A Fashion Council in general is an industry representative of the fashion industry and represents the interests of industry players before various stakeholders such as politics, the press, society or the public, other sectors of the economy, research and the industry itself. We as Fashion Council Germany establish special training programs in these areas Sustainability, fashion technology and community building. We also organize various events that promote dialogue and networking. A detailed list of our projects can be found under Initiatives.

Our work aims to promote the industry and create optimal conditions for further development. The Fashion Council Germany e.V. is a registered association with the aim of promoting and promoting German fashion at home and abroad. We carry out political lobbying work at state, federal and EU level. With all of its initiatives, the FCG pursues the goal of further establishing, supporting and strengthening German fashion design as a cultural and economic asset at national and international level.

No. Our office is based in Berlin (details under contact) but our work extends throughout Germany. Due to Germany's federal political structure, it is difficult to set up nationwide programs, which sometimes leads to local limitations in projects. Part of our work is to change this in the future. In 2023 we opened our first branch LOCAL ONE in Mannheim. This is particularly responsible for local member support and regional political lobbying in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition, LOCAL ONE implements events in the region in close cooperation with the Berlin location. Additional locations in the North, East, West and South regions are being planned for the coming years in order to provide personal coverage across Germany.

In addition to our website, we provide news, event announcements and information about our members, projects and competitions in our FCG newsletter. The newsletter is sent out monthly and supplemented by special newsletters as required.

In principle, any natural or legal person can apply for membership. It is important that the core work of the applicant is part of the fashion industry, that the company is registered in Germany, has a professional design and business concept behind it and offers added value to the association. However, our membership categories range from freelance designers, (PR/sales/corporate/sustainability/inclusion) consultants, agencies, fashion tech, accessories, jewellery and fashion companies to large retailers and many more. An exact list of the different membership categories is broken down in detail in our membership fee regulations. However, a distinction must be made between FCG members and FCG clubbers.
In principle, any natural or legal person can apply for membership. It is important that the applicant's core work is part of the fashion industry, that the company is registered in Germany, that there is a professional design and business concept behind it and that it offers added value to the association. Our membership categories range from freelance designers, (PR/Sales/Corporate/Sustainability/Inclusion) consultants, agencies, fashion tech, accessories, jewellery, fashion companies to large retailers and many more.A precise list of the different membership categories is broken down in detail in our contribution regulations. However, a general distinction must be made between FCG members and FCG clubbers.

In order to become a member of the FCG, a corresponding application must be filled out. This can be found under Members. These applications are collected and reviewed quarterly by our board. If the voting result is positive (majority of positive votes), membership comes into effect for the selected quarter and is legally binding from the official notification from us to the applicant. If the vote does not result in acceptance as a member, you will of course also be informed of this.

During the 2023 annual meeting, the membership fees and categorizations were revised and our members voted on the new fee regulations. As an FCG member, you are part of a club and therefore part of our community. You support us in representing the German fashion industry to the outside world and can actively shape the discussion. You have the opportunity to take part in the annual general meeting once a year or to serve as a regular participant in our committees. As a member, you also get the chance to join our FCG Club and have your news sent to you via the newsletter. You can find the new member categories under the About category.

Our community team is always on hand to answer your questions and quickly get you in touch if you need advice. Members who are among the “big ones” (annual membership fee > EUR 6,000) also have the opportunity to exchange ideas with like-minded people about current challenges in the industry and learn from each other in the Future Club. We also implement various support projects - depending on the size of the company, you can either be part of a project and receive support or position yourself as a project partner and learn from the results for your company. Your biggest advantage lies in our network, in which you are not only a member, but also actively involved. You also benefit from monthly newsletters in which you can introduce yourself or your company. In collaboration with the publishers Burda and Condé Nast, we can offer you the following magazines as a free subscription as an e-paper or with a 50% discount as a print edition: BUNTE, ELLE, ELLE DECORATION, FREUNDIN, HARPER'S BAZAAR, INSTYLE, VOGUE , GQ and AD.

As an FCG member, you benefit from various aspects of networking. We offer you the opportunity to network with other members, ask questions, share news, offers and knowledge, and present yourself and your services via our communication channels. We also organise regular networking events – the FCG Fireside Chats – where you can exchange ideas with other members, politicians, the press and other decision-makers from the fashion industry.

The Fashion Council Germany is not a consulting service provider, but we would be happy to connect you with the right contact points and experts throughout Germany or Europe. We also offer a large number of webinars, studies and more for our members.

The official organizer of Berlin Fashion Week is the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Business (SenWEB for short). SenWEB determines the period of the BFW in consultation with the actors and awards funding to various organizations, formats and agencies in order to ensure a diverse program during Fashion Week.

The FCG implements various projects on behalf of SenWEB. These include the official opening event, the hospitality program for international press guests, the STUDIO2RETAIL initiative and the Berlin Contemporary format. The FCG is organizing a concept competition for STUDIO2RETAIL and Berlin Contemporary to promote event and presentation concepts for the BFW. We are also responsible for coordinating and organizing the calendar for the BFW and the STUDIO2RETAIL events.

The Berlin Salon was founded by Christiane Arp and Marcus Kurz, founders of NOWADAYS, to showcase the diversity and high quality of German designs. Various German designers will present their designs at the Berlin Salon. The FCG is not involved in the organization or curation of the Berliner Salon, but the Berliner Salon is a member of the FCG.

The initiatives are implemented with different partners, which is why the conditions for participation and the application criteria for the competitions vary depending on the project. You can find an overview of the current initiatives under the next question. You can find the exact framework conditions for the competitions under INITIATIVES.

The initiatives that the FCG supports are very diverse. They can be classified into the following areas: networking, developments in the fashion industry, education, competitions and projects within and around Berlin Fashion Week. Current initiatives are:

- BERLIN CONTEMPORARY
- EUROPEAN FASHION ALLIANCE
- FASHION FORWARD NETWORK
- FASHION FUTURE
- FASHION x CRAFT
- FCG FUTURE CLUB
- FIRESIDECHATS
- GENERATION FUTURE
- HOSPITALITY PROGRAM
-K3D
- STUDIO2RETAIL
- UGG CULTURE CHANGEMAKER PRIZE
- WORKSHOP OF THE FUTURE

You can get a deeper insight into our projects under the INITIATIVES category.

The FCG launched its own education platform, the re.FASHION ACADEMY, in 2023. In webinars, seminars and master classes, various topics such as sustainability, innovation and leadership in relation to fashion are analyzed and explained in a practical way so that participants can learn directly from the training courses. Further information about the speakers and the courses offered can be found on the website: www.refashion.academy