One year after our first discussion with the Swiss Fashion Association team (read the article) following the launch of the Swiss Digital Fashion Week, we met again with Camille Patthey, project manager at the Swiss Fashion Association (SFA) to learn more about the eco-responsible turn taken by the SFA.  

LE NEW BLACK: Hello Camille, nice to see you again after a year since the beginning of your story with LE NEW BLACK. How have the last 12 months been for the SFA? 

Camille Patthey: I am delighted to see you again! The first season of our initial initiative, the Swiss Digital Fashion Week, went well despite a difficult year for the industry. The second edition (SS22) that we launched in September 2021 with 4 brands was a little success as we were able to gain new customers for each participating brand as well as a retail cooperation last fall.

LNB: You just launched “Future Swiss Fashion”, an eco-responsible initiative of the SFA. What are the challenges and ambitions of this new project? 

CP: With Future Swiss Fashion, we are launching the first wholesale initiative for emerging sustainable Swiss brands. 

As "newcomers" on the international fashion scene, we can position ourselves as role models for sustainability, ethics, social commitment and local production. Our aim is to contribute to a more sustainable, transparent, and conscious future for the fashion industry. Our ambition is to encourage sustainable approaches of emerging brands, to increase their credibility and to position them on the international market. 

For the first edition of Future Swiss Fashion, the selected brands must meet at least 3 sustainability criteria, namely in the development of the local economy (local production and/or sourcing), ecology (renewable and/or organic materials, vegetable dyes, upcycling, etc.) and ethics (ethical production and/or social engagement). 

LNB: What are the upcoming projects that will allow the brands you support to strengthen their international influence? 

 CP: With Future Swiss Fashion, we are launching the first hybrid showroom (physical, digital) and offering selected sustainable brands a 360° platform to professionalise their distribution channels and to connect them with the market. 

For the AW22 sales campaign we have opted for a physical flash showroom in Zürich from 27.02.22 to 01.03.22. with a professional sales support, something in which emerging brands often lack capacity and network. Future Swiss Fashion is already attracting a lot of interest from retailers and the Swiss press, which we are very pleased about. 

For next season, we would like to participate in the Paris Fashion Week, with a physical and digital presence dedicated to emerging Swiss sustainable brands.  

LNB: How is LE NEW BLACK supporting you in these new projects, one year after the launch of the first SFA digital showroom in January 2021?

CP: LE NEW BLACK and its team are a valuable support. The platform is the ideal partner to professionalise and structure the brands we accompany. We are also delighted with the customisation options of the digital showrooms and the technical performance of the platform. We also appreciate the support of the teams in promoting the association's initiative.