New York: French and US industry players to discuss sustainable fashion on May 4 2022

By

Siham El Yandouzi

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Apr 29, 2022

The French-American Chamber of Commerce of New York, through its Fashion, Beauty and Luxury committees, will stage a one-day forum dedicated to the evolution of sustainable fashion on Wednesday May 4, 2022, at the Apella conference centre in New York. The forum is entitled ‘Fashion in a Sustainable New World – French-American Perspectives’.

The event will be attended by French and US fashion industry leaders. About 20 speakers will be featured in four discussion sessions. The speakers include Desiree Thomas, general manager of Ba&sh for the Americas, Vanessa Friedman, fashion director and chief fashion critic at the New York Times, and Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO of Neiman Marcus.

Gabriela Hearst, creative director of Chloé, who has oriented the label more clearly in the direction of sustainability, will open the day with a speech of about 20 minutes.

The debates will focus around four themes: the circular economy, sustainable sourcing, the future of fashion retail, and how to finance the fashion of tomorrow. This event will be an opportunity to zero in on and assess the role of the fashion industry in fighting against climate change. It will also analyse possible innovations in procurement, materials, manufacturing, distribution, waste management and recycling.

Consumers around the world have become increasingly sensitive to the fashion industry’s role with regards to sustainability, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Given this collective awakening, labels, start-ups, retailers, investors and other industry players are trying to address environmental issues, and to think about possible alternatives to current practices.

The event is also an opportunity for industry professionals to explore the connections between the French and American fashion sectors and, after many months in which in-person meetings have been a challenge, it will enable fashion leaders to meet again and network together.