This year’s Textile Exchange’s Sustainability Conference will be held in Milan later this month. The conference offers an opportunity to connect with industry pioneers and learn about cutting edge solutions and innovations in textile and apparel sustainability. The theme of the 2018 conference is United by Action: Accelerating Sustainability in Textiles and Fashion.

C.L.A.S.S., headquartered in Milan, the global resource for smart material innovation, education, marketing and communication, will be on hand to support this year’s theme. The C.L.A.S.S. team will be available during Textile Exchange’s Sustainability Conference to demonstrate the embedded values of a fantastic range of smart material innovations backed by sustainable credentials from C.L.A.S.S.’ Material Hub.

Giusy Bettoni, C.L.A.S.S. CEO and Founder, and her team will have a dedicated space to engage attendees in an open discussion regarding the importance of fashion business strategies as they highlight a wide-range of responsible materials. The experience in the space, which will reflect an New York event created for C.L.A.S.S. by Ginger Design, will start with the vision of a film by Cristina Picchi that represents harmony between the various phases of the textiles process and the cycles of natural elements. Visitors will walk through a 3D installation designed by Cécile Feilchenfeldt to inspire creativity and explore the limitless possibilities using innovative smart materials.

Circular economy

Many of the materials the C.L.A.S.S. team will showcase speak to circular economy, such as Re.VerSo, Bemberg and Roica by Asahi Kasei, Iluna Group and Tintex Textiles, and many others that use technological breakthroughs to offer fashion materials that provide significant reductions in water during the manufacturing process, an important step toward responsible future fashion systems.

“We are always proud to have a presence at international events including this year’s Textile Exchange’s Sustainability Conference. It is a great way for us to share our expertise regarding responsible innovation and new business model strategies. As C.L.A.S.S. is headquartered in Milan, we are proud that they selected our city for this year’s conference. Being held in Milan provides a chance for us to support Textile Exchange regarding smart material innovation, many of them produced in Italy,” said Bettoni.

Responsible creation

Just off the return from Première Vision in Paris, Bettoni, who is also the Sustainability Consultant for Smart Creation, recognises the importance for her company to have a strong international presence to spread C.L.A.S.S.’ message to a global audience regarding responsible creation. As C.L.A.S.S. enters its second decade of business, it has expanded its business activities to include e-commerce that provides an opportunity for fashion start-up to purchase up to a maximum of 50, an initiative launched to support fashion start-ups. And a new division, C.L.A.S.S. Education, an initiative Bettoni co-founded with James Mendolia, also a Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology.

Mendolia has been visiting universities to speak to fashion design, business, textiles and production students in Europe, Asia and North America to encourage attendees to infuse a new way of design thinking and move from a linear to a circular business model.

November will also kick-off the next World C.L.A.S.S. Tour, starting in Milan and then in the US and continuing through the end of the year returning to Europe. An opportunity for the team to meet with brands, retailers, designers and start-ups to introduce them to new marketing and communication tools that will help them take the next steps toward a new generation of responsible brand values.

www.classecohub.org