Progressive fashion show inspires sustainable fashion scene

Already on Thursday evening, Neonyt kicked off with a trend-setting multimedia runway show. Under the motto “Biosphere-Technosphere”, the Atelier Lihotzky in Frankfurt's East end district was transformed into a symbiosis of nature and technology. The theme was the interplay between humankind and the environment. In 31 multi-brand looks and a multimedia runway, around 50 brands showed the future of (sustainable) fashion.

Three days of Neonyt Lab, three days full of valuable impulses for a more conscious approach to fashion – that's what the community of exhibitors, speakers, experts and visitors said:

Safia Minney, MBE Founder People Tree and Fashion Declares: “It is not a problem to increase the amount we pay for clothes to cover a living wage for workers – this wouldn’t add much and would help to slow down fashion – which in a climate, ecological and social crisis is key!”

Alexandra Svendsen, Founder & CEO, Alexandra Svendsen: “Neonyt is the future. And finally, here in Frankfurt, we were able to continue with the future. We were very pleased about the numerous, high-quality dealer visits on the very first day of the Neonyt Lab. Moreover, it is particularly nice to meet extremely interested and enthusiastic end consumers who come here to inform themselves, ask questions and purchase sustainable clothes.

Annabelle Homann, COO & Head of Marketing, Lanius: “If we want a breakthrough in sustainability, we need a new normal. We can achieve this with state subsidies for sustainable products and a scoring system similar to the one in the food sector. This is the only way to make sustainability comprehensible to consumers. And, we need to change business models in a sustainable way: The number of collections is a core problem of the industry. Lanius produces no more than 2 collections per year, so a largely complete sell-off is possible.”

Christian Salewski, Co-Founder & Chief Reporter, Flip: “We at Flip are now developing a verifiably sustainable recycled sneaker with partners to help clean up textile waste in Africa. We will report openly and transparently about this “sneaker experiment” to educate people about problems but also solutions on the way to a sustainable textile industry.”

Inga Bleyer, Head of Marketing & Communications, Oeko-Tex: “The Neonyt Lab gave us the opportunity to engage in direct exchange with consumers and experts. We really appreciated the stimulating conversations and input on the topic of sustainability, and we were particularly inspired by the Fashionsustain talks. We are looking forward to next year.”

Julian Hermsdorf, CEO, Monaco Ducks: “The term “sustainability” is often used vaguely or even misused. Not only does sustainable production play an important role, but especially the recycling and environmentally appropriate disposal of textiles.”

Juliane Ziegler, GOTS Representative GSA, Global Organic Textile Standard: “In order to support industry change and sustainable development in the sense of the SDGs, joint exchange and collaboration is so important. The Neonyt Lab gave us a special opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges of fair production with brands and consumers. Thank you for these three exciting days!“

Kristina Löhr, Project #17Ziele, Engagement Global: “It is great to see how interested the visitors were in the 17 goals and how to apply them in their own wardrobe via our TU DU-Wall. Many took the colourful stickers as inspiration to share and give away.”