Not a label, not a lobby, not even a legal entity. That is how Arielle Lévy, president of the Une Autre Mode Est Possible (UAMEP) collective, characterises this nascent union. Animer, an acronym for “Acteurs Nationaux Indépendants Mode Engagée Régénérative,” aims to shine a light on all the initiatives undertaken by fashion stakeholders, from producers to brands, who are advancing responsible, regenerative fashion in France.

The union was officially launched on Monday January 19, following the petition initiated by Arielle Lévy against Shein in response to the watering down of the anti–fast fashion law. Titled “Paris deserves better than Shein,” the petition drew nearly 140,000 signatures. “I wanted us to unite because I realised how strong the civic voice was,” explains Arielle Lévy. “These collectives are doing superb work and, at a certain point, there is a desire to close ranks, to make society together,” she says.

“Breaking the isolation of initiatives across the regions”

In addition to UAMEP, a number of other collectives are behind Animer, including Fashion Revolution France, L’Âme du Fil (Angers), Collectif Baga (Marseille), Café Flax (Clermont-Ferrand), Le Comptoir de la mode responsable (Poitiers), Le Conservatoire de la Mode Vintage (Isère), and La Grande Collecte/Textile Lab (La Rochelle). “It’s a union of independent collectives, committed to their local areas and sharing the same societal project,” Arielle Lévy emphasises.

The union plans to focus its efforts on the ground, working across supply chains, regions, practices and even our shared imagination. With “hundreds” of stakeholders already on board via the various founding collectives, Animer is built on ten key ideas: dignity, value-sharing, traceability as a common language, less and better, circular design, smart re-localisation, carbon sobriety, inclusion and plurality, cooperation rather than “sterile competition”, and proof through action.

Animer’s founders plan to bring together all the initiatives active in regenerative fashion across the country. The union hopes to become a preferred interlocutor in defending a societal project focused on respect for the earth, and for men and women. With the help of Fashion Revolution, it aims to act in the national interest by engaging the general public and the country’s institutions.