With the billions, maybe trillions, of pounds that are generated in the fashion industry, getting people talking about sustainability before design and retail is not something many people would expect. Well, last year we certainly saw the tides beginning to change!

Due to the recent release of our 2015/16 Impact Report, we thought it would be great to give you some insight into the different ways that we have gone about supporting our members to develop themselves, develop their businesses and make some real impact in their respective industries.

Here’s the first story, check out the full report for more.

‘Threads: Rethinking Fashion’ explores the subject of sustainability in the apparel and textile industry, with the aim of supporting innovations that enable a fair and sustainable supply chain.

Each event sees academics and practitioners share how innovations are used to craft sustainable best practices in their sector. Last year, we started with ‘From Fibres to Fabrics: Sustainable sourcing practices to produce raw materials’; then our next event looked at ‘Mindful Manufacturing: Understanding the manufacturing and production stage’; then we concluded with ‘Conscious Consumerism: Using our consumer purchasing power to create good’.

The connections and collaborations that took place in order to make this series of events the huge success that it was, came not just from the members that were a part of organising the events, but also from our staff and member hosts that used their time, skills, resources and experience to make every event better than the last. The roles played by organisers, including facilitating, exhibiting and logistics all ensured that the experiences for our attendees and our guest speakers were truly amazing.

The sign of great work is really in the ripples it goes about creating, and the legacy it builds and leaves – this is especially true when working on events. It is fair to say then, that the energy created through these brilliant Threads events must have been strong as that momentum has carried through to the creation of a Facebook Group, as well as further sub-events such as the Sustainable Fashion Meetup, run by Dorte Lange, Founder of The Lissome.

For more information, check out the full Impact Report and find out how to get involved in future events here.