Anita Tillmann, Christiane Arp, Claudia Hofmann, Mandie Bienek, Marcus Kurz and Marie-Louise Berg founded the Fashion Council Germany. Five additional volunteer members make it possible to found an association modeled on international fashion councils. Why? All founders feel that the social, economic and political appreciation of German fashion is neglected. Their goal: to change the status quo and promote fashion from Germany as an economic and cultural asset.

Was standing:
11 members
0 employees

The first funding projects are being implemented with established institutions and the state of Berlin. The focus of the first initiatives is particularly on promoting young talent. The debut project partners include: Bikini Berlin, the US Embassy, the CFDA Fashion Award and the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises

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12 members
0.5 employees

The first major partner, namely H&M, is starting a two-year talent development program together with FCG. Labels such as Horror Vacui and William Fan are supported. Mercedes Benz is expanding its fashion commitment to include a partnership with the Fashion Council Germany. In mid-2017, FCG gained Scott Lipinski as CEO with the aim of strengthening the club operationally.

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37 members
3 employees

In addition to promoting talent, the Fashion Council Germany is now also becoming more involved at the political level. As a sign of political appreciation and recognition, former Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and the then Minister of State Dorothee Bär invited selected fashion experts to the Chancellery. Those invited are commissioned to create an official report that shows the relevance and size of the German fashion industry.

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108 members
5 employees

The Fashion Council Germany enters into a strategic cooperation with the British Kings Foundation (former) Prince's Foundation. The foundation was founded by the then Prince of Wales and has set itself the goal of promoting sustainability and craftsmanship in order to give young people in particular better career opportunities. Since then, a joint conference has been held annually in Scotland to which schoolchildren and students as well as young fashion entrepreneurs, designers and established manufacturers and brands are invited.

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168 members
8 employees

Shortly before the pandemic, the Fashion Council Germany moved into its new office in the west of Berlin - the association is growing and establishing itself. Many more initiatives, programs and projects will be launched this year. In the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the FCG finds a partner to implement the initial survey of the size and relevance of the German fashion industry in the form of a report.

Status:
186 members
9 employees

The partnership with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, which started in 2020, resulted in the first FCG study STATUS GERMAN FASHION. The report shows the economic relevance and, above all, the strength of the German fashion industry and becomes an important knowledge tool that impresses and convinces politicians and other important stakeholders.

Foundation of the first strategic alliance K3D: a leading private sector advocacy group for the cultural and creative industries, which becomes a mouthpiece and source of inspiration for politics and government. Another important project is the inaugural conference WERKSTATT DER FUTURE, which deals with the future of the fashion and creative industry beyond the borders of Germany. The conference will be opened by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

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206 members
11 employees

After the success of the first industry study, the FCG was commissioned to carry out another one: THE GERMAN FASHION FOOTPRINT.

Existing initiatives are being further developed and new ones are being added: The FCG is launching the first project with the Swarovski Foundation, which is also supported by the Prince's Foundation: FASHION X CRAFT: The funding program aims to teach young fashion designers new processes that go beyond the Going beyond the boundaries of classic fashion and textile production. Together with the PVH Foundation, we are launching the Fashion Future project, in which students are made aware of more sustainability in fashion thanks to special teaching workshops.

In order to shed further light on everything related to the topic of sustainability internally and to include the members' diverse expertise, the FCG is establishing the SusTech (Sustainability & Technology) committee. The Fashion Council Germany, together with 24 other international fashion councils and fashion institutions, is founding the first transatlantic alliance: the European Fashion Alliance.

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256 members
13 employees

The European Fashion Alliance will become an independent association with FCG managing director Scott Lipinski as chairman of the board. Shortly after the company was officially founded, the first discussions began with EU Commissioner Marija Gabriel, and the first foundation stone for representing the interests of fashion at the EU level was laid.

Another important milestone in 2023 is the FCG's increased involvement during Berlin Fashion Week. In addition to existing initiatives, a new format is making its debut, which was developed in cooperation and support by the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Enterprises: BERLIN CONTEMPORARY. In addition, the FCG will be involved in supporting and coordinating other formats during Berlin Fashion Week and will become a key player. The FCG is deeply involved in the repositioning of Berlin Fashion Week, which has been highly praised by designers, visitors and the press. An important step in Germany's fashion positioning in a global comparison, which the FCG would like to build on in the future.

Status:
280 members
17 employees

On March 5th 2024, the European Fashion Alliance (EFA), led by Scott Lipinski, EFA Chairman and FCG Managing Director, hosted the inaugural "The Status of European Fashion" conference in Brussels, Belgium. The event brought together industry leaders, policy makers and stakeholders to discuss key issues shaping the future of European fashion. In preparation for the conference, EFA conducted a comprehensive Europe-wide survey on upcoming sustainability legislation for the fashion industry.

Since January 2024, the FCG has offered start-ups and industry players the opportunity to use the FCG Club, a digital community platform where members and FCG Clubbers can network, publish events and share information, even without official membership as a Clubber. As a free platform, the FCG Club is available to interested parties after a short review and approval. Start-ups that have been in business for no more than five years, designers, journalists and stylists from the fashion and creative industries are eligible to apply. They have the opportunity to publish their news, events and job offers.

At the Berlin Fashion Week AW 24/25, the Fashion Council Germany and VOGUE Germany announced the FCG/VOGUE Fashion Fund. The competition is looking for young design talents with an innovative and creative approach. The winner will receive prize money and an exclusive mentoring program totaling 100,000 euros.

In 2025, Fashion Council Germany will celebrate its 10th anniversary.

The Berlin Fashion X International internationalisation project will open up the Asian market for the first time. Exploratory trips to Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo, Japan, will be organised to explore the market. During the subsequent delegation trip, around 10 participants will take part in a detailed programme including networking events, expert talks, agency meetings and press appointments.

With the new presentation format RAUM.Berlin, the Fashion Council Germany, together with eBay, is strengthening its presence at Berlin Fashion Week in 2025 and increasingly supporting emerging brands. In a central location, nine labels will have the opportunity to present their collections away from the catwalks to a specialist audience as well as the general public.

Status:
247 members
20 employees