The Association of Suppliers to the British Clothing Industry (ASBCI) will host the Fashion Re:set Summit on 11 October in York. With four themes, over 15 experts, three panel discussions and audience Q&A sessions, the event will allow delegates to debate the future of the fashion industry, find partners, and work together to create a sustainable and profitable way forward for the sector.
The ASBCI will call on the fashion industry to find collective solutions to its most pressing challenges at the Fashion Re:set Summit. Structured around four key themes – ESG, sourcing, digital transformation, and staff wellbeing and talent management – and delivered through a combination of presentations and panel discussions, the event format aims to encourage debate and foster collaboration at all levels between ASBCI members and the wider industry.
Opening the summit will be a keynote presentation on the current state of the industry from fashion technology storyteller and analyst Ben Hanson. Hanson is editor in chief of The Interline, the fashion technology news publication and community dedicated to fashion and retail technology.
Following Hanson will be an exploration of ESG in the fashion industry via a panel discussion
Moderator Suzanne Ellingham from fashion trade show organiser Hyve Events will be joined by Anne Peirson-Smith, Professor of Fashion, School of Design, Northumbria University; Stella Claxton, lecturer and senior research fellow at Nottingham Trent University; Peter Hughes, head of sustainability business development at Eurofins | BLC, and also Bureau Veritas softlines technical Consultant, Helen Colebourn.
Opening the sourcing segment will be Angela Gaskell, group sourcing, sustainability and fit director from N Brown. Gaskell will then join the sourcing discussion panel, which includes Kate Hills, founder of Make it British; Jenny Holloway, CEO of Fashion Enter; Phil Oakley from Kornit Digital, and Suzanne Ellingham, sourcing director of Hyve Events. The panel will discuss how the industry can overcome the sourcing challenges of the last few years. Plus, the opportunities for new technologies, near-shoring, made-on-demand and personalisation.
Jason Wang, chief operating officer for Alvanon, will also address the summit by video from the US in the digital transformation session
He will discuss the digital fit ecosystem and the roadmap to a sustainable and profitable future. Other key speakers in this session include Morgan Lopes digital marketing director from French luxury retailer Printemps, which has just opened its first metaverse store; Stephen Taylor from IBM Consulting; Michael Lock, VP of software sales at Lectra, and speakers from Optitex and DeSL.
The speakers will then join discussion moderator Ton Wiedenhoff from Alvanon to debate the challenges, opportunities, benefits and potential pitfalls of digital transformation and take questions from the audience.
The summit will close on the topic of employee wellbeing, and its link with talent management and the skills shortage. Sean Liddell from Mindful Training is among the speakers. He will look at how employers and employees can reduce stress, anxiety and poor wellbeing and create new, sustainable opportunities to become more resilient.
Commenting is ASBCI chairman Dr Alistair Knox
“For years, the conversation has been about the need for change; for more sustainable business models, for new technology, for plans to tackle skills shortages or supply chain issues. But while there are many businesses out there doing good things, meaningful industry-wide progress on many of these issues has been slow. And Covid shone a spotlight on the industry’s weaknesses.
“However, Covid also demonstrated the link between sustainability and sustainable business in its broadest sense. To move forward on climate, attract and nurture talented people and ensure a profitable future, we must tackle these issues together – within businesses and as an industry. Which is why the ASBCI is calling on the industry to come together at the Fashion Re:set Summit on 11 October.”
The Fashion Re:set Summit will take place at the Hilton Hotel York on Tuesday 11 October 2022. Registration is from 8.50am and places can be booked via the ASBCI website. Further information on the programme is available here.
