The fifth instalment of Copenhagen Fashion Summit punched the calendar on May 11 in the Danish capital of Koncerthuset, with fashion leaders and sustainability experts dawning upon the city from all over the world to discourse on the next direction for fashion. The summit’s main focus this year was on the circular economy and discussions were about how to use fashion for positive change.
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The overall opinion was undisputed where ethics and sustainability will have to shape the future of fashion, due to shifting consumer demands, as well as company policies. Innovations from recycling systems to supply-chain transparency were deliberated, and conversations on workers’ rights, pricing and accountability was a hot topic. As positive as the summit was, major concerns were raised upon the lack of exposure for people who work behind the scenes around the world and really form the backbone of the industry.
Broadcasting the “being less bad is not being good” mantra, William McDonough a Co-Founder of the Cradle-to-Cradle movement, kicked off the Summit’s fifth edition, which played host to over 50 top-ranking speakers, including Tiffany & Co. CEO Michael Kowalski, The New York Times’ Fashion Critic Vanessa Friedman, Circular Economy Authority Dame Ellen MacArthur, Founder of Eco Age Ltd. Livia Firth, Designer Prabal Gurung, and Hugo Boss CEO Mark Langer.
A summit-wide Call to Action culminated in the inaugural of ‘Pulse of the Fashion Industry’ study, produced by The Global Fashion Agenda in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, which declared that the fashion industry’s sustainability “pulse” sits at meagre 32 out of 100 and the industry has a long way to go. Eva Kruse, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda said, “I’m very pleased that some of the world’s leading and biggest companies signed our Call to Action for a Circular Fashion System. I take this as a clear sign that the industry is not only aware of the need to change and the need to strive towards a closed loop system, but also ready to act.”
