Speaker Selection & Diversity

1. Representation of suppliers/ garment workers/ manufacturers: Manufacturer representatives are key stakeholders to include when considering the global fashion value chain. GFA is regularly engaging with suppliers, manufacturers, and recyclers through our impact initiatives such as the Global Circular Fashion Forum (GCFF) which is working to enhance the textile recycling infrastructure in Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia to foster post-manufacturing circularity. We recently hosted an event in Cambodia to bring together core local stakeholders to discuss textile waste opportunities, and will be hosting another GCFF event in Vietnam later this year. In addition, we chose to host our first ever international Summit in Singapore in November 2022, which assembled over 250 stakeholders representing manufacturers, garment workers, retailers, brands, suppliers, NGOs, policymakers, and innovators to spur action throughout the value chain. GFA believes that the responsibility to drive change predominantly lies with the leaders of global brands and retailers due to their sheer volumes and wide reach, therefore our Summit programmes primarily aims to convene these executives and empower them to act, however we do strive to include the full fashion ecosystem in the conversation too.
2. Speakers: GFA retains its editorial integrity on all content in the Summit programme. At the Copenhagen Edition 2023, up to 80% of the 136 speakers were not affiliated with any commercial partnership with GFA. The Summit programme featured 33 manufacturer or supply chain representatives (only 9 of which were affiliated with content created in collaboration with partners and sponsors). GFA carefully selects partners and sponsors that have demonstrated concerted efforts to establish more sustainable practices in their businesses and can share valuable insights with Summit attendees, and we transparently disclose the sessions that are produced in collaboration with partners or sponsors in our Summit programme. GFA is a non-profit organisation and our vision to accelerate the transition to a net positive fashion industry is the priority for all of our content.

Diversity of Global Fashion Agenda Board and Team

1. Commitment: Global Fashion Agenda is committed to diversity and inclusion and we are actively working to improve the diversity of our team through our recruitment processes and remote working programme.
2. Team: The Global Fashion Agenda team is varied in race, nationality, age and gender. We are a close-knit organisation and strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone’s input is valued. Our organisational values include fellowship, ingenuity and empowerment.
3. Leadership: Over 60% of our leadership is female, but we recognise that there is a lack of diversity, and we are working to broaden representation of our board. We have recently made new appointments to reflect this, and plan to improve the diversity more in the future. Our board members were selected based on their deep knowledge and understanding of fashion and sustainability, and their ability to push our message among their wide networks. We would like to establish a more diverse board by urging more organisations to promote diversity within their C-Suite by hiring more BIPOC leaders, which will in turn create a more diverse pool of experts for us to draw from.
4. Hiring: We encourage all applicants no matter what age, race, sexual orientation, disability, sex and gender identity, religion or political affiliation. Aiming to attract the best talent who represent different backgrounds and relevant skills, we advertise our vacancies internationally. We have also established a remote working programme to expand our team to other countries beyond Denmark.

Summit Tickets

Pricing: The capacity of Global Fashion Summit is limited, so we deliberately target the senior decision makers – board members, C suite and business leaders – who have the power to redefine their business strategies and supply chains. The ticket prices are therefore in line with the industry standard for this target audience and ticket revenue contributes to the cost of delivering a high-quality and impactful event. We also offer complimentary media access, student tickets at a significantly reduced rate, and discounted tickets for NGOs and charities. The discussions at the Summit are also recorded and available on-demand after the event through our website against a minor fee.

Business Representation

In order to drive lasting change, we need to develop initiatives that incorporate the needs of different-sized business. We understand the importance of collaborating with not just the fashion giants with established strategies, and also the smaller businesses at the beginning of their sustainability journey. That is why Global Fashion Agenda has introduced Associate and Affiliate Partner groups which include a range of other companies to reflect alternative perspectives. Our Innovation Forum is also carefully curated with 25+ exhibitors that showcase both small and large scale solutions. Plus, our digital Innovation Forum is available throughout the year and helps to connect brands and retailers with solutions beyond the Summit.

Non-Profit

Global Fashion Agenda is a non-profit organisation and all profits made from the Summit support our efforts to mobilise, inspire, educate and influence the industry to accelerate impact.

Summit Sponsors

1. Criteria: We carefully select the sponsors of Global Fashion Summit to ensure that we share the same intentions of improving sustainability performance for the benefit of our people and planet. All sponsors have demonstrated concerted efforts to establish more sustainable practices in their businesses.
2. Funding: The amount that sponsors contribute varies depending on the level of partnership and the package delivered.

GFA Partners

1. Strategic: Our Strategic Partners act as a first sounding in shaping the sustainability agenda and play an active role in content development– such as the Fashion CEO Agenda. In addition, they provide input on other publications, policy engagement and Global Fashion Summit content, share insights at events, participate in private-public roundtables, and spread awareness about GFA via their own channels. Each company also contributes a fixed amount of money annually.
2. Associate: Our Associate Partners act as a “second sounding board” to GFA, adding another perspective to sustainability to represent various types of business from across the supply chain. They contribute to publications, participate in private-public roundtables and exclusive partner networking events. They also contribute a fixed amount of money annually.
3. Affiliate: Our Affiliate Partners contribute case studies to publications, attend networking events and contribute an annual fee to support our mission.
4. Cost: The contribution depends on the size of the business and the level of partnership. We do not disclose specific figures outside of our annual report, which is published in accordance with the parameters of existing regulation.

Donating their time

Global Fashion Agenda, the organiser of Global Fashion Summit, is a non-profit organisation that is working to accelerate sustainability in the fashion industry. As such, many individuals enthusiastically support our cause and willingly choose to donate their time and skills to support the organisation, learn more about sustainability and help to advance progress.

What Volunteers/Support Crew get

Global Fashion Summit offers up to 50 volunteers/support crew from across the globe the opportunity to experience the landmark leadership forum which they would otherwise have been unable to attend. During the four-day period, volunteers can gain practical knowledge and skills related to the execution of a large-scale event, deepen their understanding of fashion and its impact, build a community with fellow passionate volunteers, and interact with attendees.

Impact of the Summit so far

1. When Global Fashion Summit (formerly known and Copenhagen Fashion Summit) was first launched in 2009, sustainability was not a priority in the fashion industry. Over the years, the Summit convened and educated leaders and helped sustainability to become the core priority for fashion leaders that it is today
2. The Innovation Forum and matchmaking elements enable businesses to explore sustainable solutions, and many have adopted new sustainable methods after attending the summit. The Designer Challenge also helped to connect designers with solution providers to create sustainable products and bring them to market
3. Our 2020 Circular Fashion System Commitment that we launched at the Summit in 2017 was signed by 94 companies – equating to 12.5% of the global fashion market. This is a significant achievement because the companies committed to take action and annually report on the progress they are making in implementing their targets
4. Multiple companies have kickstarted new sustainability initiatives at the Summit, such as Kering’s launch of the Fashion Pact

Impact in the Future

Global Fashion Agenda is always striving to create impact through our work and we plan to announce new impact initiatives this year. Through our planned development to deliver Summit events in other regions including Southeast Asia, we also intend to create even more impact by reaching more people across the world.