A new cluster alliance has been created to promote green and digital transition for the fashion industry
CLOTH project – “CLuster Alliance fOr the Transition to green and digital fasHion” – is the newest European alliance within the fashion sector, aiming to create a favorable ecosystem of relevant stakeholders, from a cross-sectoral perspective, that lead to a greener, smarter and more competitive and innovative European fashion sector.
Fashion platform dedicated to SME`s and relevant stakeholders
During this project it will be designed as a Fashion Platform to support clusters’ members to share know-how, experiences, best practices and advance towards a more competitive, greener, smarter, and international Fashion sector. At least 50 SME`s and other relevant stakeholders are expected to participate in the Fashion Platform at the end of the project.
Also, the consortium will define and implement a ClusterXchange programme. During this programme it will be offered an integrated training programme addressed to the Clusters managers and other clusters members to improve their management skills, as well as technical and entrepreneurship knowledge.
Obtaining a picture of the ecosystem
During the first phase, the consortium will analyze the trends and challenges of the textile and Fashion sector in each one of the participating regions and countries and will create a map of the industry. The objective is to obtain a real picture of the textile and Fashion ecosystem and to identify the solution which might help the Fashion sector to become more circular and sustainable.
Using the map and the analysis of data, the consortium will build a roadmap for long-term cooperation. This will be worked through updating the individual clusters strategy to align its content to the common partnership strategy, improving the Clusters labeling level, defining and approving a common partnership strategy and a roadmap for its implementation, defining and implementing the capacity building program to advance towards cluster excellence.
A cross-sectoral partnership
The CLOTH project is integrated by a cross-sectoral partnership of 5 partners from 5 European countries (Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Denmark and France) that are working on different value chains: “Fashion and Textile”, “Circular Economy”, “Creative Industry” and “Digital”. In order to achieve these objectives, CLOTH partners will develop and organize a series of activities.
Short-term exchange during the Fashion ClusterXchange programme
During the Fashion ClusterXchange programme there will be organized minimum 100 short-term exchanges between targeted members of clusters located in other countries. These exchanges include SME`s (75), cluster organizations (10), Scaling-Up support organizations (5), large companies (5), public companies (5). This activity will facilitate the exchanges of experiences and best practices among SMEs and clusters. Also, the exchange programme will create and promote business opportunities in the Fashion industry from a cross-sectoral dimension, including Fashion value chains, circular economy and digital ecosystem. The clusterXchange programme will offer an attractive set of activities that address real needs of SMEs.
Join our ClusterXchange study trips in 2023 for free
- The consortium worked together to define the content and scope of the ClusterXchange programme, and to plan the calendar of missions and visits, presented below, in coherence with the Cloth activities.
- The visits will be organised following specific topics related to the three cross-sectorial ecosystems related to the Fashion Industry: Fashion value chains, circular economy and sustainability and technology/digital.
- The organisation of matchmaking and networking activities for the partnership’s members, SMEs, and other strategic stakeholders (B2B, B2C, networking activities, peer to peer activities) will contribute to promote the exchanges of best practices, know-how as well as to identify new business and investment opportunities and to reach new collaboration alliances.
- The organisation of B2B will also contribute to engage SMEs into the project’s activities.
- All trips are free to participate in and you will receive a voucher to pay some of your expenses. The amount depends on the country. Find more information below.
- GUIDELINES for oprettelse på ECCP
List overview of upcoming trips in 2023
“Textile recycling” 13th – 15th September 2023, Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish front-runners and initiatives within the textile value-chain
- Circularity within textiles
- Collection and sorting of post-consumer waste
- Recycling technologies (mechanical & chemical)
- Voucher amount: 3.500dkk
- READ FINAL PROGRAM HERE
“Textile recycling” 30th October – 1st November 2023, Turkey
- Circular economy focus
- Knowledge on fiber-to-fiber recycling
- Visits to manufacturers working with recycling
- Voucher amount: 2.700dk
Read draft program HERE
Sign up for Turkey HERE
Previous trips
Cirkulær tekstilaktiviteter i Tyrkiet som en del af EU-projektet
Denne uge gik med at lære om cirkulære tekstilaktiviteter i Tyrkiet som en del af EU-projektet CLOTH – Cluster Alliance for the Transition to green and digital fashion, som jeg leder.
Vi besøgte førende producenter og organisationer med toneangivende stemmer både i Izmir, Usak og Istanbul. Denne roadtrip gennem gjorde det muligt at møde virksomheder, der arbejder med høj innovation og circularity med fantastiske fabrikker.
- Læs mere, her
ClusterXchange studytrip 13th -15th of September 2023 to Finland
The ClusterXchange studytrip to Finland was planned by the International Project manager at the Danish cluster Lifestyle & Design Cluster. The objectives were for the EU textile delegation to meet gain knowledge about circular principles and practices in Finland and exchange knowledge and learnings. The delegation met with Finnish front-runners within the textile value-chain and got introduced to how Finland works with circular economy within textile initiatives. During the 3-day program the delegation visited: Marimekko, Globe Hope, VTT Research Centre, Aalto University, Helsinki Design Week, LSHJ, Rester, Finnish Design Museum, Business Finland. Participants companies from Denmark: Trasborg, Hviid Hviid by JBS, Nybo Workwear, Magretheskolen, VIA University College.
“Circularity within clothing & textile production” 19th – 21st April 2023, Bulgaria & Romania
- Ethical and innovative clothing production – women’s fashion, men’s fashion
- New business models – made-to-measure and made-to-order
- Sublimation printing and print-on-demand
- Digital fashion, VR application in fashion
- Stimulate the collaboration between different organizations
- Explore Bulgarian fashion brands
- Read the Preliminary program for Bulgaria HERE
- Read about out trip to Bulgaria & Romania (Danish) HERE
“Sustainable Textile Production” 8-10th November 2022, Rimini & Ancona Italy
- Sustainable solutions for the textile industry
- What can policy makers do to improve the industry
- Read programme HERE
“Textile Waste Management” 27 – 29th September 2022, Netherlands
- Visit industrial plants for the classification, sorting and recycle textile waste
- Public-private initiatives for the textile waste recovery
- New business models around the circular economy
“New Materials” June 2022, London, UK
- Visiting companies and organization that works on the future of materials also visit the material fair
“Sustainable fashion & textiles” 1st – 3rd February 2023, Milan, Italy
- Sustainable textiles
- Sustainability in fashion education and possibilities for internships. Visit Milano Fashion Institute/Raffles Milano
- Fashion trends Spring/Summer 2024
- The Pointex cluster and identify the potential of joint actions
- Read the program about the trip HERE
Gabriella Constantinou
Project Manager, Internationalization & Circular Textiles
Phone: +4520222605
gabriella@ldcluster.com
Partners
The CLOTH project is integrated by a cross-sectoral partnership of 5 partners from 5 European countries (Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Denmark and France) that are working on different value chains: “Fashion and Textile”, “Circular Economy”, “Creative Industry” and “Digital”.
- Modacc, Cluster for the Catalonian fashion & textile industry, Spain. It has 150 associated companies, technological centers, Universities, around the fashion business. Read more here.
- Bulgarian Fashion Association (BFA): Cluster for the Bulgarian fashion & textile industry, Bulgary. It has more than 4000 registered companies – clothing manufacturers, fashion designers, brands, retailers. Read more here.
- EA Eco-enterprises Association (EA): French cluster for circular businesses across sectors. Read more here.
- Asociata Iconic Cluster (ICONIC): Romanian cluster for the interactive new-media industry. Read more here.
- Lifestyle and Design Cluster (LDC) – Denmark
Cluster for the Catalonian fashion & textile industry. Read more here.
Cluster for the Bulgarian fashion & textile industry. Read more here.
French cluster for circular businesses across sectors. Read more here.
Romanian cluster for the interactive new-media industry. Read more here.
Funding
The CLOTH project is funded by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), under the powers delegated by the European Commission, COSME programme, call COS-CLUSTER-2020-3-03 / COS-CLUSTER-2020-3-03-1 (European Cluster Excellence Programme with ClusterXchange scheme connecting ecosystems and cities).
PRESS RELEASE Finland CLOTH
Capacity building i Frankrig med CLOTH projektet
Juni 2023
Som partner i CLOTH projektet var Lifestyle & Design Cluster til 2-dages partnermøde i Sydfrankrig arrangeret af den lokale, franske partner Eco Entreprises: www.ea-ecoentreprises.com. Det EU-finansierede CLOTH projekt handler om kompetenceopbygning og styrkelse af netværk mellem klynger i fashionbranchen mod mere cirkulære og mere digitale forretningsmodeller: https://clothproject.eu/
Efter førstedagen med internt partnermøde i campusområdet Techopôle Arbois uden for Aix en Provence: www.ea-ecoentreprises.com og besøg af to regionale klynger, hhv. energiklyngen Capenergies: www.capenergies.fr og kemiklyngen Novachiem: www.novachim.fr, samt planlægning af kommende webbinarer på agendagen, bød andendagen på virksomhedsbesøg til hhv. systuerne FASK: www.fask.org og 13 A’tipik: www.13atipik.com i Marseilles centrum og samt sorteringsvirksomheden Pellanc St: www.pellancst.com nord for Aix en Provence.
Hvor FASK (FAshion SKills) er et helt nyt systue-initiativ fra 2022 i stil med SYLAB på VIA: Sylab Herning – LDCluster.com, dog med fokus på unge uden for skolesystemet som målgruppe til aktivering og kompetenceopbygning gennem syfærdigheder, er 13 A’tipik en socialøkonomisk systue med vægtning af cirkulær tænkning i form at upcycling og anvendelse af dead stock og genbrug til nye produkter for kunder. Direktrice Sahouda Mallems eget brand Capuche anvender bl.a. genbrugte dækkener til liggestole og gardiner til upcycling af beklædning som fx jakker.
Sidste stop hos Pellenc ST bød dels på omvisning i produktionen og opbygningen af store, automatiserede sorteringsenheder, et kig indenfor i den nye innovations- og demonstrationsenhed til tests af sortering af alle typer affaldsfraktioner (med bl.a. DigiMarc teknologi) samt demonstration af et fuldautomatisk tekstilsorteringsanlæg af samme type som anvendes på Sibtex i Malmö. Tekstiler er en af de nyeste fraktioner, som Pellanc ST satser målrettet på i fremtiden.
Læs mere om projektet og skriv dig op til kommende studieture her: https://lnkd.in/e2D2cSeB
Bæredygtighed ”Bulgarian Style”
Kvalitet er med til at bære bæredygtighed frem
Vores internationale projektleder Gabriella Constantinou var på besøg hos vores tætte partnerklynge i CLOTH-projektet Bulgarian Fashion Association i Ruse, Bulgarien og Rumænien.
Ifølge næstformand, Dean Manev, Bulgarian Fashion Association er det vigtigt for den bulgarske tekstilindustri at lave tilstrækkeligt overskud for at kunne koncentrere sig om bæredygtighed. Er der ingen profit kan bæredygtighed ikke få lov til at udvikle sig. Produktion bliver i Bulgarien af mange set som bæredygtig, når et brand producerer mindre mængder, da det det kan være med til at fastholde den høje kvalitet på fabrikken.
Så snart fabrikken skal producere store mængder, går det ud over kvaliteten i både metervarevalg og finish på beklædningsdelene.
Massive investeringer
Metervarer produceres i Bulgarien kun i begrænset omfang på fabrikker, der typisk er ejet af Italienske virksomheder. Da Bulgarien blev medlem af EU i 2007, blev det et populært land for tekstil-produktion. Og selv om der siden 2007 er blevet investeret meget i moderne teknologi er andet stadig en af de billigste lande i Europa, hvad angår produktion af tøj i høj kvalitet.
På turen var der fokus på besøg hos en række mindre virksomheder, der formåede netop at holde økonomi i at producere i mindre mængder men i høj kvalitet. Enkelte systuer havde mere karakter af skrædderi/håndværk, hvor én syerske syede hele sæt. Flere af systuerne producerede primært for højkvalitet europæiske modebrands.
Store og små fabrikker
Ruse har 150.000 indbyggere med fabrikstørrelser fra 20 mennesker til 1000 ansatte og er en af de fire primære aktive tekstilområder i Bulgarien med hver sit fokusområde som for beklædning, fodtøj og undertøj.
Et andet karakteristika for bulgarske fabrikker er gode faciliteter og udstyr, der gør, at de kan arbejde effektivt og i høj kvalitet. Fabrikker kan eksempelvis bruger solceller som energikilde og finde løsninger på deres produktionsaffald og dermed være med til at gøre produktionen med cirkulær. Men i sidste ende er det brandets ansvar at medvirke til, at selve produktionen kan tage hensyn til at begrænse klimapåvirkningen ved blandt andet at mindske ressourceforbruget.
Cases
Bulammas MTM Fashion producerer menswear som jakkesæt og skjorter. De prioriterer de gode materialer, især ren bomuld og uld fra blandt andet Italian Draco. Derudover handler det om ”made to order” og ”made to measurement” som forretningsmodeller.
Texcycle en af Bulgariens førende sorterings-faciliteter, der arbejder på at omdanne indsamlede brugte tekstiler til genanvendte garner og plader til blandt andet bilindustrien og som akustikplader. Texcycle deltager i flere europæiske udviklingsprojekter.
Gentlemen’s Tailoring skræddersyer jakkesæt og brudekjoler. I Danmark er dette marked ikke stort eller populært blandt almindelige mennesker, men traditionerne med flotte kjoler og jakkesæt dyrkes i mange andre syd- og østeuropæiske lande og er en god økonomisk forretning. Gentlemen’s Tailoring er kendt i Rumænien og har kunder fra hele verdenen på grund af jakkesættenes høje jakkesæt.
Vi besøgte også universitet i Ruse som underviser i digitalisering herunder Virtual Reality, Augmentet Reality og 3D print og havde investeret i avanceret teknologi.
Ønsker du at undersøge produktionsmuligheder I Bulgarien, kan du kontakte repræsentanter for Bulgarian Fashion Association, Chairman Silvia Kabaivanova, tel. +359 898 272 161, e-mail: silvia@bgfa.eu eller Vice Chairman, Dean Manev, tel. +359 896 220 346, e-mail: dean.manev@bgfa.eu
Du kan som virksomhed kontakte Enterprise Europe Network i Ruse, hvis du ønsker et netværk og eksempelvis søger producenter i Ruse Bulgarien. Enterprise Europe Network findes i alle EU-lande, og det er gratis at blive medlem af communitien ved at oprette en profil online for at kunne finde potentiale partner og kunne blive fundet.
Deltagere i turen, der var en del af CXC Cluster Exchange programmet i CLOTH-projektet og Capacity Building Program for klynge-medarbejdere:
- Lili Dreyer, stifter og medejer af Vaer Upcycled
- Anne Maj Nafar, underviser ved Erhvervsakademi Sydvest, Sønderborg,
- SORINTEX, Moldovas tekstil- og modeklynge
- Davitex LTD en moldovisk virksomhed, som specialiserer sig i strikprodukter til blandt andet for tidligt fødte børn og andre med specielle behov.
- Gemini Clothing Limited LTD producerer diverse beklædningsdele.
- Lola Casademunt og The Gender Brand S.L – begge Spanien
- ProEntranse en statslig non-profit organisation fra Moldova, som støtter start-ups i deres udvikling.
- Gemini Clothing Limited LTD, Moldova, der producerer diverse beklædningsdele.
