Miz Comes, does fashion in Luxembourg benefit from a purely local production?

“Luxembourg currently does not have any local production facility nor presence in the manufacturing of clothing. The production of clothing requires a highly specialised set of skills along with the appropriate machinery, which is commonly found in countries such as Italy and Portugal. There may be many seamstresses in the country who carry out alteration work on clothing, however that is a very different skill set than that required for the construction of a garment. That said, there does seem to be a growing interest amongst younger fellow Luxembourgers, including my generation who are keen to participate in the fashion industry, especially in the creation of clothing. If a political and financial commitment were made on a national level, then the possibility of a purely local production could be created.

Is it easy to develop this sector in Luxembourg?

“Developing this sector would be a challenge. There would be several barriers that need to be overcome such as: high minimum wages; high rents; significantly high level of minimum production level is a few that come to mind. Once a break-even point that would make production profitable is determined, an industry could actually start to take place in Luxembourg. Luxembourg has already managed to successfully create far more complex industries in the communication (RTL and Astra) and banking industry. If the same political and financial will were applied for the fashion industry as is for example is in space mining, then there could be a real chance.

How is the Luxembourg’s creative fashion industry perceived abroad?

“Is there a recognised know-how? The creative fashion industry in Luxembourg is only at an infancy stage. We first have to see how it is perceived internally and most people are very surprised to hear that Yileste is a locally based company that carries out all creation, design and prototyping in Luxembourg. When visiting international trade shows, Luxembourg barely has any presence. I’m one of very few Luxembourgish designers to create an awareness of Luxembourg’s fashion potential. I hope that Luxembourg can play a larger role and earn a respectable reputation similar to that of the local wine industry.”

You can register for the “10x6 Creative Industries” on http://club.paperjam.lu.