Sustainability is a key pillar for the CFDA. We focus on information and education to bring the importance of protecting the environment to every level of the fashion industry—including fashion week.

To that end, CFDA, in partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), is releasing Sustainability by Design: Rethinking New York Fashion Week today. The focused study is two-fold, featuring a comprehensive  Executive Summary and Report on the environmental impact of NYFW as well as a Playbook for Positive Change.

“In February, when the CFDA and BCG launched the focused study, nobody could have anticipated the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA said. “The new reality demanded we all radically rethink and reset every aspect of the fashion system, and are resilient and innovative in the way we address the urgent climate change and pollution related impacts of our industry. The study’s findings and recommendations provide useful guidance to fashion stakeholder New York and are also intended to also serve the global fashion industry.”

The Executive Summary and Report includes an assessment and analysis of NYFW’s current ecosystem, including event production, logistics, transportation, and public relations, while identifying priorities and opportunities to transform the season of fashion shows and presentations.

The Playbook for Positive Change is intended for a range of creatives including small to mid-sized designers/brands, event producers, and public relations and editorial with the goal to provide provides need-to-know guidelines and strategies for change.

Both provide the fashion industry with a strategic set of guidelines and recommendations tailored for design, production, and PR teams as a blueprint to make informed, responsible decisions.

“The new, post-COVID reality accelerates the need for the fashion industry to take transformative strides towards sustainability. The BCG X CFDA study lays out findings and a practical set of recommendations to be used as a guide by fashion stakeholders in the industry,” said Sarah Willersdorf, Boston Consulting Group’s Global Head of Luxury. “We recognize that making NYFW more sustainable is but a mere drop in the bucket compared to the fashion industry as a whole; but it can serve as a bellwether for changes, not only for the many other fashion weeks held worldwide, but also for the entire fashion industry. Sustainability is not a nice-to-have anymore. It is essential both for our planet and for the long term prosperity of the fashion industry.”

The Research Steering Committee Members are Maria Cornejo, Gabriela Hearst, Virginia Ritchie of Tommy Hilfiger, Brandon Sheffield, Alicia Loehle, Tracy Reese, Hillary Taymour of Collina Strada, Lucie Brigham of United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP), and Kerry Bannigan of Conscious Fashion Campaign (CFC).

We are planning a series of virtual engagements leading up to next February’s NYFW to guide fashion week stakeholders via education and collaboration with BCG and support from UNOP and CFC. Stay tuned!

View the Executive Summary here.

View the Playbook for Positive Change here.

For more information, click here.