The Association of Suppliers to the British Clothing Industry’s (ASBCI) Beyond 2020 event series concludes this month with a digital conference titled ‘Survival of the Smartest’. Bringing together experts from across the supply chain, the event will discuss the route to a smarter future for the clothing industry.
After a year of disruption, the need for change has never been so apparent. The clothing industry must get smarter, more agile, more transparent, and more sustainable. Speakers at the ASBCI’s Beyond 2020 – Survival of the Smartest conference on 12 May 2021 will dissect what ‘smartification’ really means; explaining how clothing businesses can apply smart principles to ensure they are fit for purpose for the coming decade and beyond.
The conference is organised with event tech partner Lectra and sponsored by Advanced Supply Chain Group. It follows two successful free webinars in December 2020 and March 2021 on Smart Skills and Smart Consumers respectively. May’s instalment will bring the learnings from these two webinars together for an in-depth look at the broader topic. The aim is to provide actionable insights to delegates from across the sector.
The speaker line up spans the whole supply chain, from product conception to consumer purchase.
Experts will outline the imperatives of a new era for the global clothing industry as it grapples with the pressures of Covid-19 and the climate crisis. Speakers will draw on their knowledge and experience as well as wider industry learning; examining the new technologies, strategies, and skills that will help the industry forge a more sustainable future.
Confirmed speakers include Marcella Wartenbergh, CEO of the Pepe Jeans Group. Wartenbergh will be interviewed by Ton Wiedenhoff, Alvanon executive director for Europe. The interview will discuss how smartification differs from pre-pandemic ‘work smarter’ concepts. Plus, what organisations should be doing right now to smartify their businesses. Wartenbergh will also touch on what she believes the implications might be if the industry as a whole fails to embrace smartification.
Keynote speaker Ed Gribbin, formerly president of Alvanon and now CEO of strategic advisory firm Gribbin Strategic LLC, will share his thoughts on supply chain innovation in an age of disruption. Gribbin will look at how the fashion industry should respond to the climate crisis and the chaos of Covid. Plus, how businesses can leverage the latest technologies to future proof their operations.
Jenny Holloway from Fashion-Enter in her presentation ‘Smart Sourcing and the new manufacturing recovery’ will discuss fast, flexible, and sustainable local sourcing. This includes the importance of partnerships, the role of UK manufacturing in post-Brexit Britain, and the technologies that can deliver this.
Steffan Meiler from Lectra will cover the digital journey and how the right technology can support the smartification of the fashion industry.
Digital psychology expert Andrew Nicholson from Kulea will provide his insight into how the pandemic has impacted consumer behaviour; both now and in the long term. Caroline Ellis from Advanced Supply Chain Group will then look at intelligent supply chains post-Covid. Also, how the sector can respond and adapt to the new retail demands.
Finally, UKFT CEO Adam Mansell will close the conference with his presentation on ‘The future of fashion – the big picture’. Mansell will examine how the events of 2020 have changed the sector’s priorities. This is in addition to the long-term impact of Brexit on UK fashion.
The conference also includes two Q&A sessions where delegates can put their questions directly to speakers. Moderating these will be conference chair Dr Julie King, ASBCI event director.
The conference will take place on 12 May 2021. It will run across two, two-hour sessions from 10am to 12pm and also 1pm to 3pm. Delegate places include both sessions and cost £25+VAT for ASBCI members and £75+ VAT for non-members. To book, please click here.
