Inaugurated on Tuesday evening, this new workspace in the 13th arrondissement of Paris aims to help the fashion industry in its transition towards sustainability and social responsibility.
“The fashion industry is lagging behind in its transition!” Surrounded by numerous guests gathered on the second floor of the Hôtel Industriel Berlier, located in eastern Paris at the foot of the monumental Duo Towers, for the launch of the Fashion Green Hub Paris, its president Thomas Ébélé explains the objectives of this platform for fashion professionals.
“Today, only 5% of textiles, linens, and shoes put on the market in France are manufactured in France,” explains Ébélé, who is also the co-founder of SloWeAre and author of the book “La Face Cachée des Étiquettes” (The Hidden Face of Labels). “We want to help rethink the use of clothing, from its design to its reuse, and the way fashion is produced.”
Driving fashion towards greater sustainability and inclusivity? The task seems immense considering the extent to which this sector contributes to the global accumulation of waste and often produces under deplorable social conditions. “To meet an ever-increasing demand fueled by fast fashion giants, around 140 billion garments are produced worldwide each year,” recalls environmental sociologist Majdouline Sbai, president of Fashion Green Hub Hauts-de-France and author of the book “Toujours moins cher mais à quel prix? Pour en finir avec la mode jetable” (Always Cheaper but at What Cost? Putting an End to Disposable Fashion).
Among the first actions of the new platform are inclusive training sessions for people distant from employment or with disabilities and a popup store that will be set up for several months at Le Printemps in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It will showcase initial creations that emphasize local or European production.
With this launch, the Fashion Green Hub associative network expands. Launched in 2015 by Annick Jehanne and Jean-Michel Castaing, the first platform was established in Roubaix (Hauts-de-France), a historic textile center in France. Nantes and Lyon are also active in the network, although they do not yet have dedicated spaces.
To accompany the necessary transformations in the industry, Fashion Green Hub Paris has invested in a space of over 300 square meters within the Hôtel Industriel Berlier, organized into creative and coworking spaces, inclusive training, and knowledge sharing. Offices are located alongside sewing machines, an upcycling workshop, and a material library. Given the scale of the challenges, Thomas Ébélé first calls for action at the local level. “I see the Parisian platform as a zone for reflection, initiative, and sharing to assist professionals.”
Financially supported by actors in the circular economy, Fashion Green Hub Paris, like its counterpart in Hauts-de-France, is among the 100 workspaces to receive the “manufacture de proximité” label, ensuring support from the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion.
“Regions are essential and extremely dynamic actors for the development of workspaces. Unfortunately, the state is a bit less so,” emphasizes Annick Jehanne, president of the Fashion Green Hub national association and vice-president of the workspaces association. She also applauds numerous initiatives at the European level to rethink fashion in the face of ecological urgency and the fight against social inequality, such as Lottozero in Italy, Textile Prototyping Lab in Germany, and the New Order of Fashion in the Netherlands.
