PARIS — In the gardens of the Domaine de Chaalis, about an hour outside Paris, Paris Good Fashion hosted its first Midsummer Camp on sustainability, bringing together a diverse mix of industry leaders.
Representatives from major luxury houses including LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Ami Paris; premium brands such as Lacoste; mass-market players like Kiabi, and young, independent designers including Stephane Ashpool and Jeanne Friot spent the day alongside scientists and business analysts. The day’s aim was to build new frameworks for sustainable fashion.
The event marked the launch of Paris Good Fashion’s first decarbonization report for the fashion sector. The study analyzed product mix and outlined a roadmap for brands across luxury, premium, and mass-market segments to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree Celsius target.
Organizers emphasized collaboration, and the study was an exercise in working together. It’s the first of its kind to pool data from across the industry, with 25 brands, representing 46 billion euros in turnover, contributing anonymously. Companies such as Kering and Richemont participated, as did brands including Chloé, Christian Louboutin, Agnès B., Balzac, Célio, and Etam, among others.
The methodology accounted for production volumes, which historically has been downplayed in the industry, which has preferred to focus on the promise of future tech and efficiency solutions. The report made it clear that even under the most optimistic scenario, with rapid shifts to low-impact materials and renewable energy, the sector will overshoot its carbon budget.
Overall, the study found that a 20 percent reduction in production volumes by 2030, using 2022 as a baseline, is necessary. Improvements in materials, energy efficiency, logistics, and circularity alone are not enough to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint to the target level.
As a result, brands must develop new business models such as rental, repair, reuse, and resale, to add more value to existing products.
Inside Paris Good Fashion’s Midsummer Camp.
Another key finding is in the materials mix. Leather is a major emissions contributor in the luxury segment, while fossil fuel-based polyester dominates the mass market. Production is the leading source of emissions across all categories, but in luxury, emissions are also high in marketing, distribution, and retail. In contrast, mass-market emissions are more impacted by product care.
Andrée-Anne Lemieux, sustainability director at Institut Français de la Mode, highlighted the urgency of decoupling financial growth from emissions. She acknowledged that economic headwinds facing the fashion industry have slowed implementation of new business models, but stressed the need for collective action.
“For decoupling, we see there are some [actions] that are individual, and some others need to be addressed at the collective level,” she told WWD. The next step for the team is to define concrete actions for brands. “It’s a question of resources, not necessarily just financial resources, but also human resources,” she added, as brands will need to reallocate teams and focus on change management to ensure long-term viability.
LVMH’s environment development director Hélène Valade spoke candidly to the audience, acknowledging the broader global situation. “We’re living through a moment that feels dizzying, because it feels like everything we thought was sustainably secured is actually fragile and can be undone,” she said, urging collective industry action.
That the event was held on the same day the European Commission announced it plans to drop its draft law on minimum standards again, misleading greenwashing claims was further validation of Valade’s point.
She also noted how luxury goods were once deemed essential during the pandemic — but today, with water shortages across France, municipalities are prioritizing drinking water over industrial use for what was previously considered an “essential” segment. “So we are facing real dangers and real risks, and that’s how we need to approach this issue,” she said.
All of the data within the report was collected carefully with antitrust laws in mind. Valade encouraged the audience to appeal to the French Competition Authority to reexamine their rules and approach the issue differently.
“Because if we don’t want to talk volume among ourselves — if we don’t start sharing figures — we’ll remain insignificant” as a business sector.
Paris Good Fashion cofounder and executive director Isabelle Lefort acknowledged that addressing the volume question had long been avoided, but said brands were now ready to confront the issue.
“If we talk only about intensity, we will do some more greenwashing,” said Lefort. “The brands know that if they don’t act, they won’t survive. We are really at a tipping point. Before [sustainability] was more for the communications department, but that’s finished. Now [sustainability] is arriving in the financial department — how to improve profitability, reduce environmental impact and align the value drivers.”
Communication, she added, will also be critical — not only to demonstrate the value of circular models, but also to reduce reliance on fast-changing trend cycles that confuse consumers.
(L-R) Nathalie Dufour, Stephane Ashpool, Sarah Levy, Burc Akyol, and Jeanne Friot.
Laurent Julliand
The afternoon included workshops on biodiversity, textile recycling, and tensions between AI and sustainability in luxury fashion.
ANDAM founder Nathalie Dufour led a panel with young designers Burc Akyol and Sarah Levy, alongside Ashpool and Friot.
Akyol shared a concrete example of sustainability in action: switching his shipping materials to corn-based alternatives — a change that led to three-week delivery delays. “These are the kinds of real-world issues we face. It’s not bad intentions, it’s trial and error. And for small brands like ours, it’s extremely expensive,” he said.
He urged large French groups to support independent designers, suggesting shared logistics systems as one solution.
“I’m deeply worried, especially about water… water could be gone in 50 years. Think about that, instead of designing another dress,” he told the audience. “We’re the heirs of what these big groups leave behind, not just the luxury ones. Some companies hide behind amazing PR, but they’re not design studios, they’re just buyers.”
This inaugural Midsummer Camp marks Paris Good Fashion’s first step toward building a long-term gathering for industry professionals, with plans to expand the event. A second day of activations at the chateau included public-facing discussions and workshops on sustainable fashion.
