Conference: “We all have a duty to stop fast fashion”

Conférence de la MTE durant la MCFW ©Direction de la Communication – Manuel Vitali

During the Monegasque Fashion Week, which celebrated its tenth birthday this year, the Mission for the Energy Transition (MTE) held, on Wednesday 17 May, a conference entitled “We all have a duty to stop fast fashion*”, aimed at the signatories of the National Pact.

The event, organised in partnership with the Chambre Monégasque de la Mode (Monegasque Chamber of Fashion), aimed to raise awareness of the environmental consequences of fast fashion. The conference was led by Paule Magnier, project coordinator at Zero Waste Marseille**, who explained what fast fashion is and suggested initiatives to combat it; and Inès Bensalah, Monegasque designer and National Pact Ambassador, who puts the environment at the heart of her business.

Discussions focused on subjects such as giving clothes a new life thanks to donations, collections, the circular economy, repair, upcycling and ethical purchasing. These alternatives show just how important the issue has become and the dynamic solutions which are gradually and naturally emerging.

Questions were also answered by other guests: Alyssia Ballerio, founder and manager of the top second-hand fashion brand in Monaco; Béatrice Castelain, manager of the evening dress brand Organza, which is now offering upcycled models and rents out its clothes; Elise Nicoletta, artist of Le Pavillon Bosio, an upcycling expert; and Philippe Giuffra, who’s in charge of environmental policy at the Monegasque Red Cross.

More information on the topic is available on Monaco Info and the Mission for Energy Transition’s social media pages.

*: fast fashion, which has been criticised for its numerous social and environmental consequences, denotes a tendency amongst certain fashion brands to produce clothes very quickly, very often, and cheaply (they can bring out up to 36 collections per year, compared with 4 for a classic fashion brand).

**: Created in 1997 under the name CNIID, Zero Waste France (https://www.zerowastefrance.org/en/) is an independent charity which campaigns for the reduction of waste and a better management of resources. It collaborates with all kinds of partners (citizens, politicians, professionals and businesses).