coms, etc

[Database needs to integrate a peer-to-peer evaluation system by and for users (similar to Trip

Advisor, Yelp, LinkedIn…)]

• Share experiences:

examples of success stories, best practices,

business values, create a market place/ trade shows to exchange information

• Need to determine whether to

[options]

> Build a new database from scratch

> Develop and expand an existing database (for example BErlIN FAShION SOUrcE BOOk

hTTp://FAShION-SOURCEBOOk.NET

> Build a “meta” database, which would simply guide users towards national databases

III. TO ShArE kNOwlEDGE : crEATE EU DATABASE

whAT wAS DIScUSSED?

• Although the unlikeliness to set up another

database and the difficulty to share existing

databases (different software, protected),

there is a clear need for the fashion councils

to inform about and share the skills of each

country (as well as the ones to develop)

• Need for network - need for recommenda-

tions - need for contacts

• Collaborative economy and community also

in the fashion industry

IV. TO MENTOr: prESErVE AND UpDATE TrADITIONAl SkIllS

whAT wAS DIScUSSED?

Call for help from bigger players to share their production capacity

SUGGESTED AcTIONS

• Define those big players

• Define role of the fashion councils in preservation and updating skills

• Identify sources of financing and other forms of support (DG Education & Culture, ERAMUS+…)

• Define guidelines in order to be able to work together (technical terms and different languages).

V. EU lEVEl?

whAT wAS DIScUSSED?

General agreement that there is a need for European institutions to legislate about minimum price, impeach to put a maximum margin and set up incentive to work and produce in Europe. Euratex director Mr. Marchi said it would be difficult to imagine such a policy in terms of econo-mical standards.

SUGGESTED AcTIONS?

Recommendation of Mr Marchi : ask for EU budget to finance network of internships in com-

panies and manufactures around Europe = support lifelong learning

FINANcING

I. TO STIMUlATE prIVATE & pUBlIc

pArTNErShIpS

whAT wAS DIScUSSED?

Need for private & public partnerships to sup-

port designers in their development process.

The big can help the small.

SUGGESTED AcTIONS

pUBlIc:

• Adapt legislation

• Set up skills trainings

• Create more work space

• Work out tax shelter for fashion industry

prIVATE :

• Matching big and small companies

• Encourage business angels funding

• prepare designers on crowd funding

• Install fashion tech incubators - accelerator (mentoring workshops)

• Stimulate cooperatives

• Create risk funds

• Risk sharing micro-credits or confide

clusters

II. TO ShArE kNOwlEDGE

whAT wAS DIScUSSED?

• Think fashion industry as ecosystem: synergies with other fields (such as technology sector)

• Innovation ventures

• Sharing economy: share work space, mutual help, optimization of costs, collaborative partnerships

III. EU lEVEl?

SUGGESTED AcTIONS

• Create a European Investment Fund

• Create a European hub where designers can meet/greet/share best practices – mutualize risks by gathering people together

• Creation of European awards for young designers, also funded by private sector > create buzz(examples as MyTeresa, Mercedes-Benz, LVMh, hSBC etc)

• Develop fashion tourism on EU level (Repromoting European Culture) – exhibition, designer bou-tique in touristic points,

DISTrIBUTION

whAT wAS DIScUSSED?

Conflict: too many showrooms, agents, designers, not enough access to buyers? Too many stake-holders, diffusion of energy and know-how, duplication of effort, reduced sales.

SUGGESTED AcTIONS

I. TO INFOrM DESIGNErS BETTEr

• To create best practices guide on “how to access buyers and agents”.

• Develop designers in their home territory before an attempt at international diffusion.

“Be someone in your own home” (Sonja Noël)

• Encourage single item brands (ex: Lille Bow-Tie company) before brand extension

• Council assistance in developing e-coms

• Invest in and develop local markets > find appropriate market for local and international

designers: every market is specific.

II. TO chANGE ThE TrADITIONAl SYSTEM

• Exploit data analytics to target specific opportunities, do not waste resources in every possible

market (dispersion…loss of optimal scale)

• Minimum retail price for fashion products imposed by the government based on import price

(textiles should not be protected?), use price as a tool to correct abuse and dumbing down/loss of

quality in fashion market

• Eliminate steps in distribution cycle, cut out the middle-men (60% goes to distribution network)

III. EU lEVEl?

TO ShArE ShOwcASE MOMENTS

• Organize learning expeditions for European designers to Middle-East, Asia, NY, hong kong, Chi-

na to discover retail markets, meet potential brands and buyers. Work together with embassies:

closer market intelligence effort, support for research missions, outreach in target countries

• promote interregional public sales moments, trunk shows, auctions, Learning expeditions for

young designers and agents to truly understand the market they are targeting, decision-making

assistance from Design Councils

• Create an EU-wide showroom (do these work? +/-), find real estate or pop-up locales

• Develop regional “clusters” of Design Councils to regroup and optimize sales opportunities

TO ShArE INFOrMATION: rEGIONAl clUSTErS

• Identify “Champion” at EU level to gather and share information on initiatives for financing

within the creative Industry sector

• Exchange of incubator information / mentors on EU level

• possibility to build regional clusters of design/fashion councils to improve education and to

develop local production and sales opportunities?

• Connect area manufacturers: finance, develop, protect (project examples: Cracow, Barcelona,

Lille & north Belgium)

• Develop industry-wide data-base, user maintained, identify contributors and design funding

ThANk YOU AND SEE YOU NExT MADIFESTO

ON2-3 JUNE 2016IN BrUSSElS