On July 18, Marie Claire’s Fashion Our Future event took place in Shanghai. Now in its third year, our annual sustainability initiative, created in partnership with Kering, brings together experts and activists to discuss actionable solutions for the fashion industry.
At the Navy Club in Shanghai’s Changning district, 120 people—students, influencers, experts, activists, and readers of Marie Claire—listened as Kering’s chief sustainability and institutional affairs officer, Marie-Claire Daveu, opened the event with advice for a new generation of fashion professionals. “Don’t think that you will be able to develop your business without [sustainability],” she advised. “Think sustainability from the beginning.”
Speaker and artist Danful Yang—who incorporates sustainability into every element of her work—agreed. “Sustainability can seem ‘boring’ or ‘difficult,’” Yang said, noting alongside Shanghai Fashion Week secretary-general Xiaolei Lv and model Bonnie Chen that young designers need to be trained in sustainable practices. The panel agreed that fashion education through an ethical lens is crucial for the industry's future. “Events like [Fashion our Future] can help educate people on these issues,” Yang added.
That includes consumers as well. The idea of an “emotional wardrobe”—a phrase introduced by W China’s Lily Lee to describe caring for and maintaining key clothing pieces—was the topic of another panel. “Having a sustainable attitude toward your clothes is like falling in love,” said actress Cecilia Yip, referencing a beloved leather jacket she’s owned for nearly fifty years. “When you love something, you want to keep it forever. Our favorite clothes tell the story of our lives.”
Designer Peng Chen agreed. Of every piece he’s created, he told the crowd, he’s most proud of a suit he made for his father. “Until then, I had never made anything for myself or my family.”
His father adored it. For years, he wore the suit to every formal occasion. When he eventually passed away, Chen’s mother gave it to him. “We communicate through our clothes,” Chen said, “and through them you build a community.”
Every speaker agreed on one point: when it comes to sustainability in the fashion industry, inaction carries a heavy cost.
Scientific explorer Xu Wen described watching glaciers melt before his eyes. In response, Jinqing Cai, President of Kering Greater China, detailed Kering’s “water-positive” strategy, which commits the group to achieving net-positive impacts on water by 2050. (Kering has also pledged to improve ESG performance across its more than 1,000 stores, in partnership with Swire Properties, and seven years ago launched the Kering Generation Award for sustainable innovation in China.)
Speaking to the entire industry, Cai urged, “We need to cooperate with each other.”
