Fashion and innovation celebrated in Stockholm
The H&M Foundation, which is aiming to speed up the transformation of the textile industry, brought together brands, suppliers, academia, innovators, NGOs, investors, and industry decisionmakers at the Open Perspectives event to share knowledge, initiate collaborations and take action for a socially inclusive and planet positive fashion future. Professor Johan Rockström held an inspiring opening speech, followed by panels about systems change within the industry and what part innovation can play in that change.
In the evening all 350 guests gathered at Stockholm City Hall, where the Nobel Prize is held, to award and celebrate the new winners of Global Change Award. GCA Alumni, Amit Gautam from TextileGenisis, opened the ceremony with a personal keynote about the ups and downs of being a start-up and what winning the GCA has meant for him and his team. This year, there’s a wide range of solutions among the ten winners and many of them are focusing on both people and planet. One of the winning ideas, PhycoLabs from Brazil, transforms seaweed into regenerative fabrics and sources the miracle organism from farming communities along Brazil’s vast coastline. The output? A traceable and regenerative material that improves the health of the planet – and the wealth of its traditional communities. Another winning team, Tereform from the US, is making is possible to break down waste textiles and reassemble it into new materials, even if they contain challenging additives such as spandex. As opposed to conventional mechanical and chemical recycling methods, Tereform uses an oxidation process that makes the fibre stronger and cost competitive.
The Global Change Award brings fashion and innovation together and Adwoa Aboah didn’t disappoint when she handed out an award to one of this year's GCA winners. The model and activist stepped onto the GCA blue carpet wearing a draped bustier dress, custom made by H&M. The grey, silky satin is made of 100% organic silk and her jewellery is made of recycled brass.
For more information or scheduling interviews please contact:
Jasmina Sofić,
Media Relations Responsible, H&M Foundation
Mobile +46 73 465 59 59
E-mail: jasmina.sofic@hmfoundation.com
H&M Foundation is privately funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of the H&M Group. We use philanthropic resources to find, fund and facilitate disruptive innovations, initiatives and research that enable a socially inclusive and planet positive textile industry. To accelerate the transformation, we take on a holistic and open approach – bringing diverse partners together to co-create, and to share learnings and solutions. The H&M Foundation can also provide emergency relief. For more information visit hmfoundation.com.
