Global Fashion Agenda to launch new film series on BBC.com

Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) is delighted to announce a new film series on social and environmental sustainability in the fashion industry, to be produced for them by BBC Storyworks Commercial Productions and released to a wide audience on BBC.com in 2023. Members of the GFA network are invited to share their stories for potential inclusion in the series.

Fashion is said to both reflect and lead culture; it is by definition responsible for ‘setting trends’. As we look ahead at the seismic challenges that face our planet and communities over the coming decades, there is an opportunity for the fashion industry to prove itself capable of rising to the moment: to drive forward sustainability and responsibility, and to be a net positive force for the economy, environment and society.

The challenge is vast, but through leadership, innovation, and collaboration the sector is making progress: better conditions for people, sourcing materials responsibly, emphasising resource stewardship, and leading the way to a circular economy. The new series will bring to screen case studies that showcase this progress.

Through stunning human-centric storytelling, it will educate consumers as to the scale of the issue and the promise of solutions, while galvanising leaders in the sector to follow the blueprint of those that have been successful. BBC StoryWorks’ rigour and unique audience insight will ensure the topic is treated accurately and that the series measurably sparks meaningful conversation.

The series will be hosted on a dedicated BBC.com microsite, providing an immersive experience for browsers and an opportunity for in-depth coverage spanning films, articles, infographics and animations. A multi-platform campaign will reach relevant audience groups from among BBC.com’s 144 million monthly browsers, as well as the global fashion sector through the GFA and its network.

The partnership was announced during Global Fashion Summit, a leading international forum for sustainability in fashion, that convenes leaders across the value chain to collaborate on the most critical environmental and social issues.

Federica Marchionni, CEO of the Global Fashion Agenda, says: “We are delighted to be working with BBC StoryWorks to amplify educational content on sustainability in fashion. Indeed, to transform the industry and become net positive, it is crucial that we keep inspiring and educating people about the ways we can produce, distribute, and consume fashion sustainably. For a world beyond the next season, we invite everyone to learn and be part of a needed and possible change”.

Simon Shelley, VP Programme Partnerships at BBC Studios, says: “We’re thrilled to be creating a series with GFA looking at how fashion can put back more into society and the environment than it takes out. Fashion can change society as well as reflect it – we hope to tell stories that reflect a pivotal moment for the industry and one that will set a trend for sustainable future.”

SHARE YOUR STORY

If you have a story to share, please express your interest in participating in the series by emailing Lara McNeil, Series Developer at BBC StoryWorks (Lara.McNeil@bbc.com) with a response to the following prompt by 21 December:

Choosing one of the four topics outlined above (social impact, materials, stewardship, circularity), please detail a specific project or initiative through which your organisation is contributing to the solution of one of these major challenges.

Stories will be reviewed, and a selection will be invited to discuss engaging BBC StoryWorks’ creative teams to produce a branded piece for the series. Their researchers, producers and writers will work with selected organisations to capture the work taking place across our industry in a compelling and visually engaging way, and those organisations can also amplify the series on their own channels as facilitated by the BBC StoryWorks and GFA teams.