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    You are at:Home»Events»The British Fashion Council Host Fashion Forum Thought Leadership Event on Breaking Through Barriers in the Industry
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    The British Fashion Council Host Fashion Forum Thought Leadership Event on Breaking Through Barriers in the Industry

    13 June 20187 Mins Read
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    Yesterday, the British Fashion Council in collaboration with innovation consultancy TheCurrent, hosted the Fashion Forum, a thought leadership event bringing together industry leaders from fashion, investment and technology to collectively debate and share knowledge on the topic ‘Breaking Through Barriers’. Hosted by The Ned, the curated group of 140 business leaders and industry activists included representation from global brands, international retailers and designer businesses encouraged to join in the conversation on how to shape the industry to be fit for the future.

    Fashion Forum is a think tank designed to debate the important issues of the sector while enabling UK fashion businesses to fulfil their growth potential through maximising opportunities presented by international expansion and technology. The event showcases businesses with high growth potential and encourages business connections to generate investment opportunities through networking between the curated list of individuals in design, investment, finance and technology alongside the broader fashion community of digital influencers, entrepreneurs and lawyers.

    From international expansion and changing, business models to technological advances and positive fashion; the topics of the day included ‘Diversity in Fashion – Engaging in a More Progressive Conversation’, ‘Breaking Through Barriers – Creating Fast Growth in the Modern Era’ and ‘Winning in China – Understanding Expectations of the Chinese Consumer. To accompany the themes of the day, TheCurrent provided a curated ‘The Innovation Space’ – a collective of ten disruptive technology companies with innovative fashion applications for guests to demo.

    Fashion Forum is hosted by Caroline Rush, CEO, British Fashion Council and Sian Westerman, President, BFC Business & Investment Pillar and is comprised of a series of panel discussions, brainstorms and workshops and speakers included Avery Baker, Blondey McCoy, Daniela Vega, Desirée Bollier, Edie Campbell, Elizabeth Paton, Jo Ellison, Kenya Hunt, Louise Troen, Pauline Bohl, Rodrigo Bazan, Sandrine Deveaux, Stavros Karelis, Stephanie Phair, Tommy Hilfiger and Ulric Jerome.

    Key learnings from the day included:

    • Positive Fashion – Diversity and Sustainability are key issues for all businesses in the fashion industry. Panellists discussed ways of adopting simple practices to set business practices up for success. Bravery was a key theme and speakers encouraged brands to weave sustainability and diversity into commercial pitches and core business values. A panel discussing business conduct in the age of #metoo urged powerful industry representatives to help educate the wider industry around ways to move towards true gender equality.
    • Customer, Customer, Customer – Putting the customer first is a priority and panellists urged businesses to focus on using data to truly understand their consumer and their needs. Speakers discussed using data to inspire the customer giving them a reason to engage with the brand both online and instore.
    • Technology and Innovation – TheCurrent presented the most exciting technologies shifting consumer expectations and their impact on the fashion industry. Invisible Tech – delivering instant gratification giving brands greater awareness of consumer demands. Intelligent Relevancy – truly understanding data to know your customer intimately, resulting in a better experience. Trusted Transparency – mirroring your customer’s values to create new, authentic bonds with them. Guests were encouraged to think about new technologies can help overcome organisational challenges as well as amplify a brand’s purpose, values and accountability.

    On the day, The British Fashion Council announced a new 2-year partnership with BFC patron and supporter, The Bicester Village Shopping Collection which will see them collectively support British fashion talent with a tailored programme of expert guidance in business development. The partnership is the latest development of The Bicester Village Shopping Collection’s innovative mentorship programme “The Business of Retail” and will give a handpicked group of BFC Fashion Trust, BFC Vogue Designer Fashion Fund alumni and established British brands tailored business development, mentoring and support.

    Furthermore, the partnership will bring together this collective of established designer businesses in a direct to consumer experience through an exclusive and unique annual sample sale of curated British designers at Bicester Village in Autumn 2018. A first for both organisations which will put into practice “The Business of Retail” development which designers will receive as part of the partnership’s mentorship programme.

    FASHION FORUM 2018 TOPICS & SPEAKERS

    Power Down to Power Further hosted by Equinox
    Moderator: Gentry Long, Equinox Managing Director
    Justin Jacobs, Equinox Master Trainer & Sleep Coach
    Mimi Xu, DJ, Producer, Composer
    Vicky Lee, Digital Fashion Influencer

    Ulric Jerome, Chief Executive, MATCHESFASHION.COM in conversation with Lauren Indvik, Head of News & Features, Vogue International

    Diversity in Fashion – Engaging in a more progressive conversation
    Moderator: Kenya Hunt, Deputy Editor and Fashion Features Director, Elle Magazine
    John Horner, Managing Director, Models 1
    Munroe Bergdorf, Social Activist, Broadcaster & Model
    Naomi Shimada, Model

    Sustainability 101 – How change is filtering throughout the industry
    Moderator: Rachel Arthur, Chief Intelligence Officer, TheCurrent
    Daniella Vega, Director of Sustainability, Selfridges
    Eva Kruse, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda
    Martine Jarlgaard, Founder & Creative Director, Martine Jarlgaard London
    Pauline Bohl, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Burberry

    BlueSnap: How to Protect Your Business in the Digital-First Economy

    Breaking through barriers – Creating fast growth in the modern era
    Moderator: Lauren Indvik, Head of News & Features, Vogue International
    Han Chong, Founder & Creative Director, Self-Portrait
    Nicolaj Reffstrup, CEO, Ganni
    Rodrigo Bazan, CEO, Thom Browne

    Winning in China – understanding expectations of the Chinese consumer
    Moderator: Desirée Bollier, Chair and Global Chief Merchant, Value Retail
    Angela Farrugia, EVP/Group Managing Director, CAA Global Brands Group
    Bora Aksu, Designer & Owner, Bora Aksu
    Paul Tyce, UK Country Head, VIP.com

    Whalar: Liberating the creative voice: elevating your brand with the next generation of influencers

    Real Innovation for Today’s Fashion Consumer: Rachel Arthur, Chief Intelligence Officer, TheCurrent

    Cutting Out the Middleman – Lessons on engagement from direct to consumer disruptors
    Moderator: Liz Bacelar, Founder, TheCurrent
    Jen Rubio, Co-Founder & Chief Brand Officer, Away
    Tim Brown, Co-Founder & CEO, AllBirds
    Toby Darbyshire, CEO, Heist Studios

    A New Code of Conduct – The changing face of business in the age of #metoo
    Moderator: Elizabeth Paton, European Styles Correspondent, NY Times
    Ciara Byrne, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Condé Nast
    Edie Campbell, Model, Journalist, Equestrian & Activist
    Louise Troen, VP of International Marketing & Communications, Bumble

    The Culture Builders: Haute couture culture – creating a high-performance culture in the fashion business

    Future Flagships – The new role of brick-and-mortar through the lens of digital
    Moderator: Liz Bacelar, Founder, TheCurrent
    Edgardo Osorio, Founder & Creative Director, Aquazzura
    Sandrine Deveaux, Managing Director, Farfetch Store of the Future
    William Kim, CEO, All Saints

    Harnessing the Hype – How Luxury can learn from Streetwear culture
    Moderator: Tammy Smulders, President, VICE Fashion & Luxury Group
    Blondey McCoy, Artist, Designer, Skater & Model
    Ferdinando Verderi, Creative Director & Founding Partner, Johannes Leonardo
    Stavros Karelis, Founder and Buying Director, MACHINE-A

    rewardStyle: Redefining influencers: How to drive ROI for your business

    Tommy Hilfiger, Designer & Founder and Avery Baker, Chief Brand Officer in conversation with Jo Ellison, Fashion Editor, Financial Times

    The Innovation Space curated by TheCurrent: Antavo, Bumble Bizz, FTSY, Hero, Heuritech, Kino-mo, Restory, Save Your Wardrobe, SplitBase, Wide Eyes and Zigzag

    The British Fashion Council would like to thank TheCurrent, The Ned, The Bicester Village Shopping Collection and DHL for their support of Fashion Forum as well as all speakers, moderators and workshop hosts for donating their time and sharing their insight and knowledge.

    British Fashion Council Fashion Forum UK fashion businesses

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