PEFC promotes Forests For Fashion at Sustainable Fashion Week in Madrid

25 February 2020 Forests for Fashion

PEFC Spain was present at the first Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) in Madrid, organized by The Circular Project.

SFW Madrid represents a change in the paradigm of fashion, with a commitment to sustainable materials that are good for the people and our planet. For this new generation of fashion, natural fibres from sustainably managed forests will play a major role.

Fashion from the forest

From 7-9 February, SFW saw a vivid exchange of opinions and ideas, as well as various discussions and presentations.

In the session "What is the raw material?" Ana Belén Noriega, National Secretary of PEFC Spain, spoke about fibres from sustainably managed forests, and how they can contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In a special showroom, PEFC Spain presented its #forestsforfashion and #foreststay initiatives, highlighting the potential of forest materials for a more sustainable fashion industry. Creations by Spanish designer María Lafuente made from PEFC-certified forest fibres were on exhibit and invited visitors to discover the softness of forest materials.

Other showrooms saw the presentation of videos about sustainable fashion by The British Council, as well as various brands showcasing that sustainable fashion already exists and is not a dream of the future.

While cotton is a water and pesticide-intensive crop and synthetic fibres add to the problem of microplastics in our oceans, a new wave of technologies allows us to produce recyclable, renewable and biodegradable textiles from wood fibres. These fibres store more carbon than is emitted in their production process, and therefore help to protect the climate and reduce our ecological footprint.

A sustainable new collection

Only few days before SFW, María Lafuente had presented her latest collection ‘Causalidad’ (‘Causality’) as part of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Madrid.

Her retro-futuristic collection consisted of extravagant designs with flowing lines and structures. 

Committed to sustainability and social rights, the designer chose fabrics from sustainably managed, PEFC-certified forests. Spanish company Textil Santanderina produced the fabrics from PEFC-certified Tencel fibres supplied by Lenzing.

María Lafuente’s work is part of Forests For Fashion, an initiative by PEFC together with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that links forest-based materials from sustainably managed forests with the world of fashion.

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