Browse the Winter 2021 Edition Schedule* for Textile Talks and Lenzing Seminar Series.
*Speakers and schedule subject to change without prior notice. Check back often for updates.
Tuesday, January 12
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM EST | Progress Over Perfection Roundtable
Lenzing Seminar Series
Moderator: Erica Redd - Business Development Manager, Lenzing Fibers, Inc.
Panelists:
- John Mowbray - Founder and Director, MCL News & Media (Ecotextile News)
- Karla Magruder - CEO and Founder, Accelerating Circularity
- Jessie Curry - Manager, Sustainable Business Innovation, Outdoor Industry Association
- Ludovic Duran - Director of Product Commercialization, Tentree
Roundtable discussion with industry leaders on their views regarding 2020, sustainability, and environmental impacts. Open discussion where panelists can share their insights and ask questions to the group. Audience Q&A to follow.
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM EST | East Africa Roundtable
Exhibitor Presentation
Panelists:
- Margaret Waithaka Program Director, USAID Trade Hub, East Africa
- Andres Saldias Apparel Market Linkage Consultant, USAID Trade Hub, East Africa
- Leanne Kamau, Communications and Knowledge Management Specialist, USAID Trade Hub, East Africa
Listen to an overview of the USAID Trade Hub East Africa buy-in project as well as an insight on AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) regarding the sourcing capacity of East Africa for both apparel and PPE.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST | Searching for Certainty in a World of Unknowns: A 2021 Outlook
Textile Talk
Moderator: Edward Hertzman - EVP, Fairchild Media / Founder & President, Sourcing Journal
Panelists:
- John Kernan - Managing Director, Cowen & Company LLC
- Stephen Lamar - President & CEO, American Apparel & Footwear Association
- Mark Cohen - Director of Retail Studies/Adjunct Professor, Columbia Business School
Operating with a backdrop of uncertainty has become the norm since Covid-19 rocked everything from the supply chain to foot traffic at stores across the globe. Join us for a look ahead at the retail outlook for 2021, where the economy is headed and how the election will affect all aspects of your business. From trade issues, inventory concerns, managing margins and approaches to sustainability, experts at Texworld will provide in-depth analysis not found anywhere else. Audience Q&A to follow.
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EST | A Conversation with designer Tracy Reese on Homecoming, Sustainability and Manufacturing Locally
Textile Talk
Moderator: Tara St James - Founder, StudyNY
Panelist:
Tracy Reese - Founder and Creative Director, Tracy Reese/Hope for Flowers
Join Tara St James of Study NY and Re:Source as she speaks with designer Tracy Reese on her move back to Detroit, creating her sustainable collection Hope for Flowers and developing a manufacturing base locally. Audience Q&A to follow.
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM EST | REO-ECO Recycle Tech - Vertical Recycle Solution
Exhibitor Presentation
Speaker:
Ivan Ye - Marketing Director, REO-ECO
Listen to a presentation by Ivan Ye, Marketing Director from REO-ECO who will discuss how they are developing and implementing solutions in regards to recycling.REO-ECO is a member of Textile Exchange and are certified by GRS, Oekotex, BSCI and HIGG. They have been providing solutions for material collection such as PET bottles from the ocean and landfill as well as vertically recycled fabric. Equipped with its own DNA trace tech, REO-ECO can make recycling more transparent for brands and retailers who are playing more key roles in social responsibility.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST | Sourcing Small Minimums
Lenzing Seminar Series
Moderator: Sharon Perez - Business Development Manager, Lenzing Fibers, Inc.
Panelists:
- Paul King - President, KenDor Textiles
- Pat Tabassi - Product Development and Marketing Manager, Design Knit
- Diviya Loomba - VP Business Development, Eagle Fabrics
- Melissa Gibson - COO, SynZenBe
The entrepreneurial spirit is thriving now. However, one of the biggest hurdles that many new and small designers face is sourcing for small minimums. The ability to source in smaller minimums is imperative to emerging brands who are not scaling to the masses. How do you help bridge the gap between the small minimums hurdle and these emerging or specialized brands? Audience Q&A to follow.
4:00 PM EST | Fashion Mingle Happy Hour Networking - Digital Marketing IQ
Meetup
Speaker: Melissa Shea - CEO, Fashion Mingle
This networking event will feature experts in web design, social media marketing, SEO, email marketing, and digital advertising. It is suitable for anyone who wants to learn how to improve their digital marketing.
Wednesday, January 13
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM EST | Farm to Fashion: How Regenerative Agriculture will reshape the Supply Chain
Textile Talk
Moderator: Jeff Wilson - Sr. Business Development Manager – Sustainability, NSF International
Panelists:
- Roian Atwood - Sr. Director of Global Sustainable Business, Kontoor Brands
- Atul Mittal - Executive Director for Pratibha Syntex Ltd. and Director at Vasudha Swaraj Private Ltd.
- Rebecca Burgess - Executive Director, Fibershed
This Textile Talk is a forum to learn, share knowledge, and ask questions about on-farm regenerative practices that brands can support and farmers can adopt. Regenerative agriculture and the multiple benefits it delivers can be part of the solution to meeting brand sustainability targets and addressing environmental goals leading to climate change. Join us in this important foundation building forum to help you gain an understanding of regenerative practices with a particular focus on cotton and what they mean for you, your company and your products in achieving our industry's sustainability goals into 2030 and beyond. Audience Q&A to follow.
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM EST | Emerging Textile & Apparel Manufacturing Outlook in West Africa
Presentation
Panelists:
- Valérie Vencatachellum, Country Head of the Tony Blair Institute
- Simplice Gue, Director of Studies and Foresight, Cotton and Cashew Board
With an abundant cotton production, a preferential access to consumption markets (EU and US) and an enabling environment being strengthened, West Africa presents compelling advantages to anchor a new Textile and Garment industry – sustainable, competitive and fast.
The Tony Blair Institute will present its findings regarding the opportunities for trailblazing a vertically integrated cotton, textile and garment (CT&A) industry. The presentation will focus on Côte d’Ivoire, a major cotton producer in West Africa with an increasing production, and ~1/3 of the regional preferred cotton. The country’s well-structured cotton sector offers lead times and opportunity for integrated, sustainable and traceable production.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST | Spring/Summer 2022 Color + Design Concepts
Textile Talk
Speaker: Kai Chow - Creative Director, The Doneger Group
The Doneger Group's Spring/Summer 2022 forecast brings to light a renewed longing for a life lived in simplicity and harmony. Join this exclusive, one-day-only presentation to identify global shifts and their influence on color, fabric and fashion for 2022.
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM EST | How Fashion Brands Can Bounce Back from Covid
Meetup
Moderator: Christine Daal - Founder and CEO of Fashion Angel Warrior
What if there were things you could do right now, that could set you up to be prosperous and profitable after COVID-19?! In this seminar, top fashion consultant Christine Daal will discuss, 4 marketing examples on how to make your brand stand out from the competition, launch strategy options, 11 things you should be focusing on, key strategies in events, e-commerce, and more! With every obstacle comes opportunity. It's a new year, let's make it your best one yet!
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EST | The Consumer's Take on Sustainability
Lenzing Seminar Series
Moderator: Daren Abney - Sr. Business Development Manager, Lenzing Fibers Inc.
Panelists:
- Maria Rugolo - Industry Analyst for Fashion Apparel, The NPD Group
- Casey Martin - Cornell University Student
Consumer needs are constantly changing, especially now with the world in a state of transformation. Lenzing recently released key findings from their "Global Consumer Perception Survey on Sustainable Raw Materials in Fashion and Home Textiles." This survey had over 9,000 responses from 9 different countries. It is key to understand the end consumer and what they view as a "sustainable" and "eco-friendly" so you can communicate and market effectively to your consumer. Audience Q&A to follow.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST | Journey to Fair Trade and Sustainability
Textile Talk
Moderator: Thimo Schwenzfeier - Show Director Neonyt, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Panelists:
- Liz Hershfeld - SVP of Sourcing & Supply Chain, Madewell
- Sanjeev Bahl - Founder & CEO, Sai-tex International
- Paul Rice - Founder & CEO, Fair Trade USA
Join this informative and inspirational discussion to understand how Madewell partners with Fair Trade USA to set goals. Sustainability goals for 2025 and 2030 will also be discussed. Audience Q&A to follow.
4:00 PM EST | Fashion Mingle Happy Hour Networking - Influencers Unscripted Featuring Influencers who work with designers and lifestyle brands
Meetup
Speaker: Melissa Shea - CEO, Fashion Mingle
This networking event is geared primarily for designers who want to learn how to work with Influencers.
Thursday, January 14
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST | RCEP: What Does it Mean for US Textile and Apparel Sourcing from Asia?
Textile Talk
Moderator: Dr. Sheng Lu - Associate Professor, Department of Fashion & Apparel Studies, University of Delaware
Panelists:
- Dr. Deborah Elms - Founder and Executive Director, Asian Trade Centre
- Beth Hughes - Vice President, Trade & Customs Policy, American Apparel and Footwear Association
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), signed in November 2020, is the world's largest free trade agreement. Nearly half of the world's textile and apparel exports currently come from the fifteen RCEP members. How will the new "rules of the game" in RCEP shape the future landscape of the textile and apparel supply chain in Asia? Who are the winners and losers of the agreement? Why US fashion brands and retailers also need to care about RCEP? The panel will interpret the key textile and apparel provisions in RCEP and share insights about the agreement's broad implications on the textile and apparel sector. Audience Q&A to follow.
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM EST | Circularity at scale? Eastman Naia™ Renew- sustainable fashion without compromise
Exhibitor Presentation
Panelists:
- Claudia de Witte – Sustainability Leader- Textiles, Eastman Naia
- Nancy Braunstein – Business Development Manager – Eastman Naia
There are innovative circular solutions such as Eastman Naia™ Renew, capturing value from waste at scale giving fashion designers more choices and versatility to create. Produced from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% certified* recycled waste plastics, Naia™ Renew creates value from hard-to-recycle materials that would otherwise be destined for landfills. The closed-loop process used to create Naia™ Renew prioritizes the safe and environmentally sound use of chemicals, ensuring that the products you create are as sustainable as they are stylish. The manufacture of Naia™ Renew also enables a measurably reduced carbon footprint over the fiber’s life cycle, and it is certified biodegradable and compostable, creating the possibility for fabrics to safely return to nature at the end of their usefulness.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST | Addressing Climate Change From the Start
Lenzing Seminar Series
Moderator: Kelly Drennan - Founding Executive Director, Fashion Takes Action
Panelists:
- Ashley Gill - Director of Standards, Textile Exchange
- Diana Rosenberg - Product Sustainability Manager, Gap Inc.
- Walter Bridgham - Senior Business Development Manager, Lenzing Fibers, Inc.
Within the Great Reset, companies are making commitments and facing hard decisions about how to meet their goals in a constantly changing landscape. The industry needs a holistic approach to ensure that climate action happens at the beginning of the supply chain while connected to other environmental concerns of water, biodiversity, consumption and more. What tools are available to support? Audience Q&A to follow.
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM EST | Domestic Sourcing - Ask the Experts
Exhibitor Presentation
Panelists:
- Andrea Kennedy Sustainability Lead, Fashiondex / Asst. Professor LIM College
- Chung Yu, Director, MCM Enterprise
- Jessica Osborn, CEO & Founder, Privy Label
Listen to a panel of domestic experts for a 30-minute interactive Q-&-A on sustainability, sourcing and local and domestic production. All your questions answered!
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EST | Textile Think Tank: What does the Future Hold?
Lenzing Seminar Series
Moderator: Tricia Carey - Director of Global Business for Apparel, Lenzing Fibers, Inc.
Panelists:
- Gail Strickler - President of Global Trade, Brookwood Associates LLC
- Alex Penades - North America Brand Director, Jeanologia
- Kristina Berrios - Global Account Director, US East, Coats
- Kutay Saritosun - Director of Fashion Brands, Bluesign
- Devin Gilmartin - Co-Founder, The Canvas by Querencia
Materializing a new industry takes a pot of new ideas. Join these thought leaders for a fusion of concepts joining social, political and technology. Audience Q&A to follow.
2:30 PM EST | Happy Hour Networking - Production Power Hour Featuring experts in apparel production in sustainability, small batch, international sourcing, and Made in the USA
Meetup
Speaker: Melissa Shea - CEO, Fashion Mingle
This networking event is primarily for designers who want to learn how to source and produce a collection in the most cost-effective ways.
Seminar Series Photos








