244 Green Fashion labels presented their collections to 1,500 visitors at the international trade fair for sustainable textiles. “We're pleased that our figures are remaining constant,” says Jens Frey, Managing Director of trade fair organiser Muveo GmbH.

“Undeniably, sustainable brands and the retail trade are currently living through a long period of challenges. But from our point of view, the Green Fashion sector is responding with extraordinary willpower and perseverance. Why? Out of a sense of conviction and because sustainability is the future.”

“Only together can we shape the future.”

Future-related topics were also the subject of panel talks and personal discussions at various points. A key aspect was the urgent need for cooperation agreements and networks to open up new sales channels and fields of activity. Experts at the fair also recommended an honest review of business strategies that may have outlived their usefulness. As Dr Eva Stüber of Cologne’s Institute for Retail Studies (IFH Köln) points out, “The pandemic, the war of aggression, inflation, digitalisation – there are many factors prompting a change in lifestyles and demands. What is required now is creativity. Brands and retailers can exploit new potential by, for example, checking their ranges for market relevance, being sharper in their targeting, making shopping a social event, joining up with people from entirely different areas and not immediately rejecting apparently mad ideas.”

Dr Stüber was one of the guest speakers on Monday at the well-attended panel discussion, “The future starts here: town centres as spaces for successful, sustainable concepts,” held in collaboration with Handelsverband Hessen (Hessen Retail Association). The four Lounge Talks on Size Inclusion, Sports Fashion, Positioning, and Hemp-based Textiles, along with two guided tours, also aroused the interest of the audience.