Repost-” Sustainable Fashion Capital of the World” is a brand concept and slogan for the Swedish fashion industry by Elle Von Jaeger from HausofJaeger.com

The Swedish Fashion Council recently canceled Stockholm Fashion Week in the name of sustainability. Stockholm – the “sustainable fashion capital of the world” – wanted to change the way the world produces, purchases and consumes clothes. On November 21, 2019, Swedish Fashion Council CEO Jennie Rosén announced their next steps at the SACCNY Sustainable Fashion Forum in New York City: Fashion X, a new collaborative platform that will launch on January 22, 2020.

What if Sweden could do something to push fashion further? There are a lot of opportunities for the future, but the industry needs the right tools, said Rosén. Fashion X is designed to educate, innovate, and promote sustainability throughout the fashion industry. New York City and the SACCNY Sustainable Fashion Forum at the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce was the first stop in a series of cities around the world, where the Swedish Fashion Council, and its Fashion X partner  –  the Fashion Innovation Center – will crowdsource solutions to find the new building blocks necessary for the fashion industry’s transformation to sustainability.

-We will find partners in each industry and invite them to innovate and disrupt fashion projects, in a cross-border environment where each company provides their expertise. When a 3 trillion dollar business needs to make a paradigm shift and enter the digital world, the opportunities are endless, said Emil Frid, co-founder of the Fashion Innovation Center.

Several speakers and panelists at the forum felt the

the urgency for a shift in practices to happen now and agreed that in order for the fashion industry to move forward, it will need global participation, education, and access to the right tools.

Emily Scarlett, Head of Communications and Public Relations, H&M USA, stated that the fashion industry isn’t going anywhere and that these next conversations must be about moving the industry forward.  Instead of competing with one another, the industry must come together as a whole to share ideas, hold one another accountable, and shape the future together. “It’s an industry that is demanding of resources – how can we continue to look at new economies by turning old things into new things – how do we integrate technologies into things?” she asked.

“Sweden has chosen to do more than other countries regarding energy, climate and also in the fashion industry,” says Helena Waker, CEO, Association of Trade Partners Sweden and Founder, Stockholm Fashion District. For more than a decade, Sweden has been in the top ten of the globally respected Environmental Performance Index produced by Columbia and Yale universities.

The SACCNY Sustainable Fashion Forum was organized by the Swedish-American Chamber Commerce in New York and was presented in partnership with Visit Sweden, Invest Stockholm, Visit Stockholm, the Consulate General of Sweden in New York, The Swedish Villa, Fjällräven, Nudie Jeans, Gudrun Sjödén, re: new cell, UBS, We aRe Spindye, DEDICATED, and Arctic Design of Sweden.

For more information or to schedule interviews, email Yasmina Backström at [email protected]

Photo credit: Johannes Berg/Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce

The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1906, the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in New York (SACCNY) is a non-profit business organization that works to promote Swedish business and innovation in the US. Through initiatives such as its recently launched innovation platform, Gateway, and Sustainability program, Impact Track, SACCNY works tirelessly to create synergies and collaboration between innovators, businesses, and investors. The organization aims at advancing innovation and sustainability and supports its companies to achieve their goals in the American market. Learn more at www.saccny.org

Visit Sweden
Visit Sweden is Sweden’s National Tourism Organization, promoting Sweden as a destination and as a brand to attract more foreign visitors. Visit Sweden forms partnerships with Swedish regions and other players in the Swedish tourism industry. Equally owned by the Swedish Government through the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation, and the Swedish Tourism Industry through Svensk Tourism AB, Visit Sweden is present in ten countries worldwide. Learn more at www.visitsweden.com