ETHICAL SOURCE EXPO AND RITE CONFERENCE

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Written by Ishwari Thopte - Wednesday, 20 October 2010

ETHICAL SOURCE EXPO 2010, the annual fashion industry trade show for ethical sourcing, held this month in London was a great success. This year, the event took place alongside the prestigious RITE Group Conference on Sustainability at the City Hall, Westminster.

ARTISAN LIFE

The Source Expo had a buzzing atmosphere- with almost 800 visitors throughout the day. Seminars at both the events were all over subscribed and well received. The RITE Conference was sponsored and hosted by TESCO in a very efficient and friendly way. The morning began with a welcome message by Phil Patterson, Chair of the RITE Group, followed by a very inspiring address given by Baroness Lola Young OBE who highlighted how alliances are the way to the future for ethical fashion SMEs. The first speaker for the morning was Vicky Murray from Forum for the Future who demonstrated the four future scenarios they have forecasted for the fashion industry. She very rightly stated that the answers to our future lie in our past. Sara Giorgi, a senior researcher at Brook Lyndhurst, which is an independent research and strategy consultancy, spoke about consumer behaviour change. She pointed out that consumers are the end engines who drive the change in the industry and the fact that it is thus very important to consider their reactions and perceptions and understand their demands.

FENG HO

Other speakers included Sean Smith from Defra who spoke about their Sustainable Clothing Roadmap, Paul Hulme, chairman of Huntsman Textiles, Anna Harvey of M&S and Dorothy Maxwell of Global View Sustainability Services among others. A key topic included in almost every speech was concerning the importance of collaboration and how collaboration will hold a key role in the future of sustainable fashion.

LEBLAS

The Ethical Source Expo also had a Designer Pavilion where select designers showcased their latest collections alongside ethical and fair-trade suppliers from all over the world. There was an abundance of creativity and design-oriented talent with interesting and innovative new textiles and materials.