On Thursday 20th April 2023, we hosted our third annual Institute of Positive Fashion Forum (IPF Forum) at 180 Studios, 180 The Strand, London. The event addressed the fashion industry’s most pressing climate-related challenges and saw key industry players, strategically convened from our expansive global network, come together to explore how to accelerate a circular fashion economy in the UK.
The action-oriented day-long event consisted of a series of visionary keynotes and panel discussions followed by ‘hack’ sessions, designed to bring together peers across the industry to collaborate for collective outcomes and fast-track positive change. This year’s event included the third iteration of the 2023 Innovation Showcase and a display from the Student Fabric Initiative which showcased student designs from BFC Colleges Council member universities using deadstock fabrics, powered by The Materialist. The IPF Forum’s Delivery Collaborator, Deloitte, led a workshop which focused on how businesses can embed low carbon practices into the supply chain. TrusTrace also led a workshop, which provided businesses with the tools to create successful traceability programs.
Closing remarks from Caroline Rush, Chief Executive Officer, British Fashion Council.
What a day.
Before we go into the closing remarks, I am delighted to announce the winner of the Student Fabric Initiative, Anna Kalifatidou from BA Fashion Design, Bath Spa University. The BFC Student Fabric Initiative’s ultimate ambition is to create a simple and efficient way for designer brands and universities to work together and provide practical support for future talent, bringing sustainability and circularity even closer to the heart of fashion education in the UK. This year, the BFC partnered with The Materialist, a high-end excess stock marketplace, who oversaw all deliveries to universities across the UK.
The Materialist buy and sell deadstock fabric, they have two boxes full of off cuts donated by brands which are up for grabs so please help yourself when we go downstairs.
You will get a summary in a few weeks’ time, thanks to the BFC team and our IPF Forum Delivery Collaborator, Deloitte.
At the beginning of the day, we talked about collaboration and the importance of the industry coming together. This has proven to be a fantastic forum for the exchange of knowledge and ideas. We are excited to work together with Innovate UK and UK Fashion and Textiles to scale this collaboration and the intent that has come out of today.
I wanted to recap on some of the inspiring moments and common themes:
Tyler Motte, Marketing Director from Patagonia, set the challenge: Can quality save the planet? And encouraged us to live and breathe in the present. Act now, today, for the future – this is a long-term plan, and we are just at the beginning.
‘If you want to go far, go together’.
Coachtopia – On the launch of their new line, Joon Silverstein, SVP Global Marketing, Creative and Sustainability and Head of Coachtopia, reiterated the value of research and development, and importance of consulting the community, taking them with you, creating a feedback loop. It was a good insight into how brands are taking their customers and the business on this journey, providing feedback loops, and changing systems in a transparent way.
Dr Sally Uren OBE, Chief Executive of Forum for the Future, reminded us to put mindset first, to think about our values and our beliefs. The importance of co-designing solutions, of investing in our supply chains and to take everyone on this journey with us and most importantly to dream big especially around systems change as it will benefit us all.
‘The deepest lever for change is ourselves’.
Dr Dimitrios Tsivrikos, Consumer Business Psychologist, had amazing insights around the science of how to drive behavioural change. Make it personal – put the self-first, make it relevant and easy to understand so that the brain can compute, and individuals can make the right choice based on the now. Think about experience and customers as guardians of clothing as a change in how they consider purchasing and caring for clothing.
Forces of Change: Representation and Inclusion – Bernie Yates, Lecturer, Central Saint Martins, Daniel Peters, Founder, The Fashion Minority Report, Jamie Gill, Founder, The Outsiders Perspective, talked about decentralising the industry, not being so London centric, opening pathways to access the industry for people from different backgrounds to bring a fresh perspective – everyone has the power to educate. Volunteer and amplify.
The Importance of Activism: Christina Adane, Food equity campaigner and creative, Co-founder and director of CAPSULE Media, Dominique Palmer, Climate Justice Activist, Storyteller, Writer and Speaker, Simran Randhawa, Journalist and Creative Consultant and Digital Specialist and Cameron Saul, Designer, Social Entrepreneur, Campaigner and Co-Founder of BOTTLETOP discussed radical optimism, using platforms for change and how community lifts up others through creativity.
This was reinforced in the ‘hacks’, which provided a few key learnings. Educating and giving consumers the tools to make better choices whilst also creating accessible and emotive narratives around loving your clothes for longer is critical. The adoption of innovative technology and digital product passports should also be relied on to educate and inform consumers. To enable businesses to make a green transition, the government needs to work with industry to map out the stakeholders and ensure regulation, taxation and public campaigns drive societal education around garment longevity and recycling. Invest in your supply chain.
In our workshop with IPF Forum Delivery Collaborator, Deloitte, it was reinforced once more that collaboration is key – not only across the supply chain but within a company. Functions across the company need to collaborate and be aligned on overall business objectives and carbon goals.
Let consumers lead and play their part. Standards, regulation, measuring impact, incentives, feedback loops and collaboration are vital to success. While preparing for regulation we discussed how to foster openness without being anti-competitive, create a fair system which works for everyone including those living in poverty. Create quality, focus on data, and align strategy and mission to value.
This plays into our network themes of circularity, including business models, sustainable manufacturing, recycling infrastructure, novel technologies, skills, green growth.
What’s next? Look out for the report. Content from today will be available through the IPF Forum website from Friday. Work will continue with UKRI and our IPF partner at UKFT, watch this space on the vision to be shared at June Fashion Week 2023.
If you aren’t part of our network, but would like to be, I encourage you to find out how – email us at hello@instituteofpositivefashion.com
More sessions are coming in June and there will be more opportunities to participate.
Thank you all for playing your part today. I think we all are feeling inspired and there is momentum – we need to keep our pedal to the metal.
But this is still a small, privileged group so through the circular fashion network we are keen to look at how we take this to a broader group and get everyone involved.
Thank you to Deloitte our Delivery Collaborator, to all our speakers, moderators, to you all for playing your part. Please keep up the good work.
Thank you all very much.
The BFC continues its collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP) to generate awareness and engage the fashion industry in the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The IPF Forum ‘hacks’ aligned with SDGs 5 (Gender Equality), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action), 15 (Life on Land) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The generosity and commitment of our partners is more vital than ever. Please help us by acknowledging the ongoing support of our IPF Forum Delivery Collaborator, Deloitte.