Dear Friend,
Last Thursday, May 31st Balanced Fashion hosted another successful panel event in collaboration with Davis Wright Tremaine law firm, focused on anti-counterfeiting and authentication technology in fashion. You can watch the full video from the event here.
Each panelist told their own story of facing counterfeits during their careers, which included issues like fake receipts, deception with original handles/details of the bags and trims of a garment and fake goods wrapped into original packaging. So the problem of the fake fashion is more relevant than ever. Did you know that counterfeit is one of the biggest drivers of slavery and child labor in the field of fashion production? I believe that by raising awareness of these topics and helping promote technology solutions to eliminate fakes we are building a better and more ethical future of our industry - that's why I've partnered with Emily Borich of DWT to organize this event with the knowledgeable group of panelists. Derek Morales, Brand Protection Counsel, Ralph Lauren believes that counterfeiting market is powered by the demand in the market and once the awareness is raised among customers how bad counterfeit products are for the environment and from an ethical point of you, fewer counterfeits will be sold. Entrupy utilizes the high-quality photos of luxury products collected over years to teach their algorithms to differentiate between fake and authentic items. The Entrupy device takes microscopic images of a product in question and AI tells if the product is real or not. Darcy Ginsberg, the owner of Opulent Habits, a luxury consignment store, uses Enrtupy technology and also believes that transparency and open communication between luxury resellers is the key to avoid fakes trickle down to the consignment market. Charles Beckwith, producer and host of American Fashion Podcast and director of exploration and innovation, MouthMedia Network suggests that luxury fashion brands start to lower their over-the-top prices and thus start competing with cheap knock-offs business. Another impactful solution according to Charles could be utilizing blockchain for authentication and product lifecycle tracking. You can find out more about it in my Blockchain implementation in fashion article.
Join us for our next Balanced Fashion’s event featuring a keynote by Mario Lanzarotti, the COO at Awl & Sundry, a NYC-based custom shoe brand a fireside chat with Dennis Sarkozy, of BestMe, a purpose-driven network of consultants and coaches. Mario and Dennis are two of my dear friends and have absolutely bright and inspiring personalities. You'd not want to miss the opportunity to hear them speak! Use code BalancedFashionFriend for a free ticket to this event!
My friend and fellow activist within fashion sustainability field, Co-founder and President of Querencia Studio, Devin Gilmartin attended the Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2018, the world's annual key event focused on sustainable fashion and wrote a guest post on my Balanced Fashion blog recapping the days of the Summit. Read his article here. You'll find out about three core priorities for immediate implementation suggested during the Summit as well as four transformational priorities for fundamental change that are necessary for sustainable fashion to become a normal state of the fashion industry. Thank you, Devin, for your fantastic recap. You'll soon hear more about Devin and Querencia, and their plans for a new sustainability hub on the Upper East Side of New York City, opening this Summer.
News Digest:
Sustainability
- Can Transparency Alone Transform the Fashion Industry? - Sustainable Brands
- ‘This has to be the future’: For Days looks to solve fashion’s consumption problem - Glossy
- Is the use of feathers in fashion any more ethical than fur? - Fashionista
- Nike, H&M and Burberry join forces for sustainable fashion - Reuters
- Mango’s journey towards sustainable fashion - FashionUnited
- 9 Reasons Why Sustainable, Eco and Ethical Fashion Businesses Close and Finish Up - Eco Warrior Princess
- Why Is it So Hard to Talk About Sustainability? - High Snobiety
Technology/Business
- Your Favourite Stores Could Be Tracking You with Facial Recognition - Racked
- The Companies That Are Changing Online Shopping in a Subtle, but Radical Way - Quartzy
- Report: Retailers are missing the mark on personalized e-commerce experiences - Glossy
- The Store (It Would Seem) Is Not Dead (At Least For Now) - NY Mag
- Loving the alien: Why AI will be the key to unlocking consumer affection - Forbes
- Why Nordstrom Is Betting on High-Touch Tech - Fortune
- Fashion’s woman problem - NYTimes
- Zara Greets Shoppers with Robots, iPads and Connected Mirrors - Bloomberg
- This new company is about to make fast fashion even faster - Racked
- LVMH Leads $60 Million Lyst Injection - The Business of Fashion
Events
Tuesday, June 5th
7:00 - 9:30pm June 2018 NY Tech Meetup and Afterparty
Join us for NYC's most famous and 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 (sponsored this month by Civic Hall) where you can network with the community and meet our demoers and sponsors. Price: $10 Location: SVA Theatre 333 West 23rd Street
Wednesday, June 6th
6:30pm – 9:00pm Influencer Marketing - Tips, Advice & Strategies For Startups
As it is a relatively new marketing tactic, many aren’t sure how to implement an influencer marketing campaign, how to find the right influencer for their brand, or where to begin. That’s why we’ve brought together influencers and marketing strategists to share their best tips and advice when it comes to influencer marketing. Price: $23 Location: Alley Chelsea, 119 W 24th St
Thursday, June 7th
9:00am New York Fashion Tech Lab: Tech Runway Demo Day 2018
TL will present companies from its latest cohort: Cherry Pick Ai, Eon, Ever Thread, Fashwell, Finmeashoe, Headliner Labs, Linc, Narrativ, Shimmy. By Invitation Only. Please email info@nyftlab.com to request an invitation. Price: Free Location: TBD
12:00 - 1:00pm Botanical Colors Talk: Scaling Natural Dyes in Apparel
If you are a designer looking to add natural dyes to your collection, join Kathy Hattori of Botanical Colors for a presentation on scaling natural dyes for large as well as small brands. Price: $10 Location: Pratt Institute, BFDA, 630 Flushing Ave, Suite 704, Brooklyn
6:30 - 9:30pm Women in Tech
Save the date for Harvard in Tech's Women in Tech Panel. Join us for a night of great speakers, sharing, and mingling. With Sophia Dominguez is the CEO & co-founder of SVRF, Katherine Prime: Chief Customer Officer at Spring, Krysia Lenzo: Executive Director of Harvard in Tech. Price: Free Location: SAP, 10 Hudson Yards
Friday, June 8th - Sunday, June 10th
8:00am Next Gen Summit
With Jeff Hoffman (Co-Founder, Priceline), Patrick Lee (Co-Founder, Rotten Tomatoes), Art Wrubel (Part-Owner, Philadelphia 76ers), Ashley Johnson (COO, Wealthfront), Jason Feifer (Editor-in-Chief, Entrepreneur Magazine), Peter Shankman (Founder, HARO), Mitch Modell (Founder, Modell's), Jess Ekstrom (Founder, Headbands of Hope). Price: By Invite Only (Apply here) Location: TBD
Monday, June 11th - Wednesday, June 13th
WEAR 2018 | The Thread That Ties Us Together
Co-hosted at FIT's Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology, WEAR 2018 will feature 3 days of tours and workshops, sessions and presentations from Google ATAP, Levi Strauss, NFC, Heisel, and Owlet around: The gaps on standardization, technology and economy between fabrics and tech and how the two industries can find a common language: Sustainability: Tying Fabric and Tech Together, Consumer Fashion, Design, Power, Energy and Sensors, Athletics and much more! Price: TBD Location: Fashion Institute of Technology, 227 West 27th Street
Tuesday, June 12th
4:00 - 6:00pm TEXTILE TUESDAY: FARFARM’s Fibers & Products From Agroforestry
Once each month, we invite a sustainable textile vendor to come present their materials and processes. Join us for June’s Textile Tuesday with FARFARM. Price: $10 Location: Pratt Institute, BFDA, 630 Flushing Ave, Suite 704, Brooklyn
6:30 - 8:30pm Inside the Design Studio
Elayne Safir - user experience design lead at XO Group, and an advocate for mindfulness and ethics in product design and development - will moderate a diverse panel of design, product, research and strategy innovators in conversation about a more thoughtful and future-facing approach to product design. They'll discuss the two camps today’s technology is starting to divide into: enhancing vs. replacing human function. They will also focus on specific tactical approaches you can try for a positive impact on your users -- and the global community at large. Price: Free Location: General Assembly, 902 Broadway, 4th Floor
Wednesday, June 13th
6:30 - 8:30pm Balanced Fashion @Knotel: Purpose-Driven Work, in Conversation with Mario Lanzarotti, COO of Awl & Sundry
To shake things up, this month's event is going to be more than just about fashion, tech and sustainability. It will be about personal branding development and importance of self-development and inner-exploration, from perspectives of a fashion technologist and a sustainable fashion advocate. It will feature a keynote by Mario Lanzarotti, the COO at Awl & Sundry, a NYC-based custom shoe brand and a fireside chat with Dennis Sarkozy, of BestMe, a purpose-driven network of consultants and coaches. You will hear about Mario’s journey from intern to partner (2 different companies), learn how to create a meaningful brand on a tight budget, and about the importance of aligning personal values with your personal brand. Mario and Dennis are going to uncover some of valuable tips around how and why to build a powerful personal brand, how to grow your chances of being seen by clients and potential brand partners, how a “yes” attitude and doing great work will open doors, how to share your story in a way that energizes others and invites support and how bootstrapping can work efficiently with the right strategic partnerships and how to find them. Mario and Dennis are two of my dear friends and have absolutely bright and inspiring personalities. You'd not want to miss the opportunity to hear them speak! Use code BalancedFashionFriend for a free ticket to this event! Price: $10 (Free for newsletter subscribers with code: BalancedFashionFriend) Location: Knotel, 666 Broadway (Near Bond Street)
Wednesday, June 20th
6:00pm - 9:00pm Understanding Crowdfunding Models: For your Seed Financing...and beyond?
Join NYC Startup Academy on Wednesday, June 20. Our guest will be Cheryl Clements, the Founder of PieShell (itself a successfully crowdfunded company) - a crowdfunding platform for food and beverage entrepreneurs. We will hold a fireside chat about Cheryl's experiences with crowdfunding, learn about how PieShell helps prepare companies to run successful crowdfunding campaigns, and offer some insights into how you might use crowdfunding to build and scale your company. Price: Free Location: TBD
Cool Finds:
- Lives behind the label - web documentary
- Eileen Fisher on 34 years in sustainable fashion: ‘It’s about constantly learning’ - Glossy Podcast
Stay Inspired,
Nataliya