Conscious Fashion&Tech Update | Sept-Oct 2019 | The New Industry Is Brewing...ARE YOU IN?

Dear Friend,

First of all, drop everything you're doing and watch Greta Thunberg's speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York on September 23. This speech is going to be in the history books if we survive past 2030.

Talking about survival: I've survived fashion week and visited trade shows and came to one big conclusion - I'm quitting fashion industry if I continue to see a mindless approach to fashion creation in the coming 2 years. This is a very strong decision of mine: yes, I'm giving myself 2 years more in the industry before I cannot take it any longer and switch to an industry that is less ego-driven and more soul and unity-focused. Today, I'm investing energy in working with fashion brands & tech startups and helping them re-strategize their approach to their business by creating a completely new business model that WORKS and doesn't destroy our planet. See my full list of services and reach out to me by replying to this email if this resonates and if you'd like to chat.

My last couple of newsletters received positive feedback from you guys for its clear message and straightforward news breakdown so I'm continuing to speak/write directly. Feel free to unsubscribe if my language doesn't rub you the right way.

After watching what's happening during this past fashion week + attending trade shows, I am SO SURPRISED to see that there are still so many brands that ignore the industry's and Planet's calling for a rapid change. If your business is still running like there's no tomorrow, produces 2+ collections a year and hopefully feeds you and your family - well, you gotta choose: live now and make money like you've always done it and DIE by 2030 because we'll self destruct our Planet or MAKE AN EFFORT TO CREATE A CONSIDERABLE SHIFT NOW to maybe not die by 2030 from the climate disaster. And that means that you MAY have to SHUT DOWN your business and move to, say, Thailand to rest & recharge for a few months and think about your next venture... It is time to redirect traditional fashion businesses into the NEW FASHION INDUSTRY.

To put things into perspective once again: 100 billion items of clothing are produced yearly, and in the United States alone, we send 21 billion pounds of textiles to landfills every single year. GUYS, THESE ARE SHOCKING NUMBERS, PLEASE WAKE UP!!! WE DON'T NEED TO CREATE ANY MORE CLOTHES!! We, as conscious consumers, don't care if you pathetically use organic cotton and treat us with your carbon neutrality bs. We have PLENTY of clothes to cover our bodies and creatively express ourselves. We train ourselves to use existing, mend, repurpose, upcycle, re-create, swap and purchase old stock/vintage.

I know I'm direct and I am intending to be so going forward because it looks like no one is going to pay attention to my business-polite-casual-bs language I've used in my newsletters and articles in the past. 

Now to the news and events. Be sure to check out more FACTS THAT MATTER at the end of this newsletter.

NEW INDUSTRY NEWS

  • If fashion is going to clean up its act, we need to stop talking about “sustainability” (We need to hold brands accountable and demand that they do better.) - i-D
  • How Sustainability Is Changing the Way Consumers Get Dressed - Adweek
  • An Argument for Sustainable Style: Fashionopolis - Fortune
  • From G7 to fashion weeks – why the industry needs to cut the sustainable chat and take action - The Current Daily
  • British Fashion Council launches Institute of Positive Fashion with sustainability focus - The Independent
  • Thr3eFold, An Ethical Sustainable Supply Chain Platform Benefiting People, Planet, Profit - FashNerd
  • Salesforce is building an app to gauge a company’s sustainability progress - Tech Crunch
  • 'A New Awareness' Spotlights Sustainable Fashion in Milan - WWD
  • Field Notes: Material Matters - Initiatives on the sustainability front are ongoing and effective. - WWD

FASHION AS ART

  • Fashion week is the creative playground sustainability demands- Varsity Online
  • Phoebe English Is Leading the London Charge for Sustainability in Fashion, One WhatsApp Message at a Time - Vogue

FASHION AS SERVICE

  • Will AI Be Fashion Forward—or a Fashion Flop? - SingularityHub
  • I helped create a unique upcycling system—but it won't solve fashion's waste problem - Quartz
  • 'It's finding something new in the old': how fashion can confront the climate crisis - The Guardian
  • Body Shop opens refillable concept store - The Guardian
  • Award-winning researchers call for new sustainability approach - Ecotextile 
  • ThredUp: Tackling fashion's sustainability problem, one algorithm at a time - Retail Week

FASHION AS EXPERIENCE

  • 9 brands pushing sustainable store design - The Current Daily
  • The quiet robot revolution that can unlock a trillion dollars in retail efficiencies - Forbes
  • Slow fashion: How changing the way we buy clothes could save the planet - Metro

OLD INDUSTRY NEWS

  • H&M to test selling external brands in strategy shift - Business of Fashion

  • Facebook experiments with AI-powered styling program - Vogue Business
  • What Kering’s commitment to carbon neutrality means - Vogue Business
  • “Offsets may be a distraction from where a company should really be focusing their efforts.” - Fashion’s uphill quest for 100% carbon neutrality - Vogue Business

TOP EVENTS in NYC:


See all the climate week events in NYC here


Wednesday, September 25

6:30pm - 8:30pm 3D Print Fashion x Women of Wearables- Fashion of the Future

Join 3D Print Fashion, in conjunction with Women of Wearables, for a visual presentation and interactive panel dedicated to the future of fashion tech. Learn more about the people behind fashion's most future forward innovations and exciting designs. Price: Free Location: Giphy NYC 416 West 13th Street Ste.207

Thursday, September 26

5:00pm - 9:00pm The Sustainable Fashion Community Meeting: Money in the Sustainable Fashion

We've explored cultural misappropriation and greenwashing in the fashion industry. People, planet, next up is profit. Who is making money in the fashion industry? Who is using sustainability to profit? Are the dollars simply going to marketing budgets? Who is spending dollars to change supply chains? This month we will explore these and other questions. Become a member and attend for free. Price: $8 Location: WeWork, 1460 Broadway, 6 FL

7:00pm - 10:00pm Keep Your Clothes Alive! Upcycling Open House- September

Join Wearable Collections, one of NYC's largest used clothing collectors, for our second community upcycling event and open house on Thursday, September 26th! Admission is FREE! Enjoy FREE snacks and wine! Mingle, hang out, and sip wine while our expert upcyclers demonstrate techniques using Wearable Collections donations. Co-hosted by Nina Mascheroni, Head of Operations at Wearable Collections, and Akilah Stewart, founder and designer of FATRA, come learn to sew, mend, dye and create! You can also shop our Makers Merch Table, including upcycled handbags by Akilah from Fatra and Elizabeth L. Cline's "Fashion Activist" upcycled t-shirt. Price: Free Location: Wearable Collections 180 West 9th Street Brooklyn

Saturday, September 28th

CIRCULAR FASHION SUMMIT - by Lablaco (PARIS)

Circular Fashion Summit is the first Collective Action Summit powered by Lablaco, supporting United Nations SDGs 2030. With a clear aim to tackle environmental issues and accelerate digital transformation of the fashion and textile industry, Lablaco unites industry leaders to share their knowledge and commit to taking measurable actions collectively with the community within a 12-months time frame. We believe that innovation and technology can effectively accelerate the transit towards a Circular Fashion System and reduce overall environmental impact. For this reason, we chose Paris, the absolute fashion capital of the world, and Station F, the largest tech hub in the world, to share the knowhow and start implementing the solutions and initiatives which will make the change happen. Price: €100 Location: Station F 5 Parvis Alan Turing, 75013 Paris, France

Tuesday, October 1 - November 12, 2019

6:30 - 9:30pm Start Your Own Fair Trade Fashion Brand: Fall Fashion Edition

Join A. Bernadette and NYC Fair Trade Coalition for a four part business plan writing workshop. Session 1- Market Research, Target Market, & Competitive Landscape. Session 2- Branding & Marketing. Session 3- Product Development. Session 4- Retailing and Distribution. Price: $60-$200 Location: WeWork 1460 Broadway

Wednesday, October 2

6:30 - 9:30pm Building Direct-to-consumer startups

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) startups have revolutionized e-commerce and disintermediated and redefined retail. From startups to growth-stage companies, the D2C business model has become increasingly popular. NYC is filled with promising D2C startups, and we're looking forward to a conversation that will be rich with insights and tools to help these entrepreneurs succeed. Price: Free Location: Betaworks, 29 Little West 12th Street

9:00am – 6:30pm FashionTech FastTrack - New York

Startupbootcamp FashionTech is on its Global Scouting Tour visiting more than 10 international cities to find the best startups in the FashionTech world. We are looking for startups working in one or more of the following areas: Product Innovation, Operational Efficiency, Commerce, Omnichannel, Retailtech and Sustainability as a business. Price: Free Location: 610 W 52nd St

Thursday, October 3

9:00am - 5:00pm National Manufacturing Day 2019: Fashion

For the past seven years, ITAC has participated in Manufacturing Day, in an effort to highlight the importance of the manufacturing sector to the economy. This year, ITAC focuses on the ever-changing Fashion Manufacturing industry, with our panel of experts discussing emerging business models that manufacturers are now adopting to succeed in NYC; as well as the increased awareness around equity and inclusion that we are witnessing in a variety of forms. Five factories -- H.L Helen Apparel, M&S Schmalberg, New York Embroidery Studio, Stoll NYC and Sunrise Studio -- are kindly offering guided tours of their operations, right after the panel discussions. Space is limited, and advance registration is required. Price: Free Location: Fashion Institute of Technology 227 W 27th S

Thursday, October 10

 6:00pm – 8:00pm RENEW 10 Year Anniversary: Sustainable Design Panel

We at Eileen Fisher use design thinking to prototype new ideas and think through innovative sustainable solutions. Join us to celebrate our Renew 10 Year Anniversary by in a conversation with four inspiring women who are each crafting innovative pathways in the industry. Price: Free Location: EILEEN FISHER 47 Bergen Street Brooklyn

6:30pm – 9:00pm Night School: Deep Dive into Sustainable Textiles w/ Tara St. James

Join Tara St James, Founder of STUDY NY and Re:Source Library, for a Masterclass to learn more about circular design strategies, setting sustainability goals, understanding how to produce locally and internationally, sourcing responsible fabrics and mills through the Re:Source textile library and new innovations in materials. Price: $30 Location: WeWork 1460 Broadway

Thursday, October 14

4:00pm – 5:00pm  Steps and Solutions to Sustainability

 LIM College sustainability students present research on sourcing, transportation, packaging, social rights, costing, and marketing. Price: Free Location: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street

Friday, October 18 - Saturday 19

Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show & Sale 

The Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show features New York City's greatest collection of vintage clothing, accessories and antique textiles from the last century and more. Discover high styles from the last century that inspire today’s fashion trends! The Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show is the ultimate vintage showcase, which brings together over 80 of the country’s top vintage clothing, accessories and antique textile dealers under one roof. So, come join the hunt where top designers get their inspiration! You’re sure to find timeless and beautifully constructed clothing & antique textiles. The collection that 100 years of design built. Price: $15 Location: Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W 18th st

Saturday, October 19 - Sunday, 20

12:00 - 4:00pm Business Workshop: Sustainable Fashion Edition

Join A. Bernadette and NYC Fair Trade Coalition for a four-part business plan writing workshop. Price: $150 Location: WeWork 1460 Broadway

Thursday, October 24

6:30 - 8:00pm Fashion, Anxiety, and Society: Labor

Fashion, Anxiety, and Society is a conversation series curated by Kristen Owens. Organized in conjunction with Bard Graduate Center Gallery’s fall exhibition, French Fashion, Women, and the First World War, these monthly conversations explore contemporary questions of gender, labor, justice, and subversion as they relate to fashion. This conversation is curated and moderated by Sara Ziff Price: $5 – $8 Location: Bard Graduate Center, 38 West 86th Street, Lecture Hall

FACTS THAT MATTER

Stay Inspired,

Nataliya Makulova 
Founder of Balanced Fashion, Conscious Fashion Tech Consulting Agency
Follow Nataliya on Instagram