Fashion Tech News & Start Up Events in NYC | 1.03.18 - 1.19.18 | Conscious Consumption Panel by Balanced Fashion

Dear Friend,

Happy New Year!! Hope you had a wonderful time of rest, reflection, and celebration of the new beginnings!

I'm so excited about this year! This is going to be a year of Creation for me and for Balanced Fashion as I have so much planned and our goals are as big as making impactful changes in the industry that will turn the course of the history of fashion, technology and consumption.

The first Balanced Fashion Event of 2018 on January 17th kicks off with the panel on an essential topic, that is more relevant today than ever before: Conscious Consumption. We're going to hear from an amazing panel of influencers, retailers, and designers in the sustainable fashion space. We are going to touch upon the following topics : the market for sustainable fashion today and how can it transform fashion industry, definition of Conscious Consumption, stock vs dropshipping (Both retailers and brand's perspectives), criteria for selecting sustainable/ethical brands to support, challenges and opportunities for sustainable fashion production & retail, acquiring customers & marketing efforts for sustainability and conscious consumption. In addition, each panelist will share their mindfulness practices and ways to reach balanced lifestyle while owning a company. Panelists will include Kate Mcgregor, Founder of Kaight, Britt Bergmeister, Model and Founder of ODM/ODC, Jasmine Aarons, Founder of VOZ, and Priscilla Debar, Founder of Fabourg.

An event earlier this month is volunteering at FABSCRAP - come join me and the Balanced Community on the morning of Friday, January 12th. 

News Digest:

Tech & Retail:

  • The DTC OD: Fashion is flooded with direct-to-consumer brands, but few will scale -  Glossy
  • E-commerce company ThredUP rolls out AI-powered ‘goody boxes’ to rival discount clothing chains - AdWeek
  • Mall of America gets high-tech with chatbot and humanoid robots - Racked
  • ‘Retail is the only growth channel left’: Digitally native brands are investing in, and changing, the store - Glossy
  • 2017 Year in Review: 8 Fundamental Shifts Reshaping the Consumer Economy - Loose Threads

Sustainability

  • Fashion in 2018 | 08. Sustainability Credibility - Business of Fashion
  • Will Sustainable Fashion Crack China’S Luxury Market In 2018? - Fashion & Mash
  • A Challenge: Fashion Must Go Beyond ‘Natural’ to Be Sustainable - Revelator
  • Kowtow Is The Label Making Sustainability An Everyday Practice - Paper
  • How good is H&M’s clothing recycling program? - PRI 
  • Clothing companies are trashing unsold merchandise instead of donating it - TheOutline
  • Reformation Raises $25 Million to Fuel Brick-and-Mortar Growth - Business of Fashion
  • How To Expertly Shop Vintage Online Like A Costume Designer - Fashionista

Events:


Wednesday, January 3rd

6:30pm Why Open Source Products Are Important

This talk is geared towards a non-technical audience interested in the magic & wonder of open source. We'll go over what open source is, why it's important, what it means to have an open source product & why it's important to customers.  Price: $20 Location: Product School, 1216 Broadway, 2nd Fl


Thursday, January 4th

7:00pm Real/Fake Science

Join us for the fourth edition of this exciting series! All new presenters will confound you with their alternate facts and surprising truths. Gather together in the lovely Caveat, a bar appropriately decorated with artefacts and books from all corners of the academic world, and prepare to be regaled with tales of real and fake science, recounted by knowledgeable presenters hailing from a range of scientific disciplines. Price: $25 Location: Caveat, 21 A Clinton St 


Monday, January 8th

5:45pm Design Driven

The best design & product development event in NYC. With Krystle Mobayeni (Founder/CEO, BentoBox), Heather McIntosh Cassano (Head of UX, Google), Mike McDerment (Founder/CEO, FreshBooks). Price: Free Location: BuzzFeed, 111 E 18th St


Tuesday, January 9th

8:00am - 11am NYC Female Founder Office Hours

With Rebecca Kaden (Union Sq Ventures), Joanne Wilson (Gotham Gal), Karin Klein (Bloomberg Beta), Anu Duggal (Female Founders Fund), Hayley Barna (First Round), Susan Lyne (BBG), Dayna Grayson (NEA), Nimi Katragadda (Box Group), Shana Fisher (Third Kind), Ellie Wheeler (Greycroft), Beth Ferreira (FirstMark). Price: Free, by invite only - apply hereLocation: Union Square Ventures, 915 Broadway, 19th Fl

6:30pm Data-Driven Design Thinking At Slack

In this talk, he will sketch the data-driven directions Slack's Search, Learning, & Intelligence team is exploring to build the business operating system of the future, & discuss the design process they use to quickly prototype & ship product features powered by machine intelligence. Price: Free Location: General Assembly, 902 Broadway

 6:30pm Young Professionals Girl Boss Bootcamp

Start the new year with intention & Girl Boss inspiration. Come & join us for an evening of networking, goal-setting, & making s#!t happen. Visualization is one of the most powerful goal-realization tools. Get ready to create your 2018 vision board & turn those New Year resolutions into reality! Led by Ellevate NYC YoPros & special guest entrepreneur, speaker, & career coach Kimberly Brown. Price: $20-$35 Location: Knotel 16 West 22nd Street 6th Fl

7:00pm NY Tech Meetup + Afterparty

Join us for NYC's most famous & longest running monthly tech event! You'll see a fantastic lineup of New York tech companies presenting live demos of their products, followed by an afterparty where you can network with the community & meet our demoers & sponsors. Price: $10 Location: AppNexus, 28 W 23rd St


Wednesday, January 10th

6:00am Daybreaker - New Years Sparkles & Sequins

The New Year is all about fresh starts & blank slates. So tell 2018 to get ready because on January 10th, we're re-creating the ball drop & setting intentions together for ourNew Years Sparkles & Sequins. Since we can't be all together for New Years, we're pouring some kombucha "champagne" & toasting to a brand new year together with a full countdown & everything.Think of your wishes for the New Year beforehand. Then come to the dancefloor, ready to vision them to life. Price: $20 Location: Space Ibiza, 637 W 50th St


Thursday, January 11th

5:30pm She Innovates Meetup Series 

We are thrilled to invite you to join our #sheinnovates Meetup series, featuring incredible speakers paving the way for gender intelligence and women's access to the Tech Revolution! Price: Free Location: SAP Leonardo Center, 10 Hudson Yards, 48th Fl

6:30 - 8:30pm An Evening Webby Talk In New York

 To kick-off the new year, join us at GA for this year's Webby Talk in NYC. Similar events will be hosted in 18 cities around the world, to build a community of entrants and judges. This year’s presentation - This Automated Life - is an exciting look at how automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are changing every aspect of our lives. From how we interact with family and friends, to how we hire and form relationships, to how we create art and consume media, and well beyond. Price: Free Location: General Assembly, 902 Broadway, 4th Fl

6:30pm - 10:00pm The Get Down

If you're willing to embrace your own sweat, groove harder than you have in years, and make 300 new best friends in 3 hours ... then welcome to the family. Expect live drums, horns, vocals, MCs, live art, special guests, surprise performances, and a lot of LOVE. Price: $20 Location: Cielo, 18 Little West 12th St

Friday, January 12th

9:00am - 12:00pm Balanced Fashion's First Volunteering Event of 2018 - Fabric Scraps Sorting @ FABSCRAP

Come to the Balanced Fashion community event at FABSCRAP, a one-stop textile reuse, and recycling resource. We will be volunteering 3 hours of our time to help them sort fabric scraps at their warehouse. As a reward, each of us will get to take home up to 5 pounds of any fabric scraps we like! Price: Free Location: FABSCRAP Warehouse 184-10 Jamaica Ave 4th Fl


Sunday, January 14th

7:00am - 6:00pm NRF 2018 - Retail's Big Show

It's retail's most important three-day conference, which brings together the largest gathering of industry executives for discussions of the latest industry trends & gives attendees an unparalleled view into how retail brands of all sizes are transforming themselves for the digital age. The event offers unique networking opportunities & a glimpse of the latest technologies & solutions for retailers. Price: Varies Location: Javits Convention Ctr, 655 W 34th St


Monday, January 15th

6:00pm The Retail Party 2018

With Lee McCabe (GM, Alibaba Group), Dana Randall (Head of Global Innovation, Tapestry), Gabriel de Montessus (Head of Global, Ingenico), Jonathan Cherki (Founder/CEO, ContentSquare). Price: Free Location: Spring Studios, 6 St Johns Ln

6:30pm Startup Cities w/ Market Urbanism & Zaha Hadid

With Patrik Schumacher (Principal, Zaha Hadid Architects), Adam Hengels (Founder, Market Urbanism & Parafin). Price: $20 Location:  Rise NYC, 43 W 23rd St


Tuesday, January 16th

6:00pm Retail X Series - B2B Seed Fundraising from Angels

Join us to learn how to target angels for a B2B seed financing. How do I tailor my pitch to angels? What should I have ready before I begin the process? What questions will I get asked? How do I target angels that focus on B2B in this space? What about angel groups? Guest Speakers: Lockie Andrews, Sector Lead Fashion Tech, HBS Alumni Angels NY, Barbara Raho, Managing Director, Golden Seeds Price: $20 Location: Davis & Gilbert, 1740 Broadway

6:30pm Women In Tech - Simplifying Life Through Tech 

With Rachel Drori (Founder, Daily Harvest), Irina Krechmer (VP Engg, XO Group), Yvette Pasqua (CTO, Meetup), Diane Brady (Founder, dBomnimedia). Price: $36 Location: XO Group, 195 Broadway, 25th Fl

6:30pm Women In Tech - Simplifying Life Through Tech

With Rachel Drori (Founder, Daily Harvest), Irina Krechmer (VP Engg, XO Group), Yvette Pasqua (CTO, Meetup), Diane Brady (Founder, dBomnimedia). Price: $36 Location: XO Group, 195 Broadway, 25th Fl


Wednesday, January 17th 

6:30 - 8:30pm Balanced Fashion Panel: The Future of Conscious Fashion Consumption

 First Balanced Fashion Event of 2018 kicks off with the panel on the most basic and essential topic, more relevant today than ever before: Conscious Consumption. We're going to hear from an amazing panel of influencers, retailers, and designers in the sustainable fashion space. Price: $10 Location: TBD


Friday, January 19th

4:00pm Hustle Summit 

Hustle Summit connects our FindSpark members digitally and in-person to awesome companies, the coolest industry professionals, and future life-long friends. Price: $99 Location: Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Pl

Cool Finds:

Stay Inspired,

Nataliya

Register for the next Balanced Fashion Event