Neonyt, the show focused on sustainable and responsible fashion happening at Tempelhof Berlin, in the same venue of Panorama and Selvedge Run, from January 14-16, 2020, benefited significantly from moving to this new location. Exhibitors at the event–its third edition–showed satisfaction with the higher attendance and curiosity expressed by visitors this time. Fashionsustain, the conference format dealing with topics circling around sustainability, also took place at Tempelhof.

The location loved by fashion insiders for hosting the Bread & Butter show in the past certainly played a role. The vast offer of different brands and product types also drew visitors willing to learn more about a much talked about–and certainly hot–topic no one in this industry can ignore anymore. Despite this, criteria for admitting exhibitors that consider themselves eco-friendly should be better analyzed and tested by the organization through experts before admittance as some of the participating companies were not always able to demonstrate clearly how effectively their products are respectful of the environment. Many exhibitors explained their satisfaction with the show and the new location. Michael Spitzbarth, founder of the German sportswear brand Bleed, commented: “We think this is a great moment for sustainable fashion. We founded our brand in 2008 and finally the market is interested in this kind of products." He continued: "Moreover, by exhibiting in this location we can further profit from being visited by a much wider audience than in the past. Since the first few hours from the opening we could get in touch with more than double the number of visitors of its previous editions.” Guido Wetzels, owner of Blaumann Jeanshosen and former exhibitor at Selvedge Run, was pleased too. "During this Neonyt edition I had already counted 20 new connections after the first three hours.” Among the most interesting brands seen there was Phyne, a smart streetwear-inspired collection of tops made with GOTS certified organic cotton only, sometimes also mixed with Tencel or Refibra. Most of the pieces on show had a very bright and smooth surface, or, in other cases, were characterized by a soft peach-skin touch. All of these effects had been obtained through special sustainable mercerization and finishing treatments. A wide array of eco-friendly brands offering jeanswear items showed, including Mud Jeans, Dawn Denim, Jeansverket, Barta Jeans and The Blue Suit. The latter offered denim suits for women made with organic cotton and recycled elastane only. They are not finished with stones, but with a simple rinse that constantly recycles the water used during the process. Also Isko exhibited and presented a few pieces designed by Miles Johnson employing fabrics from the R-Two program and contain a mix of reused and recycled materials obtained according either to GRS (Global Recycle Standard) or RCS (Recycle Claim Standard). Among socially sustainable companies, N'Go Shoes offer sneakers that aim to promote Vietnamese handicrafts. The company works fairly with artisans from the White Thai ethnic minority, who traditionally do handweaving. The brand is also committed to a partnership with Sao Bien NGOs. Sneakers are made with handwoven decorative motifs, cotton and polyester fabrics–all from Vietnam–and chrome-free leather from Peru only.

Danish brand KnowledgeCotton Apparel was there too and showed its selection of products all produced by certified manufacturing partners using 100% sustainable methods and materials. Also interesting were products by Bleed offering a total look including jackets, tops, jeans and sneakers made with natural materials and organic and recycled cotton. For this season it is launching a climate-neutral outer jacket certified by Climate Partners and GOTS certified as using 100% recycled materials (apart from a few accessories). Other new pieces are climate-neutral sneakers whose impact is about three to four kilos of CO2, while average sneakers' impact is around 30 kilos.


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