Apparel industry’s most inspiring annual gathering to take place Oct 26, 2018: Part of
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week’s fashion intelligence and knowledge-sharing series\
The Fourth Industrial Revolution was heralded in with Klaus Schwab, the World Economic
Forum’s executive chairman, warning that the current breakthroughs disrupting almost every
industry in every country are sweeping across at unprecedented speeds. “And the breadth and
depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production, management,
and governance...”, he said, pointing out just how important ‘innovation’ has become to the
world economy. And, this is evident in everything that surrounds us today: The vast range of
new technologies fusing the material, digital and biological worlds and blurring the boundaries
between disciplines has had a huge impact on economies and industries worldwide, even
challenging our idea of what it means to be human. For the business of fashion, these tides
have swept in with wearable technologies that bridge our very senses with materials, retail
practices built on ease, consumers calling for brands that centre values like inclusivity,
sustainability and transparency, amongst many more. But, for Lankan apparel, how does this
translate? An industry with both the manufacturing power and the creative capital, at the
crossroads of old and new worlds. Beyond the textbook solutions made for retail sectors, or the
makers’-only sensibilities, Sri Lankan apparel needs a middle-ground, a game-plan of its own.
One that draws from the unlimited potential held by a fluid fashion business model that flows
from manufacturer and stakeholder to retailer. This is where the most inspiring annual gathering
of the apparel industry comes in. This is where the 2018 edition of the South Asian Apparel
Leadership Forum leads the conversation to where Lankan apparel meets design, tech and
innovationThe forum will focus on the unique ways that these transitions in global fashion will affect Sri
Lanka. Ideas like the global trend towards increasingly nimble, innovative and adaptable
industries emulating product-service business models, and their needs for versatile,
technologically-minded professionals with design, innovation and entrepreneurial skills will be
explored.
Far futures
The conference will be welcomed by its founder Linda Speldewinde, with opening remarks by
Conference Co-chairs Kurt Cavano—SVP & GM at GT NEXUS and Kumar Mirchandani—MD at
Favourite Group. It’s almost a tradition at South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum to always start
with a supercharged session from the world’s premier economic and fashion business trend
forecasters—The Future Laboratory. Its founders, Chris Sanderson and Martin Raymond will
reveal how our concept of morality is undergoing a paradigm shift, challenged daily by changing
value codes and brand intimacies that are welcome to some but intrusive and threatening to others. These world-renowned foresight specialists will discuss how we define morality in the
age of big data; why branded intimacy is growing and what businesses and corporations need
to do to adapt to a consumer landscape where materialism is no longer the priority.
Retail’s apocalypse or a new dawn?
Sri Lanka’s apparel industry has adopted narrow and deep strategies developing meaningful
relationships with influential brands from around the world. But, as complete market shifts take
place rendering existing business models of its partner brands obsolete, how does one adapt to
this future? Surveying the retail landscape from the perspective of the Americas Apparel
Producers Network (AAPN), President and AAPN and Chief Sourcing & Merchandising Officer
at Haggar Clothing Co, USA—Anthony Anzovino— shares cutting-edge insights on retail
performance, predicting the winners and the losers in the long-haul.
The Sourcing Landscape: Movers and shakers of the fourth industrial revolution
Bringing in essential insights from those at the forefront of the fashion value chain. the South
Asian Apparel Leadership Forum 2018 will have Rajiv Sharma—group CEO of Coats Thread,
will discuss how the Fourth Industrial Revolution will play out for the fashion business, and who
will draw out the benefits best. From Coats’ vantage that comes from a massive global footprint,
a long history and first-hand experience of transitioning economies, the company has an
unparalleled view of where breathtaking advancements will happen and who is well positioned
to reap the rewards or bear the brunt of its disruptio
OP-ED : Near-shoring | A Threat or Opportunity
Led by David Reay—chairman of Northern Clothing & Textile Network in the UK, this session is
an interesting one where an inspiring story of rebuilding it’s manufacturing on a highly
technological proposition, seeking cross-industry experience from automotive industry will be
shared from a deeply personal place. Reay will discuss how an apparel industry like Sri Lanka’s,
with a like-minded technology mindset, could have the opportunity to partner or collaborate. An
opportunity for not only the island’s large-scale manufacturers but also for small and medium
manufacturers, opening up new avenues.
Eye on China, and lessons from its change
Leaving behind the ‘copycat’ era, China is zooming ahead to become the tech superpower
displacing the US. The Sino business culture today is led by innovation obsessed execs and
their success has generated a virtual cycle of innovation. China has spawned a new generation
of homegrown entrepreneurs who are creating world-class products, developing their own
technologies, and rolling out new business models on a scale and with a speed the global
economy has never seen. Ben Cavender, principal of the China Market Research Group and
Prof. Patrick Gottelier of Studio Gottelier, DeTao Group will dissect China’s macro landscape
fueling these initiatives and firm-level actions specific to design, technology and innovation.
Design - the catalyst for a sustainable transition towards a circular economy.
With the global markets looking for more meaningful purchases, design becomes the bridge
between the brand and the consumer, linking up processes that benefit people, profit and the planet. Designer and serial entrepreneur, plus the winner of H&M Foundation’s Global Change
award in 2016, Tjeerd Veenhoven has made it his business to use design thinking through
innovation, research, design and collaborative process to transition towards a circular economy.
Veenhoven’s session will be complemented by sustainability leaders fresh from the Sustainable
Fashion Symposium which is also held as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. This will
include Kate Heiny—head of global sustainability at C&A and the chairperson at SAC, Rogier
Van Mazijk who is the investment manager of ‘Fashion for Good’ and the co-
chair of the Sustainable Fashion Symposium. Representing Lankan apparel industry within this
power-packed panel will be Nikhil Hirdaramani—director of sustainability at the Hirdaramani
Group.
Grooming future-fit talent for the industry
What’s the role of education in future-proofing power industries like apparel. Immense, stresses
Jane Rapley OBE, professor emerita at Central Saint Martins UK, who believes that education should inspire and drive business. Academics par excellence, design entrepreneurs and talent scouts share their insights on morphing design careers and grooming talent for future-fit roles in this panel moderated by Rapley and featuring Burak Cakmak—dean of fashion at Parsons School of Design. US, Douglas Maclennan—former design school director or international development at Northumbria University UK and Henrik Vibskov—Fashion designer and entrepreneur.
In its eighth year South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum will bring together some of the
brightest fashion, apparel, tech and value chain business minds to discuss and collaboratively
bring innovative solutions to complex issues. The forum organisers and the partners of
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week hope to have the forum impacting not only commercial success
of fashion and apparel business ventures, but also those impacting lives of people and societies
globally, and building dialogue in the role of design thinking, technology and innovation as
changemakers of industry.
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