Messe Frankfurt has a new sustainable venture: Neonyt, a new sustainability platform at the intersection of trade fair, fashion show, and conference, will launch in January, coinciding with Berlin Fashion Week. Alongside showroom.de and Bikini Berlin, Neonyt is therefore the ideal partner for the Fashion Sustain Concept, a two-year sustainable talent development program initiated jointly with the Fashion Council Germany, which begins in 2019. We spoke with Thimo Schwenzfeier, Head of Neonyt and Head of Marketing and Communications for the Textile Division at Messe Frankfurt, about the new sustainability platform, talent development, the collaboration with the FCG—and why sustainability is so important in fashion .

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Mr. Schwenzfeier, with Neonyt, Messe Frankfurt has just created a new platform that revolves entirely around sustainability.

Neonyt is practically unborn yet — in January, it will take place for the first time as a successor to the Greenshowroom and the Ethical Fashion Show, running parallel to Berlin Fashion Week. It will be an interdisciplinary sustainability platform with a program consisting of a trade fair, fashion show, conference, and panel discussions. With Neonyt, we want to demonstrate that a new era has begun for fashion in the context of sustainability.

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How is this to be understood?

The tradition of commitment to sustainability at Messe Frankfurt dates back to 2004. Back then, in Paris, there was the Ethical Fashion Show, initially as a platform for ethnic and ethical fashion. In Paris, the mother of all fashion capitals, the aspect of sustainability wasn't well received; in fact, it was often ridiculed. The prevailing prejudice there was that sustainable fashion was more about textiles than fashion—often with good reason: "Eco-fashion" was seen more as a political statement, and the aesthetic aspect was usually neglected. Messe Frankfurt, which itself has a background more in textiles than fashion, found the connection between fashion and sustainability very compelling, which is why we took over Ethical Fashion in 2009 and moved it to Berlin.

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Why Berlin?

Green fashion, like natural cosmetics, has a long tradition and culture throughout Germany. Berlin, in particular, has been much more progressive, open, and transparent than Paris in this regard for quite some time. It boasts a completely different scene with diverse lifestyles. The vegan community plays a significant role, as does the affluent, "green" middle class, who want to consume consciously and do good. Back then, Berlin also launched Fashion Week, and the Green Showroom was later acquired by Messe Frankfurt and presented under the same roof as Ethical Fashion. We are now merging both platforms to create Neonyt.

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What is special about Neonyt?

Sustainability is of course our foundation—the labels that showcase with us must meet at least 70 percent of our sustainability criteria—at the same time, we place a very clear emphasis on design language: anything that doesn't meet our aesthetic requirements is weeded out. This means that retailers who come to us have the major advantage of no longer having to worry about sustainability and can focus entirely on fashion. So, no one can ignore us anymore. (laughs)

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Why

While the topic has been part of the zeitgeist since the mid-90s, it was less tangible: Back then, people talked about environmental protection and child labor. During my childhood, the ozone hole was the great fear. Today, however, I can learn about the consequences of negative impacts much more quickly and directly. Companies need to catch up. The fact that a global conglomerate like Kering, for example, announces that luxury is no longer conceivable without sustainability—or that a fashion house like Chanel intends to forgo fur in the future—would have been unthinkable until recently. I am firmly convinced that companies that don't adapt to sustainability will not survive the next 15 years.

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Why is sustainability of utmost importance, especially for the fashion industry?

Cotton production , water consumption, genetic engineering. Waste that isn't cleaned but flows unfiltered into rivers and the world's oceans. Dyeing processes that use toxic chemicals, the fumes of which workers breathe unprotected. Precarious safety standards as well as the exploitation of textile workers in general—let's not kid ourselves: We are the second most polluting industry in the world! The fashion industry urgently needs to rethink its approach.

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How can companies imply sustainable standards?

We often hear from larger companies that it's no problem for a small design label, but that fair production becomes impossible beyond a certain size. However, many companies are now proving that it can be done differently, without creating bottlenecks in the supply chain. Sustainability is possible if I have complete control over my entire textile value chain, ideally without working with subcontractors. The major problem arises when agreements on ethical and environmental standards are in place, but there's no guarantee that these standards will be upheld by the sub-subcontractors.

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Together with the Fashion Council Germany and partners showroom.de and Bikini Berlin, Messe Frankfurt/Neonyt is launching the new sustainable funding program German Sustain Concept. How did this collaboration come about?

This summer, we already launched the joint sustainable program "Made Berlin" with the Fashion Council Germany, which supported the labels Philomena Zanetti and Benu Berlin. We wanted to build on this success on a larger scale and take young designers under our wing for the long term. In general, we value our collaboration with the FCG, as it is the only institution in Germany that can give a voice to fashion made in Germany. It was clear to us from the beginning that we wanted to become a member because we want to promote German fashion just as much. With Bikini Berlin and showroom.de, we also have two strong and important partners on board.

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What role will Neonyt play as a partner during the two-year funding program?

During this period, we will be available for consultations and coaching. Furthermore, we are convinced that trade fairs play a significant role for designers and want to support them with our expertise and presence. This means that there will also be a German Sustain Concept showroom at Neonyt at a later date.

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Why is promoting young talent so important, especially with regard to sustainability?

Although there are some promising initiatives, such as at AMD, sustainability is still not taught enough at fashion schools and universities. This stems from the tradition that sustainability is primarily associated with the textile sector, leading to a reluctance to engage with the topic. We want to dismantle this reluctance and demonstrate that sustainability doesn't stifle creativity. On the contrary, it's a progressive approach to fashion and a future-oriented development that allows a young brand to tell a compelling story.

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Do you also wear sustainable German fashion yourself?

I 've noticed, of course, that I'm paying more and more attention to the materials I wear and the way I do the same for those around me. Even so, I'm not immune to spontaneous impulse buys. What I've observed is that sustainable fashion is simply underrepresented on the high street. If companies manage to become more sustainable and the topic becomes more visible in German retail, customers would follow suit. We consistently find that consumers are generally open to the idea, as long as they like what they see. That's precisely what we want to emphasize with Neonyt, without any finger-wagging: that sustainable fashion can be fun. Fashion is our passion, and we refuse to let anyone talk us down about it.