Yesterday saw the start of Copenhagen Fashion Summit, which brought together top fashion figures to discuss sustainability. Global Fashion Agenda hosted the event, which is a non-profit organization that encourages collaboration on sustainability in fashion. The theme for this year was “Prosperity vs. Growth”.
The unifying message of the day was that fashion cannot continue as it is. Global Fashion Agenda’s Fashion on Climate report states that 4 percent of global carbon emissions were caused by the fashion industry in 2018. This is more than the combined economies of France, Germany, and the UK.
The fashion industry is expected to grow in the coming years. This makes these issues even more pertinent. The Summit discussed the need for external and internal enablers to help the industry move towards a sustainable and healthy environment.
At the Summit, HRH The Crown Princess Of Denmark was present. She was the patron of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, Global Fashion Agenda and spoke about fashion’s future in a post-pandemic world. She stated, “Redesigning growth is one the most important systemic issues of our times.”
Tommy Hilfiger and Yara Shahidi were also prominent guests speakers. Sixty high-ranking speakers were involved in keynotes, case studies, one-to-one conversations, and panels. There were more than twenty topics of discussion, including innovation vs legacy and scale vs circular as well as equity vs inequality.
Tommy Hiilfiger (principal designer of the eponymous firm) stated, “We want leaders and we want great examples.”
Global Fashion Agenda is relying on the results of these discussions to inform its advice on how to accelerate change. Six roundtables with leaders will be held at the Summit. These roundtables will bring together around 90 fashion leaders, representatives from NGO’s and policymakers to discuss sustainability in the fashion industry, and create collaborations that can help us move forward in a more environmentally-friendly manner. Designing sustainable products and internal carbon pricing are just a few of the other topics being discussed.
Felicia Mayo (chief talent, diversity, and culture officer at Nike) stated that “Creating an equitable future starts with recognising climate and community.” “To ensure that our planet thrives, we must continue to address both people and planet together.”
