Our glossary

The Paris Good Fashion glossary was born following the citizen consultation on responsible fashion carried out in 2020 at the initiative of our association alongside a collective of committed actors*.

It responds to the expectations expressed by more than 107,000 participants, concerning the need for consumer information and the need to use a common language understood by all. Hence, the members of Paris Good Fashion decided to develop this glossary in order to exchange and communicate on the same basis.

Initially published in French, this glossary is now available in English in order to make as many people as possible benefit from this work. It includes about 350 definitions, and is the result of collaborative work with our members**.

  1. We first defined the main categories and terms to be included. First, we defined the main categories and terms to be included: general terms of fashion and sustainable development, labels and certifications, actors and initiatives, and materials. Another category was established, that of "Basic concepts". It includes the most important generic terms of our sector. These are also often the most complex, as their scope is either very broad or unclear.
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  2. Then, we carried out bibliographical research, which allowed us to carry out a state of the art of the existing definitions by basing them on the official and international definitions when they existed.
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  3. When they did not exist, the terms were the subject of consultation and in-depth reflection by Sylvie Benard, Clémence Grisel and Isabelle Lefort in order to be enriched and as precise as possible. For each term, you will find the bibliographic references that helped establish its definition.
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  4. Following this work which took place from March 2021 to February 2022, the definitions were submitted to the members for correction and validation. Special thanks go to Claudia Lee and Guy Morgan (Chanel), François Souchet (BPCM), and Andrée-Anne Lemieux (IFM) for their careful reading of the translation, coordinated by Clémence Grisel.

If you would like to know more, or have any suggestions, please contact us at contact@parisgoodfashion.com

* Eram Group, Etam Group, Galeries Lafayette, Petit Bateau, Vestiaire Collective, WSN

** They participated in the WG: Chantal Cabantous (Balmain), François Souchet (BPCM), Éric Dupont, Guy Morgan, Claudia Lee (Chanel), Christophe Bocquet and Aude Vergne (Chloé), Sylvain Cariou and Hugo Sereys (Crystalchain), Clémence Hulet and Alice Timmerman (Deloitte), Géraldine Vallejo, Yoann Regent and Annabelle Villot Malka (Kering), Frédéric Lecoq (Lacoste), Hélène Valade and Alexandre Capelli (LVMH), Thomas Bucaille and Pauline Mattioli (Petit Bateau) as well as Léonore Garnier (FHCM), Adeline Dargent (Syndicat de Paris de la Mode Féminine) and Andrée-Anne Lemieux (IFM)

Certification programme for fair trade in agriculture, manufacturing and trade, launched by the Swiss Bio-Foundation and since taken over by the Ecocert Group to meet a specific demand from organic farming stakeholders.

References: 
Fair for Life
Ecocert
Defined by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) as “a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, which seeks greater equity in international trade”.

Fair trade practices:

• Provide fair payment which enables producers to maintain a decent standard of living and promotes economic profitability;
• Respect fundamental human rights, including labour rights;
• Are environmentally responsible.

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There are numerous fair trade certifications and programmes, including Fairmined, World Fair Trade Organization, Fair for Life, Biopartenaire and Symbole des Producteurs Paysans. The Fairtrade mark is one of the best-known. First launched in the Netherlands for food products, it has since been extended to textiles, particularly cotton. The Fairtrade mark provides the consumer with the assurance that the producer has been paid a premium above market price.

Reference: Fairtrade
Independent, not-for-profit organisation that works with NGOs, governments and member brands to improve working conditions in the garment industry.

Reference: Fair Wear
International certification scheme, originally for food and later extended to textiles, in particular cotton. The Fairtrade label is an assurance for the consumer that the producer was paid a premium above market price. It aims to address disparities between producers in developing countries and those in industrialised countries.

Reference: Fairtrade
Part of the Fairtrade system, the Textile Standard reaches people at all stages of production. It requires that workers are paid a living wage, regulates working hours, ensures freedom of association and establishes criteria for occupational health and safety, as well as environmental protection.

Reference: Fairtrade
Amsterdam-based Fashion For Good is a global initiative that supports innovators who are developing sustainable solutions for the textile industry. It connects brands, manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, non-profits and innovators, to bring sustainable ideas and technologies from niche to norm.

Reference: Fashion for Good
A global coalition of companies in the fashion and textile industry (ready-to-wear, sport, lifestyle and luxury) including suppliers and distributors, who are committed to a common core of key environmental goals in three areas: stop global warming, restore biodiversity and protect the oceans.

The mission to create the Fashion Pact was mandated by President Emmanuel Macron in partnership with François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering. It was presented on August 26, 2019 to the Head of State at the G7 Summit in Biarritz.

Reference: Fashion Pact
Not-for-profit organisation - set up in 2013 following the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building in Bangladesh - that brings together citizens, brands, retailers and producers. Fashion Revolution campaigns for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry. Action includes the Fashion Revolution Week, the Fashion Transparency Index and the Who Made my Clothes? campaign.

Reference: Fashion Revolution
Clothing industry business model based on extremely fast (several times per month) turnaround of cheap fashion items.

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Fast fashion first appeared in the late 1990s, spearheaded by Spanish group Inditex, the first company to accelerate the number of collections regularly arriving in stores (starting with one every three weeks), and Swedish group H&M who, wanting to “democratise” fashion and glamour, appropriated the codes of luxury brands (designs, famous models and photographers) and produced affordable versions of clothes that were otherwise inaccessible to most. Within a few years, both companies had opened giant flagship stores in the world’s leading capitals, attracting crowds of shoppers.

Other underlying factors in the rise of fast fashion were a far-reaching change in the fashion production model and the liberalisation of trade. China’s entry into the WTO and the abolition of quotas, which had regulated world trade in textiles and clothing products for three decades, enabled growth in fast fashion through a model of very low production costs (particularly in Asia).

Fast fashion is responsible for overproduction - the number of garments on the market increased by 60% worldwide between 2000 and 2014 - which leads to overconsumption and an explosion in the amount of textile waste.

Another consequence has been a significant decline in the textile industry in countries that were major historic producers but where labour costs are higher, in Europe and in particular France.

Fashion brands that have also adopted the fast fashion model have seen significant growth, with more and more collections, an increase in low-cost production and the opening of new markets in Asia (especially China for brands targeting the new middle class).

"Ultra fast fashion" refers to companies such as Primark (with dresses at £3.99) and Shein (considered the leading online fashion retailer), which adds 1,000 new items to its website every single day.

References:
International Labour Organization (1996) Globalization of the footwear, textiles and clothing industries
Les Echos (2004) L'Arrangement multifibres va disparaître à la fin de l'année
McKinsey (2016) Style that’s sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula
Korii (2021) Après la fast fashion, l'ultra fast fashion de Shein
Condé-Nast - The Sustainable Fashion Glossary
Imitates the look and feel of animal fur. Legislation such as city bans on the sale of animal fur, as well as decisions by certain brands to no longer use fur, increasingly foster demand for faux fur and other non-animal alternatives.

While faux fur fabrics address animal welfare concerns, they do generate other problems, particularly environmental as most are made from synthetic fibres such as acrylic, modacrylic and polyester, which are petroleum derivatives.

Life cycle assessments comparing the environmental impacts of faux fur and natural fur have so far proved inconclusive, as results vary depending on care, product lifespan and other variables such as sourcing and use.

Emerging alternatives to faux fur are based on bio-sourced polymers and recycled polyester.

Note that the terms “faux fur” and “eco-fur” are not permitted by law in many countries and should therefore be used with caution.

References:
Kering Standards
Condé Nast - The Sustainable Fashion Glossary
CE Delft (2013) Natural mink fur and faux fur products, an environmental comparison
DSS Management Consultants Inc. (2012) A Comparative Life Cycle Analysis: Natural Fur and Faux Fur
The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode brings together fashion brands that foster creation and international development. It seeks to promote French fashion culture, where Haute Couture and creation have a major impact by combining traditional know-how and contemporary technology at all times. It contributes to bolstering Paris in its role as worldwide fashion capital, in particular through the coordination and optimisation of Paris Fashion Week® and its offshoots.

Reference: FHCM
French federation for jersey, lingerie and swimwear whose members operate at every level of the textile and clothing sector, from fabric suppliers to manufacturers and distributors.

The federation’s activity focuses on lobbying, economic intelligence, and skills and training. Its Eurovet subsidiary organises 16 trade shows corresponding to different markets within the sector.

Reference: Fédération de la Maille, de la Lingerie et du Balnéaire
The French federation for women’s ready-to-wear represents businesses in the sector and drives growth through innovative action in France and internationally. It supports members with key issues of digital transformation, wholesale, brand financing, sustainable development and export.

The federation comprises eight regional syndicates covering the whole of France.

References:
Fédération Française du Prêt-à-porter Féminin
Crystalchain
The only trade body in France for independent clothing and textile retailers. The FNH helps retailers grow their business and defends their interests at regional, national and European level.

References:
Fédération Nationale de l'Habillement
Crystalchain
See: Viscose
Final waste is waste from which all byproducts and recyclables have been extracted. No further part can be eliminated or recovered.

Refashion defines final waste as any waste that cannot be reused or recycled, and which must be incinerated or go to landfill.

References:
French Environmental Code - Article L541-2-1
Refashion
See: textile finishing
Feedstock sourced from food or feed crops, such as corn, wheat, sugarcane, potato sugar, beet, rice, plant oil and fruit. Unintended consequences of using a first generation bio-feedstock could be: competition with food crops, land use change, use of pesticides and GMO, reliance on industrial monoculture.

See: Bio-feedstock, Second-generation bio-feedstock, Third-generation bio-feedstock, Fourth-generation bio-feedstock

Reference: Kering Standards
Produced by tanning fish skin from food waste. Fish leather is a tradition in Arctic territories, whose populations have a detailed understanding of its physical properties. Because of the criss-cross alignment of its fibres, fish leather is considered to be stronger than sheep or cow leather.

See: leather

References:
Condé Nast - The Sustainable Fashion Glossary
Atlantic leather
Fishskinlab
Issued by the organisation of the same name, FSC certification guarantees that wood products come from responsibly managed forests. The FSC’s mission is to promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of the world’s forests.

References:
FSC
Kering Standards
Feedstock that involves sourcing from carbon in greenhouse gases released by industrial or waste management processes. This is the most promising type of feedstock in terms of impact as they remove harmful gases from the atmosphere. However, they are also the most experimental and generally not available on the market. Potential negative consequences also exist such as how to handle the end-of-life of such feedstocks as well as supply chain stability and energy efficiency.

See: Bio-feedstock, First-generation bio-feedstock, Second-generation bio-feedstock, Third-generation bio-feedstock

Reference: Kering Standards
Certification introduced by Syndicat Textile de l’Est and awarded to items when at least three-quarters of operations (from cloth production through to manufacturing the finished product) are carried out in France and meet short supply chain, quality and CSG criteria. France Terre Textile operates in five of France’s traditional textile-producing regions (Vosges, Alsace, Nord, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Champagne-Ardenne). It works with independent organisations which verify products on an annual basis.

Reference: France Terre Textile
Material of animal origin made from the skins of wild or farmed animals.

Fur production raises significant ethical questions regarding animal welfare: farming, trapping, transport and slaughter of the animals, as well as the use of endangered or exotic species and, for astrakhan, fetal and newborn animals. Unlike certain leathers, fur is rarely a by-product of the meat industry, hence its environmental impact is potentially greater.

Due to the complex nature of the value chain, traceability and animal welfare cannot always be guaranteed. Certifications such as WelFur and Saga ensure, to a certain extent, that the animals are humanely treated.

From an ethical point of view, faux fur offers an excellent alternative to natural fur. However, as most faux fur is made from synthetic materials and is generally less durable, it isn’t necessarily a more eco-friendly solution.

References:
European Commission (2001) The Welfare of Animals Kept for Fur Production
PETA (n.d.) These fashion companies and brands have banned fur
Paris Good Fashion