Messe Frankfurt Teams Up With Esmod Fashion School
World's leading trade fair company and world's largest fashion school join forces to promote sustainable fashion
Messe Frankfurt and the international "École Superieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode" (Esmod) have signed a cooperation agreement in Paris with the common aim of promoting sustainability in the fashion business.
Member of the Messe Frankfurt Executive Board Detlef Braun described the partnership as being "driven by the dedication of both parties to top performance and high quality", adding that Messe Frankfurt and Esmod intended to develop a "solid platform for fashion produced by ecologically and socially responsible means".
"For us it is very important to be with professional and specialists concerning environment to inform and to teach our students. With Messe Frankfurt we found a strong partner in the field of sustainable textiles with a worldwide network. Messe Frankfurt is very credible in this way and is the organizer of the only trade show in Paris: Ethical Fashion Show," says Christine Walter-Bonini, General Manager Esmod International.
Sustainability is the core element of the long-term cooperation and is to be established as a permanent fixture in the world of fashion, among designers, producers and users alike. Messe Frankfurt is to contribute the extensive market knowledge that it has gained from organising over 30 international textile fairs every year, with a wide international network in this field. With the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris and the GREENshowroom in Berlin, Messe Frankfurt already has two events in its portfolio that are dedicated to sustainable fashion.
In the months to come, both partners will develop a study programme entitled "Sustainability and Eco-Fashion" that will be gradually integrated within the curricula. In addition, they will hold an "Eco-Fashion" international design award and create the trend show "Esmod/Ethical Fashion Show". Also in the pipeline are plans for presentations and special shows, such as the "Esmod/Ethical Fashion Show", joint PR activities, and the creation and expansion of a joint international network.
Esmod was founded in 1841 by Guerre Lavigne, master tailor and purveyor to the court of Empress Eugénie. With a unique teaching method – making patterns directly on the "Lavigne bust" – he laid the cornerstone for a successful teaching system that is still used today in a network of 21 design schools in 14 countries. Every year, around 1,000 students from 50 countries start their studies there, following a tough selection process. Many prominent fashion designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler honed their skills at Esmod.
At the signing of the contract, Detlef Braun declared: "I am very proud that Esmod is working together with Messe Frankfurt. This is a great honour, and one that would have been inconceivable five or six years ago."
The Ethical Fashion Show is a trade fair for ethical fashion that features more than one hundred brands. The GREENshowroom presents high-end fashion, accessories and lifestyle products that have been created in accordance with environmentally compatible and socially responsible standards.
"Since 2007, Messe Frankfurt and its textile fairs have been striving to promote textiles produced in an ecologically and socially beneficial manner, thus creating a unique platform for sustainable materials and accessories", said Michael Scherpe, President of Messe Frankfurt France and initiator of the project with Esmod. "This cooperation clearly shows how seriously we take our objective of promoting fair trade and supporting brands that share this goal, thereby helping them to raise their profile and further their commercial development."
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is Germany's leading trade fair organiser, with 448.3 million euros in sales and more than 1,600 active employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries, five branch offices and 52 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events "made by Messe Frankfurt" take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2010, Messe Frankfurt organised 87 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
Messe Frankfurt's exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square metres, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Center. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.
SOURCE: Messe Frankfurt