United Nations, CFDA to talk sustainability at Kingpins New York

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Nov 14, 2019

The United Nations, the Council for Council of Fashion Designers of America and Gap are set to bring sustainability to the forefront at the upcoming Kingpins New York tradeshow. 

Part of Kingpins’ plan to bring an ethical focus to its tradeshows worldwide, all panels of the upcoming New York show will focus on social and environmental issues related to the future of the denim industry. 

Scheduled from November 19 through 20, the New York event’s schedule includes a panel hosted by the United Nations Office for Partnerships and Conscious Fashion Campaign, entitled 'Denim Industry Impact: Conscious Strategies for the Sustainable Development Goals'.

Moderated by Lucie Brigham, chief of office at the United Nations Office for partnerships, the panel will feature Sara Kozlowski, the director of education and professional development at the CFDA; Kerry Bannigan, founder of Conscious Fashion Campaign; and Michele Sizemore, senior vice president of global product development at Gap.

In addition, the show will also present 'Philanthropy As Pathway to Sustainability', a panel hosted by the non-profit Delivering Good. Hosted by Merrie Keller, Delivering Good’s director of product procurement, the panel will discuss ways in which brands can use their new, excess product to benefit others. Panel will include Kerry Bannigan of Conscious Fashion Campaign. 

Additional highlights of the Kingpins New York show are set to include the Kingpins Trend S/S 2021 Garment Installation -- a curated selection of garments designed by Kingpins exhibitors, inspired by the Kingpins Trend forecast developed by Amy Leverton and Sam Trotman of Denim Dudes; an educational space hosted by the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the U.N., where visitors can learn more about how the U.N. plans to partner with industry to achieve their goals; and the Kingpins Market, a new collection of retailers, artisans, vintage dealers and more. 

The New York show marks the latest Kingpins event to prioritize making a social and ethical statement. Earlier this year, Kingpins announced that it would ask exhibitors at its October show in Amsterdam to comply with CSR and Chemical Management standards and requirements, a policy that applied only to weavers in last April’s session.