Second Annual Fashion and Sustainability Summit Shows Double the Impact

The second annual Fashion and Sustainability Summit, sponsored by LIM College and Fashiondex, took place on LIM's campus on Friday, April 12. The summit was filled with industry professionals from all backgrounds with one common interest in mind: sustainability.

Sustainability has been the “word of the day” for the past year and isn’t going away anytime soon. Attendees at this year's Summit listened in on panels about the ethics of the current fashion model and the sustainable action plans of eco-centered companies like Eileen Fisher and Allbirds, plus how to reduce textile waste from the pioneers at FabScrap. Some of the speakers included: Amy Hall, Vice President at Eileen Fisher; Karenna Gore, Founder and Director of the Center for Earth Ethics; and other important names in the sustainability space.

Summit-goers also learned about the importance of the circularity of consignment from The RealReal, coupled with tips for going green from representatives of Loomstate, Patagonia, and Mara Hoffman. Participants engaged in question-and-answer sessions regarding the challenges of marketing a sustainable business. The guests of the summit gained a wealth of knowledge from this “who’s who” of the sustainable fashion sector—it was a quintessential day for any sustainable thinker.

In only its second year, the Summit remained a huge success. In terms of growth, the 2018 Summit had roughly 90 attendees, whereas the 2019 Summit had over 170. Also, the number of vendors nearly doubled from last year. This attests to the ever-growing stride toward sustainability within the fashion industry and LIM College.

For highlights of the event, check out the “Summit” on the Fashiondex Instagram page @TheFashiondex!