Designers sign up for organic fashion showcase

Collections from Peter Ingwersen of the label Noir and the African designers Marina Spadafora, Imane Ayissi and Kofi Ansah will be just some of the highlights at a fashion show to mark this year’s World Congress on Organic Cotton in Switzerland.

Running as part of the UN Year of Natural Fibers 2009, the conference, organized by Helvetas, in collaboration with Organic Exchange, Institute for Market Ecology IMO, International Trade Centre ITC, Max Havelaar and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, will see the designers present their latest creations, inspired by what they say is organic cotton’s potential as an increasingly popular fibre in today’s fashion industry.

As well as providing an international platform for the whole textile supply chain, the congress itself will include more than 30 workshops running alongside a series of key-note presentations under the theme: ‘From fashion to sustainability’.

Looking at the value chain and partnership models, Peter Tschannen of Remei, Phil Chamberlain of C&A, and Fons Cohen of Imps Elfs will introduce sustainable value chain approaches and concepts in the light of the current recession. This key-note session will look at what strategies and partnership models are needed in this critical context while companies will present strategies used and the invaluable lessons they have learned.

This session will be followed a discussion covering the financing of organic cotton production and trade in which Koert Jansen (Triodos), Karst Kooistra (AK Organic Georg) and Georg Felber (Helvetas), among others, will discuss how producer organisations and companies involved in organic cotton production and trade may require capital for financing a business plan. Financing needs will be analysed, and options and conditions for getting access to finance will be discussed with stakeholders and financing institutions specialising in this field.

On day two, one of the will be a key-note session on certification and labelling options. Delegates will hear from Anne Gillespie (Organic Exchange), Mecki Naschke (IMO), Bernd Jauch (FLO) on what makes a trustworthy traceability system and what need is there for transparency and traceability in the textile value chain?

For more details and online registration visit www.fashiontosustainability.org