London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion launch FASHION VALUES a global sustainability platform with Kering, IBM and Vogue Business at London Fashion Week

Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion @LCFLondon, UAL is pleased to announce a new collaboration with global luxury group, Kering; a leading hybrid Cloud and AI company, IBM and Vogue Business a business media publication which offers a truly global perspective on the fashion industry. This pioneering collective of the world’s leading experts in their field, have come together to launch a brand-new global platform called, ‘Fashion Values,’ which will deliver open access, cutting edge fashion and sustainability learning. It will provide a framework to inspire and amplify the voices of the next generation; to help change the course of the fashion industry in the face of critical biodiversity loss and the climate emergency.

Following the success of the Kering x London College of Fashion five year partnership, which saw over 70,000 people worldwide participate in the world’s first open access course in Luxury Fashion and Sustainability and created a slew of graduate winners of the Kering Sustainability Award; ‘Fashion Values’ builds on the foundations of this exceptional work with new partners IBM and Vogue Business, as well as critical thinkers and Universities across the world, to take this work to the next level.

‘Fashion Values’ will launch on schedule at London Fashion Week with an in-depth discussion about the project and the screening of an exclusive new film by award-winning Visual Artist and Film Director Nadira Amrani, which beautifully illustrates the project through insights from the Fashion Values partners and the collective shift from the ‘Age of Extraction’ to the ‘Age of Regeneration’ – a theme of this year’s work.

The discussion will be introduced by Caroline Rush, CEO of British Fashion Council, who are hosting the event and Head of London College of Fashion, UAL Professor Roni Brown. On the panel, which will be chaired by the Centre for Sustainable Fashion’s Director, Professor Dilys Williams, will be project partners; Marie-Claire Daveu, Kering; Karl Haller, IBM; Sara Maino, Vogue Italia and ‘Fashion Values’ Ambassador; and London College of Fashion graduates and previous Kering X LCF Award winners, Abhinov Asokan and DianJen Lin.

Each of the partners have brought their extensive knowledge and expertise to the project. As technology partner, IBM, a global leader in Hybrid Cloud and AI, will give students access to the technology and innovation to guide the industry to adopt more sustainable practices. Specifically, IBM thought leaders will share their experience and insights on the role that technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain and cloud can play in helping the fashion industry become more sustainable.

IBM will also transform the digital technology which powers the cornerstone of the partnership; a new, globally relevant, interactive education experience platform. This online hub will host a range of open source educational content, an upcoming calendar of events hosted by the partnership, playback of key events and interviews as well as podcasts featuring subject matter experts from partners and other relevant organisations – all designed to deliver a world class digital experience for learners.

Building from the experience of its long existing partnership with London College of Fashion, Kering will continue to bring its knowledge and expertise of the industry to empower students. Education is one of Kering’s key sustainability focuses. The Group contributes to nurturing the next generation’s development, by infusing sustainability at all levels of the fashion industry, in order to shape a future that safeguards the planet.

As media partner, Vogue Business will help to educate, inform and inspire students and professionals with exclusive content on sustainability which is one of the title’s key pillars of reporting across the fashion, luxury and beauty industries. Vogue Business will deliver datadriven insights and sharp analysis on the most crucial sustainability issues which the fashion industry faces today, with input from the title’s sustainability experts and editors.

As a global leader in fashion research and education London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion has pioneered sustainability as a core principle of fashion education and industry practice for well over a decade. It sits in a unique position to bring industry, policy makers and education together to create programmes which have the power to change the course of the industry.

Professor Dilys Williams, Director of Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, UAL said: “Fashion Values is about changing who and what is taught and learnt – as well as to what purpose. Fashion Values is about encouraging a mass of responses to issues of mass extinction. Our aim is to recognise and support a generation of fashion professionals to understand the value of living nature and engage in restorative practices in different places and ways. Creating ways that fashion can serve nature as its beneficiary is seldom, if ever written into fashion design briefs. It involves a major compass change but fashion can be a compass of change itself. But first, we must break the mould of where, how and with whom sources of knowledge are drawn.”

Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of International Institutional Affairs of Kering said: “Kering is proud to be part of Fashion Values. The partnership allows the Group to provide a framework to educate and inspire the next generation, through a complete programme that includes the launch of a brand-new platform showcasing cuttingedge sustainability ideas as well as transformational innovations and a challenge answering today’s global issues. Kering will share its experience and skills to encourage future designers, marketers, strategists, and communicators to create sustainably. It is now crucial that we join our forces as industry leaders to embed even more sustainability into the next generation’s education.”

Karl Haller, Partner, Consumer Industry IBM said: “IBM is pleased to be part of Fashion Values and inspire the next generation of fashion leaders with access to technology and business innovations that can guide the industry to adopt more sustainable practices. By sharing our experience and insights on the role that technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain and cloud can play, we are confident the fashion industry can become more vibrant, successful, and sustainable.”

Notes:

London College of Fashion: Shaping Lives Through Fashion
London College of Fashion, UAL, leads the world in fashion business, media and design education. We’ve been nurturing creative talent for over a century, offering courses in all things fashion. With our philosophy of open and inclusive education, we encourage students to examine the past and question the present. To develop inventive, assertive ideas that challenge social and political agendas. And we give them the skills, opportunities – and above all, the freedom – to put those ideas into practice. As we look towards our move to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2022, we’re forging partnerships, opening up opportunities, and creating connections with east London’s schools, community and industry. Part of East Bank, a new culture, education and innovation development, our single-site campus will spark collaboration, experimentation, and inspiration – all under one roof. In doing so, we’ll continue to pioneer how we all consume and practice fashion. Use fashion business, media and design to shape culture, economics, and society. And through fashion, shape lives.

Kering
A global Luxury group, Kering manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods, Jewelry and Watches: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux, as well as Kering Eyewear. By placing creativity at the heart of its strategy, Kering enables its Houses to set new limits in terms of their creative expression while crafting tomorrow’s Luxury in a sustainable and responsible way. We capture these beliefs in our signature: “Empowering Imagination”. In 2020, Kering had over 38,000 employees and revenue of €13.1 billion.

Vogue Business
Vogue Business is an online fashion industry publication launched in 2019. Headquartered at Condé Nast in London, the title offers a truly global perspective on the fashion industry, drawing on insights from Condé Nast’s network of journalists and business leaders in 32 markets to empower fashion professionals to make better business decisions. Vogue Business subscribers receive a thrice-weekly newsletter as well as weekly Technology and Sustainability Edit briefings. Senior sustainability editor Rachel Cernansky leads the sustainability coverage and recently represented Vogue Business at the World Economic Forum on the topic of circular fashion. UAL students can subscribe to the Vogue Business newsletter here or to become a Vogue Business Member (paid)

IBM
IBM is the global leader in hybrid cloud and AI, serving clients in more than 170 countries. More than 2,800 clients use our hybrid cloud platform to accelerate their digital transformation journeys and, in total, more than 30,000 of them have turned to IBM to unlock value from their data. With this foundation, we continue to leverage Red Hat OpenShift as the leading platform to address our clients’ business needs: A hybrid cloud platform that is open, flexible and secure. Guided by principles of trust, transparency and support for a more inclusive society, IBM also is committed to being a responsible steward of technology and a force for good in the world.