The international Global Fashion Conference (GFC) is taking place for the ninth time, but it is being organized from Germany for the first time. This year it will take place online from November 17th to 18th and will be organized by the Academy of Fashion & Design (AMD), the design department of Fresenius University of Applied Sciences. The topic is “Fashion sustainability: from dream to reality”.
The program is divided into four areas: “Ethics and aesthetics of sustainability”, “The new age of IT and sustainability”, “Political and legal framework of sustainability in fashion” and “Investments and financing for sustainability”.
Sustainability is in the foreground of the GFC
International scientists and specialists from the fashion world as well as experts from business and politics present the latest findings and strategies on these topics or present current projects and put them up for discussion.
The around 100 speakers and participants at the conference include Christiane Rohleder, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection; Heike Derwanz, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, specializing in minimalism as a future strategy for sustainability; Theo Grassl, Chairman of the German Fashion Council; Kate Fletcher and Mathilda Tham, Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion; Henrietta Onwuegbuzie, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program, Lagos Business School and Christiane Luible, Co-Director of the Department of Fashion & Technology, Art University Linz.
Virtual marketplace and prices are tempting
On the first day, the virtual marketplace will be launched, which is intended to offer a meeting place for all stakeholders in the sustainability scene, students, start-ups and brands. It also includes a “greenhouse” for start-ups, a Craftsman’s Inn, a town hall, a gallery, a kiosk and an Artists & Activists Club. On the second day of the conference, visitors and stakeholders can meet online; Appointments can be reserved in advance.
These include the German Fashion Council, Fashion Revolution Germany, Femnet, the Ethical Fashion Initiative (UNO), Re-FREAM (a project of the EU Commission), A New Kind of Blue, The Wearness, Clothesfriends, the Greenstyle Messe and the BuyGoodStuff Guides.
On the second day of the conference, two prizes will be awarded to the best research or projects in the categories of sustainable fashion and innovation in the luxury and fashion sector. The independent jury includes Onwuegbuzie and Kerstin Weng, Editor-in-Chief of German Vogue.
Registrations for the conference are still possible until October 30th via gfc-conference.eu.