The importance of sustainability in the fashion, footwear and accessories sector once again took centre stage at the Momad International Fair, which took place from 17 to 19 September in Madrid. A wide variety of national and international sustainable brands showed their eco-friendly collections at the event. We talked to them about their experience, the business they generated and their future plans.

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We are happy to see how reducing the negative environmental impact of fashion has become one of the main objectives of MOMAD, the International Fashion, Textile, Footwear and Accessories Fair, organised by IFEMA MADRID. Edition after edition, the event's organisers insist on supporting the participation of exhibitors who are committed to this objective and organise presentations on the subject of sustainable fashion.

Once again, MOMAD has had a space dedicated to brands that are committed to sustainability in the fashion sector. There, we were able to find a wide variety of consolidated brands in men's and women's fashion, accessories, eyewear and footwear from different parts of Spain and Europe that are working towards sustainability.

Among others, we met Associação Between Parallels, which, from Portugal, works for sustainable design and development; Wasted Couture, from Poland, which works with handmade creations in post-apocalyptic style; Chérubin Organic, which designs clothes for babies thinking about their well-being and taking care of the planet; and Zummy, which specializes in green fashion, from Italy.

As for the world of accessories and complements, we met brands such as Linnoa Bags, which uses natural and environmentally friendly fibre in its bag collections; Innbamboo The Original, which exhibited different creations of "naturally" painted foulards; the fantastic brand Marita Moreno, which presented fashion accessories based on sustainable creations; Wisuland, which uses organic materials to produce sustainable designer shoes handmade in Spain; and Nomadic State of Mind, which offers eco-sustainable sandals and accessories made from recycled materials, fair trade products handmade in Nicaragua.

THERE IS TALENT, THERE IS BUSINESS FOR SUSTAINABLE FASHION

In order to find out if sustainable fashion companies really do business at Momad, Luxiders Magazine interviewed most of the sustainable brands participating at the event. The feedback is more than positive, it seems that fashion retailers and consumers have finally decided to go for change and take care of the planet.

We spoke to the founder of Wasted Couture: "Our favourite area was definitely the Sustainable Experience: it really reflected our own values. We met some amazing people who had their stands along this lane, and even managed to sign some contracts." 

"The feedback was really great and we got some interesting contacts that we hope to do business with in the near future. The collection was very well received by retailers, not only because of the project, but also because of the design involved in making luxury garments from leftover fabrics." - says Helena Antonia Silva, from Vintage for a Cause.

According to Virginia França, representing the Spanish brand Avasan at Momad, "we have received many contacts and many comments and requests for catalogues and prices. So let's see what the future holds for AVASAN".

"This was our 3rd participation in MOMAD and we are very happy with how it went: many interesting and fruitful contacts. Many customers from shops all over Spain, as well as from Italy and Portugal visited our stand". - Marita Moreno declares.

"Momad 2021 has been a smaller fair this time, but the sales results have been much higher. We didn't expect that. People appreciate the effort we make using sustainable fabrics, vegetable dyes and zero waste." - Núria Pijuan Bosquet, owner of the brand, told Luxiders Magazine.

"The participation in MOMAD was very exciting. The atmosphere and the visitors were very accommodating. We will definitely want to come back to Madrid after such an experience". - says Anna Pawluk, owner of the company Cherubin Organic.

Captain Socks adds "For us it was great to participate at Momad, to learn and get feedback from visitors. People were so open to our proposals, that it becomes a good experience, as we expanded our list of retailers for our brand and the new products we showcased there".

According to Wayz, "we met retailers, buyers and other industry players and made some promising contacts.  It was a very good experience, which will allow us to grow as a brand. However, we expected to see more sustainable brands at Momad. We need to be more and more at these fairs".

Last but nor least, at Zummy, they said: "We have received incredible feedback on our collection from visitors, from the colours, to the Made in Italy design, to the prints and all aspects of sustainability. And this is very important to us, because it means that people are becoming more aware of serious issues like climate change and the effects of everyone's impact on the world and are starting to take this very seriously and are starting to consider buying products that are committed to in-depth sustainability research more than they did years ago".

COLLECTIONS DRAWING THE FUTURE | OUR FAVOURITES

AVASAN presented the most iconic pieces of "Water Harmony" as the No Season/No Time collection. The 2 kimonos painted by the artist Araceli García, the Black Octagon kimono and the Air kimono are true works of art, with exceptional finishes and a circular manifesto that deserves the first place in our ranking. According to Avasan's representative at the fair, "all these pieces will be exhibited at CRU/shop in Porto, with a winter capsule collection... so it's already a new opening for AVASAN".

We also really liked Vintage for a Cause. They launched two amazing collections. Calm-a by Elena Iparraguirre and Review-Reuse by Katty Xiomara are two limited editions of 100% upcycled clothes, handmade by local artisans in Portugal.

Linnoa bags is committed to sustainable luxury, timeless and quality bags. Its spring summer 2022 proposal includes 100% linen bags combined with chrome-free vegetable tanned leather, with natural plant-based tannins, as well as vegan Piñatex leather. The collection consists of 26 models, with colour variations for each model. Bandoliers, shoppers, hobos, bowlings, with the option of customising the bag according to the preferences and tastes of the customers.

Marita Moreno, meanwhile, continues to show off her infinite creativity by adding new designs to her fantastic collections of sustainable shoes and bags. This Portuguese brand is unstoppable. “The values of our SS22 and FW22/23 collections always remain the same as the brand - sustainability in materials, social responsibility in local production, helping artisan communities with numbered lines of handcrafted products, reducing waste to a minimum through upcycling materials in new lines and new products, such as necklaces and earrings. We continue to be a brand deeply concerned about over-consumption, exploitation of labor and the depletion of natural resources.” - declares to Luxiders Magazine the owner of the brand.

The colors and forms of creatures with magnetic eyes are the protagonists of the world of Zummy’s Collection and are given an artistic twist to create outfits that are comfortable, vivacious, feminine-proof and marvellously green in every detail. For both the main fabrics and the stitchings, Zummy uses eucalyptus fibre (Lyocell) from responsibly managed forests. The yarn is Lenzing. The fabrics, the soft padding and the yarn used for sewing the only one polyester garment in this collection (the long coat) are made of 100% recycled polyester certified post-consumer. For its garments made with natural fibres, Zummy chose to use organic cotton, certified following one of the most important certifications for sustainability in the fashion industry, cultivated without pesticides and in the respect of specific environmental and social standards along the entire production chain.

We also loved Everyday, Elementum's new collection for 2022. "Our commitment to sustainability this year is stronger than ever. We're focusing on a holistic neutral style of tender yet visually crisp fabrics. Our conscious clothing comes with tone-on-tone ensembles that offer endless combinations, form a space for reflection and dialogue, and double the potential of the wardrobe with more possibilities and inner power. We continue to believe in natural fibres and the circularity and zero waste capabilities they offer. We consciously invest in offering you recycled fabrics and also more qualities of Tencel and Lyocell fibre. We also continue with European linen, hemp and organic cotton. Building a range of comfortable and healthy textiles to add to your well-being, health and confidence". - Daniela Pais, owner of Elementum, tells Luxiders magazine.

If you like sneakers, you will love Wayz. Their sneakers are made from recycled rubber, polyester and cotton. They also use vegetable-tanned leather. "We have two collections, vegetable tanned leather and the vegan/recycled collection. We are presenting our new vegan model, The Grit, at Momad" - they say. Wayz designs, sources and ethically produces timeless, genderless and long-lasting sneakers in Porto, using local, high-quality, recycled and biodegradable materials and partnering with highly skilled footwear manufacturers from the Porto region. "Our entire supply chain is located 70 km from Porto. We are fully transparent about our supply chain and production processes."

The Captain Socks showed socks printed with organic cotton and its first vegan sneakers made with apple skin. We are sure this is going to be the beginning of a big future. "We now only use organic cotton in the production of our socks, we are fair trade" -says Tiago Monteiro, from the brand.

Wasted Couture is not like a normal fashion brand: sustainability is not just a feature of a special collection. "All our production is done in a small workshop in Poland, and recycled materials are the basis of every design. We take the zero waste movement very seriously. At Momad we premiered our Denim Queen: it's a dress inspired by 19th century crinolines, made with seams left over from upcycling jeans. The main hoop is made from a bicycle tyre. It is a very unusual garment, but it perfectly expresses the ideals of Wasted Couture". We love it !!!!

Also to the mums reading this, we highly recommend taking a look at Cherubin Organic. Their clothes are designed for babies up to twelve months. Their collection is made of 100% cotton. It is based on natural colours. It is decorated with prints of endangered animals: polar bears, orangutans and gorillas. "We donate a percentage of the proceeds to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which specialises in the protection of endangered species" - emphasises the brand owner. The fabrics used to make the garments are sourced from Polish suppliers and are duly certified. Part of the collection of the Cherubin line is made of GOTS-certified organic cotton, which means that at least 95% of the fabric has been produced with the use of organic raw materials. The rest of the collection is made from knitted fabrics with OEKO TEX certification, which confirms that the materials are safe for the health of the child.

As emerging designer, we would like to highlight Daniela Ponto Final. We love her first collection, perfect for the Z Generation.