A Weekend at the Neonyt Fashion Show
On the last weekend of January 2023, the international teams of the Fashion For Change Growth Programme were invited to a study trip to the Neonyt Sustainable Fashion fair in Düsseldorf. The international Neonyt fair is one of the most important events of the European sustainable fashion industry and always one-step-ahead on innovation and sustainable trends. Among the eleven teams who made their way to Germany, two of them – British Alpaca and Melina Bucher, had a proper exhibition booth this year.
![A Weekend at the Neonyt Fashion Show](https://www.fashionforchange.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_2203-1024x709.jpg)
The first day of the study trip was all about discovering Neonyt and its exhibitors, all of them frontrunners and some well-known fashion brands already. It was rounded up in the evening by a joint debriefing lead by EKA – the Estonian Academy of Arts. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to network and learn from each other’s best practice and experience.
On the second day, the teams gathered for a workshop about circularity, organised by Fashion For Change consortium member Ecopreneur.eu – the European Sustainable Business Federation – in the premises of the Global Entrepreneurship Centre (GEC) right on the fairground. Inspired by personal encounters with exhibitors, a presentation by Ecopreneur.eu about circular business models and an update by the GEC about venture catalyst programmes, the participants dived into discussions moderated by mentors from the project team.
![Fashion For Change Study Trip and Workshop](https://www.fashionforchange.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/F4C-Workshop-NeoNyt-GEC-1024x768.jpg)
It showed that startups aiming to become successful as sustainable frontrunners are facing a dilemma: How to develop and run a circular fashion business with sustainable products and services in a linear economy? How can first movers find a specific angle to introduce a ground-braking solution and stand out from the crowd to attract suppliers, customers and investors without losing breath? Talking from experience, whatever the angle, it usually takes a long breath to push through.
Other points of discussion:
- the need to think about circularity and beyond a product’s « end of life » at an early design stage;
- the need to develop – and invest in – digital skills to get fit for the „twin transition“ towards digital and circular business models;
- the need to know what’s at the „regulatory horizon“ to align strategy with upcoming EU and national laws; and – last but not least :
- how to keep the focus on attracting investors to scale up, rather than getting bogged down in the details of managing a business?
Until the final pitching workshop in March, the startup teams will continue speaking to their mentors to wrap their minds around these and other important questions.