UN Fashion & Lifestyle Network Brings Sustainability Agenda to NYFW

The United Nations Fashion & Lifestyle Network is spreading out.

Instead of its traditional one-day annual assembly, the worldwide convening platform is internet hosting a sequence of talks throughout New York Fashion Week.

“Traditionally, we had it earlier in the year,” Lucie Brigham, chief of workplace on the UN Office for Partnerships, which oversees the community, mentioned at a press convention on the intergovernmental group’s New York City headquarters on Thursday. “For the first time in the network’s history, we decided to move it.”

The 4 classes, set to happen on the UN’s Goals Lounge, will highlight Portugal’s style and footwear trade, look at how training can equip a brand new technology of changemakers, showcase how craftsmanship and innovation can reshape materials methods and make the case for life-style as an engine of sustainable change.

Founded seven years in the past, the community brings collectively style and life-style stakeholders, policymakers, teachers, media and cultural leaders to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN’s framework for tackling poverty, inequality and local weather change.

Its 400-plus members, which span greater than 130 international locations, collaborate on tasks such because the Swarovski Foundation and UN Office for Partnerships’ Creatives for Our Future, a grant program for rising designers.

“We believe that meaningful progress for sustainable development cannot happen in isolation,” mentioned Maika Nakaoka, head of creativity on the Swarovski Foundation. “We have to work together, through partnerships and cross-sector collaborations built on shared values, ambition and passion, to take us to the next level.”

This May noticed the launch of Gothenburg’s UN Sustainable Lifestyle Hub, a two-year “knowledge exchange” initiative that can function native, scalable options for extra sustainable dwelling by way of cultural festivals reminiscent of Way Out West.

“We had performers like The Cure and Nick Cave, but we also had sustainable lifestyle talks focused on climate, fashion and food,” mentioned Sofia Hedström de Leo, the community’s senior program lead.

Following the 2025 debut of UN tour information uniforms designed by the Swedish School of Textiles—on show at Scandinavia House in September as a part of  New York Textile Month—the initiative’s subsequent part will enlist college students from London’s Central Saint Martins to create new equipment guided by ideas of round design and accountable manufacturing.

“Our overall objective is to connect people, bring them together, help them collaborate and drive positive impact in how we consume, produce and live our lives,” Brigham mentioned. “We connect the dots.”

Next month’s occasions will embody audio system reminiscent of Rebecca Levy-Lewis, chief individuals and tradition officer at Depop; Adam Taubenfligel, inventive director and duty lead at Triarchy; Massimiliano Giornetti, director at Polimoda; and Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon, International Labour Organization consultant to the UN.