The First Sustainable Fashion Summer School in Greece

The First Sustainable Fashion Summer School will take place in Greece next June (6-26/6/2022) and will be co-organized by Fashion Revolution Greece and the Athens University of Economics and Business under the auspices of the Municipality of the City of Athens and the Ministries of Education and Culture. The Summer School, that is organized in collaboration with leading Universities and sustainable fashion institutions from Europe and the U.S., is aimed at professionals from the clothing, footwear and textile industry but also to designers, researchers, artists, architects or students that want to upscale to sustainable, circular and ethical fashion processes that will reshape global fashion.

Taking inspiration from Greek craftsmanship

The Fashion Revolution Summer School will travel in Thessaloniki, Kilkis, Corfu, Kalamata, Mani and Athens, where participants will be part of unique guided experiences with local educators, regenerative farmers, artisans, entrepreneurs and researchers. They will visit fashion venues of the entire supply chain from raw material production to circular manufacturing in order to explore traditional Greek textile and fashion production techniques appreciating local craftsmanship. They will also have the opportunity to be inspired by the symbols of the Greek culture that in recent years have become source of inspiration for global fashion creators. Participants will also visit archaeological sites and monuments admiring Greece’s amazing landscapes and cultural heritage.

The four main thematic areas of the FR Summer School will be the following:
1. Sustainable Design & Materiality
2. New Business Models, Circular Manufacturing & Logistics
3. Digital Fashion & FashTech Hackathon, Heritage & Ethics
4. Policy

Over 25 top educators from institutions from the U.S. and Europe such as the Fashion Institute of Technology, Lasell University, the Pratt Institute, the University of Exeter, St. Martins, London College Fashion, the Institute of European Design and others will travel in June 2022 in Greece for a 3-week educational program that will be delivered to graduate students and industry professionals from all over the world.

Fashion Revolution Greece is member of Fashion Revolution, a global movement of people who work for the fashion industry acting at the same time as consumers and active citizens caring about the environment and people. Designers, academics, writers, business leaders, policymakers, brands, retailers, marketers, producers, makers, workers and fashion lovers participate in this movement representing at the same time the fashion industry and the public. Their aim is to ensure that clothing is made in a safe, clean and fair way changing the way clothes are sourced, produced and consumed.

To this end the Network along with its Country Offices tries to raise public awareness and educate people about the systemic challenges that the global fashion industry is facing encouraging them to consume less, value quality and take better care of their clothes. At the same time Fashion Revolution’s activity aims at putting an end to human and environmental exploitation in the global fashion industry anticipating safe, dignified working conditions and living wages for all people in the supply chain.

Action taken at EU level

Photo: Fashion Revolution Greece FB page

The European Commission has just proposed in March 2022 an EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles having noticed the high impact of textile industry on the environment. According to EU data European consumption of textiles has the fourth highest impact on the environment and climate change, after food, housing and mobility. It is the third sector for higher use of water and land use, and fifth for the use of primary raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions. Aiming to create a greener, more competitive and more modern sector that will also be more resistant to global shocks, the Strategy proposes actions for the entire lifecycle of textiles products, while supporting the ecosystem in the green and digital transitions. It addresses the way textiles are designed and consumed, including by looking also at sustainable technological solutions and innovative business models.

The European Commission has invited all interested parties and in particular SMEs, public authorities, social partners and research organisations to express their views on how best to realise the transition, while boosting resilience.