FASHION FOR GOOD HOSTS FIRST SOUTH ASIA INNOVATION DAY
by Priya Jadhav
COLOMBO/SRI LANKA – Fashion for Good hosted their
first Innovation Day in South Asia, leading up to the launch of Fashion for
Good’s dedicated regional innovation programme which officially starts in
January 2020. A carefully curated selection of ten innovators were invited to
pitch their sustainable solutions to a jury of key industry leaders from the
region, for the chance to join the Fashion for Good Innovation programme.
During the Innovation Day the official partnership between Fashion for Good and
Welspun was announced. Welspun, the global leader in home textile
manufacturing, joins as an affiliate innovation partner to provide support in
their local activities.
Left to
right: Priyanka Khanna (Fashion for Good), Rogier van Mazijk (Fashion for
Good), Madu Rathnayake (Virtusa), Lin Gong-Deutschmann
(Design Corp Group), Sachindi De Silva (Design
Corp Group), Prajeeth Balasubramanium (BOV Capital), Tjeerd Veenhoven. Credit:
AOD/Colombo
Innovation
Tower
Fashion for
Good is the global initiative bringing together the entire apparel
industry to innovate and collaborate for Good Fashion. South Asia is a global
leader in manufacturing and one of the largest consumer markets for fashion.
Partnerships with local brands and manufacturers, such as the global home
textile leaders Welspun allows for swifter scaling of sustainable innovations
and implementation of pilot programmes that lead to adoption into the fashion
value chain.
CEO and Joint Managing Director of Welspun India,
Dipali Goenka says of the partnership “Responsible growth driven by
sustainability is not just a business imperative but a moral responsibility.
Welspun as the industry leader is redefining how the textile business can be
done in a far more sustainable and transparent manner. Fashion for Good provides
access to latest sustainable innovation and collaborate with wider industry
players”
As Fashion for Good continues to expand their
activities in the region, the Innovation Day represents the first official
event leading up to launch of the dedicated regional innovation programme. The
Innovation day brings together the entire regional fashion ecosystem, including
key stakeholders, investors, brands and manufacturers, as well as a select
press. Dutch Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Tanja Gonggrijp, addressed the audience
in her opening keynote, speaking on the innovation opportunities and potential
in Sri Lanka, and was followed by the innovator pitches.
With innovations ranging from blockchain traceability
solutions to using machine learning to reduce waste in the production and
fitting stage of the supply chain, to innovations in materials, dyeing and
energy usage, the ten innovators pitched their solutions to jury members Madu
Rathnayake, CIO of Virtusa, and Prajeeth Balasubramanium, Founder of BOV Capital.
The selection of innovators that are invited to join the
Fashion for Good Innovation Programme will be announced at a later date. The
selected innovators will gain priority access to a network of global partners
such as founding partner C&A Foundation, and corporate partners adidas,
C&A, CHANEL, BESTSELLER, Galeries Lafayette Group, Kering, Otto Group, PVH
Corp., Stella McCartney, Target and Zalando and affiliate partners Arvind,
Norrøna and Welspun, as well as to funding, mentoring and bespoke coaching,
providing innovators with the tools needed to grow.
H&M Change award winner and sustainable designer,
Tjeerd Veenhoven, also took to the stage, showcasing his innovations in raw
material design. Three of Fashion for Good’s Accelerator Alumni: Natural Fibre
Welding, Reverse Resources and Trustrace, were also present during the
Innovation Day, pitching their sustainable solutions in circular material
innovation, fabric and garment traceability and supply chain traceability using
blockchain respectively.
With a rich heritage in textile manufacturing and production,
South Asia presents significant opportunities to create value and impact, both
socially and environmentally. Fashion for Good is seeking to spark and scale
promising innovations from this region, catalysing collaborative pilots such as
the recently concluded Organic
Cotton Traceability Pilot, a collaborative initiative
between Fashion for Good, C&A Foundation and the Organic Cotton Accelerator
with support from C&A, Kering, PVH Corp. and Zalando with Bext360, an
innovator from the Fashion for Good Scaling Programme.
About Welspun : Welspun is the world leader in Home textiles and the
partner-of- choice of top global retailers. Welspun is part of the $2.7 billion
Welspun group which is one of India’s fastest growing global conglomerates.
Welspun has the highest market penetration in the USA, where it is the
supplier/producer of every 5th towel and 9th sheet that is sold in the country.
Welspun’s differentiated product offering is based on deep consumer
understanding and strong legacy of Innovation with unique patents such as
Hygrocotton® and Wel-trak™. Welspun’s
innovation DNA is also integral to its processes through which it provides value-added
services to the customers. Welspun also owns leading brands like Christy and
Spaces. Welspun is on track to meet the changing consumer preferences, driven
by its differentiation strategy based on Branding, Innovation and
Sustainability.
About Fashion for Good : Fashion for Good is the global initiative that is here
to make all fashion good. It’s a global platform for innovation, made possible
through collaboration and community. With an open invitation to the entire
apparel industry, Fashion for Good convenes brands, producers, retailers,
suppliers, nonprofit organisations, innovators and funders united in their
shared ambition.
At the core of Fashion for Good is our innovation
platform. Based in our Amsterdam headquarters and recently expanding the
programme to South Asia, our global Fashion for Good Accelerator Programme
gives promising start-up innovators the expertise and access to funding they
need in order to grow. Our Scaling Programme supports innovations that have
passed the proof-of-concept phase, initiating pilot projects with partner
organisations and guided by our dedicated team that offers bespoke support and
access to expertise, customers and capital. Our Good Fashion Fund catalyses
access to finance to shift at scale to more sustainable production
methods.
Fashion for Good also acts as a convener for change,
with the world’s first interactive museum dedicated to sustainable fashion
innovation. In our headquarters, Fashion for Good houses a Circular Apparel
Community co-working space, creates open-source resources like its Good Fashion
Guide that provides practical advice to implement cradle-to-cradle™ certified
apparel as well as white papers and reports investigating industry practices
and developments.
Fashion for Good’s programmes are supported by founding
partner C&A Foundation, co-founder
William McDonough and corporate partners adidas,
C&A, CHANEL, BESTSELLER, Galeries Lafayette Group, Kering, Otto Group, PVH
Corp., Stella McCartney, Target and Zalando and affiliate partners Arvind,
Norrøna and Welspun.
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