Roscongress and Fashion Net to Cooperate in Developing Fashion Industry

The Roscongress Foundation and the Association of Fashion Industry Participants (Fashion Net) have signed a Cooperation Agreement to develop the fashion industry. The Agreement envisages support for creative concepts, the development of cooperation in education, and the creation of conditions to develop technologies in the FashionTech segment in light and fashion industries.

The fashion industry is a creative sector of the economy, is an important tool for achieving Russia’s national goals, and meets the objectives of the Concept for the Development of Creative Industries until 2030. Creative industries combine the creation, production, and commercialization of goods and services that, with proper support, can attract investment and make up a significant share of GDP and contribute to the creation of new jobs and the development of the economy as a whole.

«The fashion industry is one of the few industries where Russia has obvious potential and resources for development. The key resources for this industry are the availability of a sufficient number of talented people who create apparel and footwear and develop new technologies for their design, production, logistics, and sales. And what we call FashionTech today will be just fashion tomorrow,» Fashion Net Association President Anton Alfer said.

«Today, the fashion industry is entering a period of technological revolution. Small brands are becoming popular in numerous countries and this trend is growing. Russia has experience with successful joint projects involving collaboration between designers and industrial enterprises. Roscongress is uniquely positioned to foster cross-sectoral interaction, coordinate the actions of government institutions and creative industries, and align the interests of major industrial enterprises with designer brands. I see an opportunity in this to mobilize the powerful creative potential of Russian fashion in order to create a competitive product on our own market and on the scale of the global economy,» Roscongress Foundation Deputy CEO Elena Marinina said.

In June 2021, the FASHION LEADERS National Competition for Creative Professionals in the Fashion Industry, which was initiated by the Fashion Net Association, received support from the Presidential Grants Fund. In addition, in September 2021, the FASHION LEADERS / START National Youth Competition received grant support from the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, as one of the winners of the first grant competition. Applications are being accepted on the website fashionleaders.ru.

FASHION LEADERS / START aims to develop the creative segment of the fashion industry, search for young professionals over the age of 16, and provide them with training and career guidance. The competition is held among students and young professionals in the fashion industry, has 28 different nominations, and also includes a festival, an educational programme, grants, internships at partner companies, and the creation of a talent pool for the fashion industry.

«Joint work with the Roscongress Foundation at fashion industry events will expand the reach of the audience of existing projects and open up new areas of work,» Roscongress Foundation Deputy CEO and Eastern Economic Forum Director Igor Pavlov said.