I wanted to take this opportunity to share a new resource from the Institute of Positive Fashion.
Set up in September 2019 by the British Fashion Council, the Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) aims to bring together expertise from a range of sectors to help British brands navigate key issues linked to its three pillars of environment, people and community and craftmanship – and ensure the British Fashion Industry takes a lead in the areas of circular fashion, resilience, equality and fairness.
The IPF’s new website – launched earlier this summer – is home to a range of practical resources from the British Fashion Council, including articles on how to discuss sustainability with your customers and sourcing best practice for designers. It also signposts resources from external organisations including charities and NGOs. The IPF hopes to add further resources in partnership with the wider fashion community, as well as government, academia and NGO partners.
An interesting aspect of the IPF’s work is its links with Parley for the Oceans, a collective space for artists, creatives and scientists who are working together to raise awareness of the threats facing our oceans – from overconsumption of resources to the terrifying levels of plastic pollution. The two organisations are forming a long-term partnership, and to mark this British Fashion Council CEO Caroline Rush has joined Parley’s advisory board. Parley CEO and Founder Cyrill Gutsch has also joined the British Fashion Council advisory board and IPF steering committee.
This new partnership and platform come at an important moment. The pandemic has pushed us all to consider the impact of how we live our lives as individuals, but also in terms of the way we do business. Entire sectors are evaluating how they operate and what they want their post-Covid world to look like. It’s important that our discussions are not just about survival, but about doing things better.
The fashion industry has an opportunity to effect positive change that benefits people all over the world. How the sector moves forward from this point is so important, and I hope that collaborative, cross-sector work like this will be part of the change the global industry so urgently needs.
Find out more about the Institute of Positive Fashion.
