Dear Friend,

We have heard hundreds of times that the fashion industry is one of the most wasteful industries in the world and it clearly needs a systematic change. This will only happen if each company shifts the way it does business, shift their vision from just profit to profit + purpose. Circularity is one of the most thought-upon movements in the fashion industry, where all the resources wasted in fashion lifecycle get repurposed or recycled for the next cycle, which eliminates waste by nature. What business models contribute to circular fashion business development?

On Wednesday, October 31st (yes, instead or before the Halloween festivities!) I would like to invite my fellow entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals and students seeking to contribute to our industry in meaningful ways to experience the immersive event hosted by Balanced Fashion, in collaboration with Business Models Inc, an international business and strategy design agency who embraces uncertainty and designs better businesses with corporate game-changers and startups. At this event, we will meet innovative startups that redesign the way industry operates, brands that rethink their business models to do good and I will be moderating the panel from a sustainable business development consultant's perspective. 

After the panel, we will have an hour-long hands-on workshop, facilitated by experts from Business Models Inc, informing the audience on how to use the business model canvas for their business idea development and brainstorm ways to drive innovation, transparency, and circularity in the fashion industry. We will use one of the startups from the panel as a case study example before applying this business development methodology to the audience's ideas.

RSVP now and get a special discount for this newsletter readers, use promo code BFEarlyBirdOct31 for a limited number of $12 tickets. Look forward to seeing you there!

News Digest:

Sustainability & Ethics

• Sustainable Fashion Brands Explain That Yes, They Can Be Profitable - HuffPost Life
  
• Why does so much ethical fashion look the same? - Fashionista
  
• Social Entrepreneurs Are Opening New Pathways To Transform The Apparel Industry - Forbes
  
• The Philosophy of ‘Circular Design’ - The Atlantic
  
• Fashion For Good museum in Amsterdam promotes responsible fashion - Dezeen
  
• Op-Ed | The First Step to Starting Your Career in Sustainable Fashion - Business of Fashion
  
• ThredUp partners with Reformation on clothing recycling program - Fashionista
  
• Textile innovation: Mectex’s t-green fabric line for self-biodegradable performance garments - Promostyl
  
• Fur in fashion is dying. But what’s replacing it isn’t great - Quartzy
  
• You buy a purse at Walmart. There’s a note inside from a “Chinese prisoner.” Now what? - Vox
  
• How biotechnology is reshaping fashion - Business of Fashion
  

Business & Technology

• How Technology Is Shaping The Future Of The Fashion Industry - Forbes
  
• The Maiyet Collective’s concept store: reshaping ethical lux - Stylus
  
• Hyped Shopping App Spring Is About to Be Acquired - Business of Fashion
  
• Yoox private label due soon, created using data and AI plus human touch - WGSN
  
• Why brands are launching secret apps for superfans - Business of Fashion
  
• Supreme envy: The drop model gets used for burgers, tacos, toothbrushes - Digiday
  
• Asos customers can now shop via Google Assistant - Fashion United
  
• Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger are sending a clear signal that Amazon is the future of fashion, and it’s terrible news for department stores - Business Insider
  
• ‘Building the digital factory’: 3D printing comes to Shopify - Digiday
  

Events:

Thursday, October 4th - Tuesday, October 30th

11am – 9pm Up Down Sustainable Art/Fashion Exhibition

We invited 10 talented artists and designers from around the world to discuss sustainability and to inspire us how creativity can help us be more sustainable. To really show you how to be eco-concious, we offer beautiful embroideries to patch your broken clothes every day. On Friday and Saturdays talented students from Parson design school will make custom alterations suggestions, so as to breathe new life into your old clothes. On Sunday, eco-brand 'Little Ondine' offer free manicure sessions in the store with any purchase! Price: Free Location: 192 Elizabeth Street

Monday, October 15th

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 fashionmovement forward! Price: $8 (free for NYC FTC members) Location: LIM College, 216 E 45th Street

6pm Integrity and Ingenuity: How Maria Cornejo and Mona Kowalska built Independent Fashion Labels

Don´t miss an evening of conversation with two brilliant, inspiring New York designers, Maria Cornejo of Zero+Maria Cornejo, and Mona Kowalska of A Detacher. Pratt Fashion Chair Jennifer Minniti will moderate the discussion and there will be light refreshments to follow. Price: Free Location: Pratt Institute, 200 Willoughby Avenue, Brooklyn

Tuesday, October 16th

6:00pm Fashion and Merchandising Forum by YJP

YJP is an exclusive community dedicated to connecting young professionals with current industry leaders to help them become the leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Our signature roundtable format was specifically designed to foster organic discussions about the future of fashion and merchandising, develop new long-term professional relationships, and allow our members to explore potential partnerships and professional opportunities. Join us for gourmet bites, signature cocktails and strategic networking as we convene with New York's top designers. Price: Free, by invitation Location: TBD at RSVP

Wednesday, October 17th

6:30pm Building A D2C Startup

With Joel Wishkovsky (Founder/CEO, Simple Contacts), Rachel Cohen (Co-Founder/Co-CEO, Snowe), Jay Reno (Founder/CEO, Feather), Mike Lackman (CEO, Trade Coffee Co). Price: $20 Location: Alley Chelsea, 119 W 24th St

6:0pm XPRIZE + SignalFire Present: AIxPitch

Join IBM Watson AI XPRIZE and SignalFire for an engaging AI event - we're turning pitch night inside out. Participate in a rapid ideation session, take part in a panel convo, and take your chances at pitching a deck you've never even seen before. The AI XPRIZE is a 4-year, $5M global competition to develop powerful artificial intelligence technologies capable of solving the world’s grand challenges. Over the life of the competition, teams will work with a network of mentors, experts, and investors to develop and refine practical AI solutions. The event's co-host, SignalFire, is an AI-driven venture capital fund focused on seed and growth investments. Price: Free Location: Winton Group Ltd. 313 Park Avenue South

Thursday, October 18th

8:30am - 2:30pm Ops21 Advanced Materials for Fibers & Textiles Workshop

Through Ops21, a Futureworks NYC program backed by NYCEDC and led by ITAC, we are hosting 24 advanced technology workshops across three topic areas: advanced materials, digital manufacturing, and robotics. This is an Advanced Materials Workshop focused on Fibers and Textiles, which is intended to further your knowledge of fibers and textiles, their material characteristics, to share case studies on advances in fibers and textiles, and to discuss related challenges faced by NYC manufacturers. This workshop is sponsored/ co-hosted with the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator. Price: Free Location: Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator, 630 Flushing Ave, Suite 704 

6:30pm – 8pm Disrupting Fashion: Technology and Artificial Intelligence

Technology and artificial intelligence are having an enormous impact on all aspects of the fashion industry, from design to production to consumption. How can technology help bring customized fit to the masses? How can it help create garments in a more sustainable manner, to lessen the impact on the environment and climate change? What are the next innovations in sales, retail, and design? A panel of fashion and technology experts will discuss the disruption and re-creation of the fashion industry. Price: Free Location: Skylight Room, The Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue

6:30pm - 9:00pm NY+Acumen presents: Sustainable Investing for Our Generation

Interested in learning more about how you can align your investments with your values? Want to understand how you can dedicate your dollars in more socially- and environmentally-conscious ways? Join us for a conversation with leaders in sustainable investing to learn more about trends in this area and unique approaches to doing good while doing well. Price: Free Location: Starr Foundation Hall, Room UL102 63 Fifth Avenue

6:00pm - 9:00pm ShareMyBag NYC Event

We will talk about fashion, sharing and sustainability. Nyc influencers will join us and will share their experience. The event will be the best chance to know more about ShareMyBag and to try it! Our team will show you how it works and remember to bring with you at least one fashion item. Price: Free Location: Rent 24, 25 West 39th Street, 14 Floor

Sunday, October 21st

11:30am Brunchwork w/ Vogue & Eniac Ventures

With Sally Singer (Creative Dir., Vogue) & Hadley Harris (Founding General Partner, Eniac Ventures). Price: $40 Location: General Assembly, 902 Broadway, 4th Fl

Monday, October 22nd

6:30pm – 8pm Costume Designer Meet-and-Greet & Expert Panel

Sharing ways to create less waste while creating. PANELISTS: Cheryl Grimm, VP of Housing Works Thrift Stores; Sinead O'Sullivan, creator of the Costume Directory; Lauren Gaston, costume designer; Megan Quarles, costume builder; Moderated by Jessica Schreiber, founder of FABSCRAP. Drinks and light snacks provided. Plus, a special sale on saved-from-landfill fabrics starting at 6pm Price: Free Location: FABSCRAP, 140 58th Street, Brooklyn Army Terminal, Building B, Unit 5H-4

Tuesday, October 23rd

6:30pm – 9:30pm Beyond Fashion: Diversity and Sustainability

Join Custom Collaborative for the premiere of "Fashion Is Love" and for a conversation about the development of a fair and inclusive fashion industry. Price: $40 Location: Chase Contemporary Gallery, 231 10th Avenue

Friday, October 26th

10:30am – 6pm What is Real? Authenticity, Transparency, and Trust in the Digital Age of Fashion

The Fashion Law Initiative and the New York Law School Law Review cordially invite you to attend our full-day fashion law symposium. Practitioners, scholars, influencers, and designers will participate in discussions on topics that include anti-counterfeiting enforcement on digital platforms, the rise of virtual influencers and their impact on the future of social media marketing, and the new intellectual property and privacy challenges being raised by innovative technologies such as blockchain in fashion, among others. Guests will include counsel for Estée Lauder, David Yurman, Richemont, Salvatore Ferragamo, and more. Price: Free Location: New York Law School, 185 West Broadway

Saturday, October 27th

3pm – 6pm Book Launch and Sustainable Fashion Panel: Mending Matters

In addition to the launch and book signing, BLUE will be hosting a sustainable fashion panel, comprised of Elizabeth Cline, Amy DuFault, and Katrina Rodabaugh, which will discuss how mindful fashion practices can impact communities and the greater ecosystem as a whole. Price: Free Location: BLUE: Tatter Textile Library, 505 Carroll Street, Suite 2B

Tuesday, October 30th

6:00pm Worn in New York

New York Times bestselling author Emily Spivack presents Worn in New York, a contemporary cultural history of well-loved clothes and the people who wore them. Contributors in and out of the public eye share personal, wild, poignant, funny stories about the clothes that are part of their New York lives. A book signing will follow the presentation Price: Free Location: Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, first floor, 7th Avenue and 27th Street

Wednesday, October 31st

6:00pm - 9:00pm Circular Fashion Business Models Panel + Workshop by Balanced Fashion x Business Models Inc

The panel of industry's brightest minds will share their experience in building a business model that lead a sustainable and circular fashion movement. After the panel, we will have an hour-long hands-on workshop, helping the audience learn how to use the business model canvas for their business idea development and brainstorm ways to drive innovation, transparency, and circularity in the fashion industry. We will use one of the startups from the panel as a case study example before applying this business development methodology to the audience's ideas.

Price: $25 (Early Bird + discount for our Newsletter readers: $12, promo code BFEarlyBirdOct31) Location: WeWork FiDi, 85 Broad St

Thursday, November 8th

8:00am - 6:00pm Raise the Green Bar 2018: Your Roadmap to Sustainability & Success

Join the Good Housekeeping Institute and Made Safe for the second annual Raise the Green Bar Summit focusing on maximizing your brand’s sustainability efforts for increased consumer engagement and better ROI. Registration includes cutting-edge keynotes, sessions, and panels; light breakfast; full lunch at the famed Hearst Tower; and cocktail hour at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Price: $495 Location: Hearst Tower, 300 W. 57th Street, 44th Floor

Friday, November 9th

7pm – 2am PAUSE at The Canvas Grand Opening

The Amsterdam based pop-up's 6th edition will feature a curation of 40 brands from around the world leading the way in sustainable fashion. Join us for drinks, food and live music at the grand opening of the ten-day pop-up. Price: $15 Location: The Canvas, 904 Lexington Avenue

Announcements: