Business of Fashion: Voices 2022 Recap
Tyshca Nicole
This year I had the pleasure of attending Business of Fashion: Voices 2022 and I left feeling inspired and ready to take my fashion brand to another level. If you’re unfamiliar with the Business of Fashion, let me help you.
It is the goal of Business of Fashion to serve as a conduit through which the international fashion community may be better informed, brought together, and encouraged to embrace new ideas. Their commitment to producing, collecting, and disseminating first-rate news and analysis is crucial to their success in this endeavor.
So in other words, they are the educators of fashion. You can get info on all things fashion in the areas news, trends, analytics, sustainability, marketing, technology, and the list continues.
VOICES is an annual conference hosted by Business of Fashion that brings together the fashion industry's leading lights with the world's most influential thinkers, doers, and do-gooders. You will get new perspectives on business and life through the synergies and insights forged by VOICES's cross-sector learning and collaboration.
The two day event included panels that discussed:
The Wider World
Every fashion industry is influenced by the larger world, from politics and the global economy to social issues and humanitarian catastrophes. They take a step back here to see the larger picture.
Inside the Fashion System
Currently, we are living through the transformation of the fashion industry. In this discussion, they'll get to know the people who are worried about the future and weighing the pros and cons of staying optimistic.
Technology and Innovation
Innovations in the supply chain, Web3 community building, 3D printing, and crowdfunding are just a few examples of how technology has the ability to make our lives better and help us solve problems in unprecedented ways. Here's a look at the bold businesspeople, scientists, and visionaries who are driving positive change using cutting-edge tech.
Global Culture and Creativity
This panel consisted of creative leaders from around the world sharing their experience on how their culture influences fashion.
Live Your Best Life
This panel discussed how we should learn how to live a life with meaning and authenticity by listening to passionate people with motivational stories.
The panels were amazing and I truly enjoyed the gems dropped from each session. Some of my key takeaways came from VOICES 2022 came from the following panels:
Inside the Fashion System
This panel consisted of five different discussions on ways to create a better system from the top down. The discussions that resonated with me were GREENWASHING: IT'S TIME TO CALL IN THE REFS which included the following speakers - Tariq Fancy, Maxine Bédat, Ken Pucker and Baroness Lola Young OBE in conversation with Sarah Kent.
This panel discussed the responsibility of larger fashion companies when it comes to the best interest of their consumers being the change agents when it comes to human rights and climate change, and other international issues.
Global Culture and Creativity
This panel shared cultural creativity across the world featuring creatives from Korea, Ghana, and Tokyo. Each speak provided a unique perspective on how they include their consumers in the thought process of their ideas and how they educate others outside of their communities on the importance of learning about their cultures and not going off what the media portrays about their countries.
Those who attended in person and virtually received a copy of the State of Fashion 2023 report which showed big shifts coming to the industry in the upcoming year.
This event has opened my eyes to the world of fashion and has shown that fashion goes beyond what you wear. It’s filled with a community of activists, change agents, and answer seekers. Most importantly, it’s a community with a common interest of everyone coming together to share their unique experiences and have the necessary conversations to bring us closer together as the human race.
If you are not registered with The Business of Fashion, I suggest that you do so immediately. You can stay up to date with up coming events, receive exclusive content and interviews with the top names in fashion, and you can be added to the list for VOICES 2023.