During a tour of the new hub, Egbert Rühl, Managing Director of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, commented: “FABRIC is the latest place in Hamburg where future models for sustainable fashion are being trialled - with design, sales and production in one central location.” A showroom, an area for fashion shows, a workshop, workstations, a pop-up shop and a café have been created on three floors. FABRIC is set to become a central contact point for designers and fashionistas - and a testing ground for sustainability, digital technologies, upcycling, recycling and for future-proofing business models beyond fast fashion.
The Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft opened Monday (May 27, 2024) the FABRIC - Future Fashion Lab in Hamburg’s Galleria Passage. The space is likely to become yet another creative hub for designers, labels, fashion companies and universities. Funded and developed as a "prototype" of the "Hidden Potentials City Centre" scheme by the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, FABRIC has received EUR 78,000 in funds to explore urban textile production and value creation in the city.
Space for experimenting with sustainable fashion
Reviving downtown Hamburg
The workshop is at the heart of the new Fashion Lab with access to 3D printing, laser cutting and augmented reality. It will also be used to test how manufacturing can be brought back to the city centre and how to position urban production between handmade and mass production. FABRIC is designed as a laboratory and open space for discussing issues in the fashion industry. "City centres are changing and Hamburg is showing with FABRIC that this change can bring exciting new events," said Elke Pahl-Weber, City Centre Coordinator. The Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft is committed to reviving the city centre. It has taken over, for instance, and transformed the former Karstadt Sport department store into the creative Jupiter hub.
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