The future of fashion can be so much better

Blue Earth kicked off its Futures Series in London with a focus on the fashion industry.

Marking the closing night of the 40th London Fashion Week and hosted Downstairs at Mother, Future of Fashion attracted a full house with over 250 guests from the fashion and textiles industry as well as other business sectors.

The Future of Fashion keynote panel, hosted by London College of Fashion’s Claudine Rousseau, discussed the extent to which industry trends are congruent with a net zero and nature positive sector by 2030, and the policy and business solutions most likely to realise fashion’s better future.

Stylist and sustainable fashion expert Mary Fellowes kicked off discussion on the role of high-fashion in raising the bar and pulling the wider industry’s transition towards net zero, emphasising how ‘high-fashion sets the beat to which others look to emulate‘. Simon Platts, Founder of Recomme and ex-Head of Sustainability at ASOS laid down the need for large corporates and fashion brands to drive demand for innovative and sustainable materials by leveraging their purchasing power to build new markets: ‘the solutions that will get fashion to net zero already exist, we need major brands to demand them.’

Five years to the day after publication of the Fixing Fashion report, Nick Davies, one of the papers authors, laid out how UK policy is lagging behind European counterparts, highlighting the need for extended producer responsibility and wider adoption of Textiles 2030.

The Blue Earth Futures Series focuses on innovative solutions set to drive specific sectors towards a better future, and the expert panel was followed by short pitches from three high growth companies delivering industry impact: Xeros, Been London and Laybl. As the talks broke for networking and drinks, designers and curators Sarah Angold, Sadie Williams and Clara Chu brought beautiful products and clothing to exhibit, showcasing pioneering innovation and craft.

Celys Global Sales Director Helen Weng, spoke with Guy Hayler, Blue Earth Founder and evening MC, about disrupting fashion’s status-quo and Celys’ journey to embed their fully compostable polyester into global supply chains.

The evening also marked the live launch of Blue Earth Forum which will be held during London Climate Action week (June 2024) to connect impact investment with business solutions that will enable us to regenerate our natural world.

The energy in the room was uplifting and as always, the sense of community that surrounds Blue Earth gatherings felt strong. It was inspiring to see so many industry leaders both on stage and among the audience.

‘A room full of people with a shared set of values and an ambition to do things different is always an inspiring place to be‘ said Will Hayler, CEO Blue Earth Summit. ‘Blue Earth is undoubtedly turning into a movement and the momentum behind all the events we have planned for the future is exciting to be part of.’

Our thanks to…

Our thanks to Claudine Rousseau, Mary Fellowes, Nick Davies, Simon Platts, Helen Weng, Downstairs at Mother, Celys, Gipsy Hill, Sxollie, Canned Wine Co, Lucky Saint, Aqua Libra, Sadie Williams, Clara Chu, Sarah Angold and all our guests.

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Next up for the Futures series:

24 April – Future of Built Environment / Cities

13 June – Future of Coastlines / Oceans

14 August – Future of Creative Industries / Media

25 September – Future of Climate Tech

27 November – Future of Nature

Register for Futures events