Dear Friend,

On July 18th Balanced Fashion collaborated with FAUBOURG on this month's Balanced Fashion event focused on diversity, representation, and inclusion in sustainable fashion. Panelists were brilliant and knowledgeable professionals with their own point of view and experience in promoting sustainable fashion: Celine Semaan of Slow Factory, Dominique Drakeford of Melanin & Sustainable Style, Daniella Samper of Ajaie Alaie, Jessica Couch of Luxor + Finch. Our Moderator, Priscilla Debar, the founder of FAUBOURG led an excellent and thought-provoking conversation on how and why it is absolutes crucial for fashion brands and marketers to be inclusive to all in order to push the concept of sustainability and ethical industry to the masses. By its definition, sustainable fashion should be for EVERYONE.

The panelists defined the cultural pillars of sustainability, how people of color are misperceived as uninterested in sustainability, how to make sustainable fashion culturally relevant to non-white communities, and what is being done so far to include and let women of color be heard. Read more about the event here.

This was one of the first ever panels specifically on this topic and 50+ members of the audience who’ve attended and really enjoyed the conversation. Many would like to continue supporting this issue, as well as connect with like-minded people here on Facebook, that’s why we are reviving our Balanced Fashion group - to keep the important conversations going on re-balancing our industry!! Join the group to connect and collaborate with like-minded individuals. SO GRATEFUL for the collaborators, the panelists and the powerful audience!! Let's keep this positive spirit up and make the meaningful change happen!

For our August's Balanced Fashion event we are mixing it up again and organizing a sneak peek into our conscious business consulting services - in a form of 2-day course (Aug.18 & 19th) on the Sustainable Business Development for Fashion Brands . We are co-hosting it with Canvas, powered by Querencia Studio, a multipurpose space hosting and facilitating experiences and events aimed at addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We’ve been hearing for a while now that the fashion industry needs to shift as it can’t continue being 2nd most polluting industry in the world. With the news in the media such as deathly working conditions in factories, luxury brands burning their excess stock and another AI chatbot launched to help sell us more stuff mindlessly - we know that we’re not heading towards the right direction. But what is actually going on? How are the evolving consumers affecting the industry? What does it mean for our businesses? What industry practices and rules are no longer going to be working? What technologies can be beneficial for a more sustainable development of fashion? If you're interested in exploring and getting solid answers to this questions - RSVP for our course! Exclusively for the Balanced Fashion community members, we are extending a temporary 50% discount: balancedcommunity50off (valid until August 11th) to register for the course. I will be leading the majority of the course, and additional guest speakers will be announced later in August. Look forward to finally coming back to NYC this August and attending my own events! :)

Also, stay tuned for our bold September event!

News Digest:

Sustainability

How Can Fashion Embrace the Circular Economy? - Business of Fashion
Burberry destroys £28m of stock to guard against counterfeits - The Guardian
Sustainable Fashion Sent to Your Doorstep From Subscription Box Brand ‘And We Evolve’ - Eco Warrior Princess
People are quickly cycling through cheap, on-trend clothing. It's fueling a push for more sustainable apparel. - Baltimore Sun
Your Everything Guide to a Sustainable Closet - Marie Claire
It’s not just Burberry – burning clothes is fashion’s dirty open secret - Dazed
Pioneer of Humanability: Amanda Parkes - PSFK
Does fashion activism actually work? - Fashionista
Ksenia Schnaider Advocating Sustainable Fashion In Eastern Europe - Forbes

Business/Technology

Meet The First Fashion Designer To Adopt Provenance's Blockchain Service - Forbes
Is 3D Body Scanning the Future of Fashion? - Verdict
How Michael Mente took Revolve from an E-commerce start-up to a global powerhouse - Fashionista
The End of Ownership - Business of Fashion
Stella & Dot is using AI to guide its 30,000 global sellers into apparel business - Glossy
Social commerce on the rise as more brands adopt shoppable content - RetailDive
How Dover Street Market’s streetwear-inspired merchandising strategy works - Glossy
Heist uses crowdsourced data to create new nude shades of tights - The Industry
How to Acquire Customers in a Crowded Digital Landscape - Business of Fashion

Events:

Tuesday, July 31st

7:00pm - 9:00pm Meet the Makers

In the age where software reigns supreme, what does it mean – and take – to build a physical product? Come meet and hear from women of SFC who are taking matters into their own hands, literally. The Makers: Marie Douat, DOU.K Studio; Arielle Toelke, Four Rabbit; Mary Bemis, Reprise Activewear; Gabriela Fernandes-DaSilva, Consists Of; Miranda Watson, Miranda Watson; Anne Whiting, Anne James. Price: Free Location: The Canvas by Querencia Studio, 904 Lexington Avenue

6pm – 8:30pm Internet of Fashion (IoF) Hands-on Designing Fashion Tech

Every 4th Tuesday of the month. During the monthly Internet of Fashion meet ups, attendees will learn Designing Fashion tech, AR/VR, AI, Business strategies, Blockchain, Drones and Robotics. Expert designers that have already successfully introduced their products/services into the consumer market will share the processes of creations that integrate technologies. You will enjoy invaluable learning, great networking and complimentary beer and snacks. Price: Free Location: St. John's University, 101 Astor Place

6:30pm – 9pm Women Owning it from the Start I: An Evening with Emerging Startup Founders

The terrain of media and tech industries is in constant flux and with it, the terrain of business development. Our panel of five women will provide the heads up you need to build your business with an eye to the times. They’ll discuss funding opportunities, the art of the pitch, the importance of your network and more before we open the floor to your questions. Our hope is that attendees leave this evening session reinvigorated and feel empowered to build their businesses, brands and billable hours. Price: Free Location: Made In NY Media Center, 30 John St, Theater

6:30pm Women & Diversity In Blockchain, Data Science & AI Challenges & Opportunities

This is a community discussion around the challenges & opportunities for broader diversity & inclusion within the blockchain, data science & A.I. space. Price: Free Location: SAP, 10 Hudson Yards, 48th Fl

Wednesday, August 1st

12:30pm FACEBOOK LIVE STREAM (in Russian): Balanced Fashion is hosting our first Moscow Event on Conscious Future of Fashion Tech

If you are a Russian-speaker, join us for Facebook live streaming via Balanced Fashion Page talk by Nataliya Makulova she'll be speaking in Russian) at her Moscow Balanced Fashion event. The presentation will cover the current state of the industry, fashion design and development technology, Inventory tracking and blockchain technology for fashion, VR and other technologies for retail, direct-to-consumer brands and sustainable fashion development. Price: Free Location: Balanced Fashion Facebook Page

6:00pm - 9:00pm To Market, To Market: Fashion Wholesale Seminar

Whether you aren't quite sure where to start or simply have a few headscratchers, this seminar will give you the confidence to move forward with the knowledge and tools you need for a successful season. Conducted by Anja Tyson, formerly of The Collective showroom and current Commercial Director at CFDA 2015 Fashion Fund winner, Brother Vellies and Emily Ruane of sales showroom, Magazine. Price: $300 Location: House Of, 401 Broadway, Ste. 406

Thursday, August 2nd

5:30pm NYC Fashion 2018

Investment Panel: With Richard Kestenbaum (Triangle Capital), Bill Reinisch (Paladin Capital), Barney Stacher (Facenote), Leigh Sevin (Founder/CEO, Arthur). Price: Free Location: Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, 1114 Avenue of the Americas

6pm – 7:30pm The Green Panel: Business in Sustainability

For one night only, we are bringing experts in sustainability from very different backgrounds to talk more about what it is like to start a sustainable business and the efforts it takes. Come meet Rob Laing, founder of Farm.One, Laura Baross, founder of Design with Care, Stephen Tracy, founder of Keap and plant scientish Christopher Satch to tap into the minds of entrepreneurs in NYC. Price: Free Location: Nap York, 480 7th Avenue

7pm – 8:30pm Fashion Addicts Anonymous

This community led forum is a place to discuss sustainability, sustainable fashion, our experiences and feelings towards the topic, questions we have, and solutions and actions we can take to push the movement forward! Price: Free Location: Think Coffee, 248 Mercer Street

Tuesday, August 7th

August 2018 NY Tech Meetup

Join us for New York City’s most famous and longest-running monthly tech event! This month we have partnered with the American Museum of Natural History’s BridgeUp: STEM program to bring you a showcase of amazing solutions built during the Hack the Deep hackathon that took place earlier this year on the weekend of February 9–11. Price: $10 Location: American Museum of Natural History

Thursday, August 9th

6:30pm – 9pm No Plastic, No Waste, No Worries with 100 For All

With thousands of events happening every day in this city creating too much waste, we are here to show you how to party without creating waste. Tickets include food, drinks, and music. Free Give-A-Ways For All (provided by our sustainable product sponsors) Price: $20 Location: Nap York, 480 7th Avenue, Rooftop

6:00pm Better Together: The Rise of Fashion Collaborations

From Supreme x Louis Vuitton to Nike x Off-White, some of the most coveted fashion releases in recent years have been creative mashups. In this workshop, our experts explore these (often unlikely) pairings and dissect how working together can bolster creativity and result in blockbuster collections. Price: Free Location: The RealReal 80 Wooster Street

Monday, August 13th

5:30pm Sustainability Discussion and Networking Event at Deloitte

We invite you to join us for a mixer & discussion with industry peers around the companies we represent and the sustainability issues they face. This multi-faceted networking event will touch on a number of industries, areas of sustainability, and will serve as the topic blueprint for future SILC events. Come down and join us to start a conversation and bring attention to a sustainability issue that interests you! Price: Free Location: Deloitte, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York

6:30pm – 9pm Ethical Fashion Info Session with NYC Fair Trade Coalition

Discover how your business can incorporate the fair trade principles and sustainable development goals to grow sales, customer loyalty, and reach customers beyond NYC. Stick around to begin the application process for the Fair Trade Federation. Price: $8 (free for NYC FTC and FTF members) Location: Impact Hub, 394 Broadway, 5th Floor

Saturday, August 18th - Sunday, August 19th

10am - 6:00pm on Saturday & 1:30 - 7pm on Sunday Sustainable Business Development for Fashion Brands - 2-Day Course at The Canvas (EVENT BY BALANCED FASHION)

We would like to invite you to come in for a single session on the topic that sparks the most interest to you, or to attend the full two-day program to learn more about our vision of the future of conscious fashion industry, get helpful tips on developing your company. The course will be lead by Nataliya Makulova, a fashion tech x sustainability consultant, the founder of Balanced Fashion, as well as several guest speakers, founders of innovative fashion companies, aligned with our vision of the clean and sustainable future of our industry. Price: $120 – $240 Newsletter subscribers can use code: balancedcommunity50off for 50% discount. Location: The Canvas by Querencia Studio, 904 Lexington Avenue

Monday, August 20th

6:30pm – 8:30pm NYC FTC Sustainable Fashion Committee Meeting

Join the NYC Fair Trade Coalition every 3rd Monday of the month for an evening of planning, organizing, and collaboration. Learn how to get involved and push the sustainable fashion movement forward! Price: $8 (free for NYC FTC members) Location: LIM College, 216 E 45th Street

Tuesday, August 21st

6pm – 6:30pm How Luxury Brands are Practicing Sustainability

Sustainability is now woven into the fabric of how the most innovative and successful companies operate, and fashion is no exception. Join experts to learn about innovations in sustainable fashion, the companies that are driving the movement and the circular economy, plus how you can contribute as a conscious consumer. Price: Free Location: The RealReal, 80 Wooster Street

Thursday, August 30th