French city Lille hosts its inaugural Circular Fashion Week

Shining a spotlight on players in circular fashion: this is the aim of the inaugural ‘Circular Fashion Week,’ taking place from Monday to Sunday across the Lille metropolitan area in France. The event features fashion shows, workshops, a professional forum, and a ‘responsible’ fashion market.

The term “circular fashion” covers clothing designed to last longer, thanks to repair and reuse, as well as pieces made more durable through the use of recycled materials, natural fibres, and short supply chains.

The sector positions itself as an alternative to fast fashion, which dominates everything in its path; one of its symbols, the Asian online platform Shein, has recently been at the centre of controversy in France.

“We feel that consumers are completely lost, torn between wanting to do the right thing and being constantly encouraged to consume,” said Anthony Jaugeard, a consultant in the circular economy.

“The aim is to highlight solutions and the players creating responsible, eco-friendly fashion. Media coverage of irresponsible fashion is immense at the moment, so we wanted to show everything we can do,” he added at the opening press conference for the Lille event.

“Every year, we turn to new materials. This year, it’s the inner tubes from Paris’s Vélib’ bikes and the life rafts we salvage to make belts, and rugby balls that we’ve transformed into card holders,” says Hubert Motte, founder of La Vie est Belt, an upcycling brand based in Roubaix (Nord).

To launch this week of circular fashion, a fashion show was organised on Monday aboard a Paris-Lille TGV, surprising passengers.

A vintage fashion show will take place on Tuesday evening at the Lemahieu textile factory in the Lille suburbs, followed by a forum for professionals on Thursday and Friday.

Although it is growing, circular fashion still carries very little economic weight, as new products are often cheaper. Yet 90% of consumers rank price as their primary purchasing criterion, well ahead of environmental impact or durability, according to a recent study by the Tex&Care academic chair in circular fashion. According to its organisers, Circular Fashion Week is intended to be held every two years in Lille.