Glitter. Elegance. Glamour. There is something in the air. The final touch of make-up backstage and the show can begin! To the rhythm of sensual music, the catwalk hosts beautiful models…all wearing clothes that can change our way of thinking about fashion. You can see a dress made out of plastic bags, even out of a carpet! Creativity is walking on the catwalk along with the idea of sustainable fashion.

‘Change your Clothes, Change the Climate’ is a part of the Challenge Europe project in the Czech Republic. Five Climate Advocates, all women, decided to look at fashion from a climate change perspective. They were inspired by a study by the Cambridge Institute of Manufacturing called Well Dressed? The present and future sustainability of clothing and textiles in the UK. Then came the idea of a web page dedicated to sustainable clothing, followed by an eco-fashion show. The Climate Advocates cooperated with Liběna Rochová, one of the leading Czech fashion designers, and the Academy of Arts, Design and Architecture in Prague.

The dream came true on 24 March in the elegant Café Louvre in Prague. It started with an informal discussion with Cecilia Malvido de Rodríguez, a research Associate with Cambridge University’s Sustainable Manufacturing Group, followed by Kate Fletcher, a British Sustainable Fashion designer. The presenters revealed some interesting facts. Did you know that pesticides account for more than 50% of the total cost of cotton production in most of the world, for example?

The catwalk then belonged to a dozen models who presented clothes made of low carbon materials. Designers breathed new life into old jeans, shirts, old lace and embroidered cloth.

150 people applauded, some of them even coming in ecological clothes. So did Jana Hecova, the Challenge Europe coordinator in the Czech Republic: ‘The environmentally friendly clothing is an ethical option but as we could see during this evening, it can also be fashionable. The project is able to live its own life even after the end of mandate of the Climate Advocates. They have already started to talk to some fashion brands that could rethink their strategy and I am sure they will continue doing this great job.’

‘It was a wonderful evening,’ said one of the guests. ‘I really felt that it was done with a big portion of enthusiasm and dedication to ecological fashion.’

Martina Guzova
Marketing and Communications Manager
Czech Republic