Reminder Beyond Berlin

What makes an item of clothing desirable enough to inspire us to produce, order, buy and wear it? What is it the pattern needs, and what about the fabric? What story does it take and what’s that unique selling point to trigger the desire to own it at all costs?

While some are looking for something charming, quirky, cool or comfortable, others pay more attention to fair and ethically correct production. Maybe a combination of the two is the way forward. That is why the Beyond Fashion Summit is organised, to create a platform that focuses on the all-round ‘good’ garment.

The event kicks off with Friederike von Wedel Parlow, Matilda Lee and Tamsin Lejeune; three women whose idea of inner beauty is in tune with its realisation and who, as designer, journalist and activist are creating a sophisticated image of tomorrow’s fashion. 

Together with their partner DaWanda the organisers are picking up the baton on behalf of the luxury of handcrafted goods.

They will talk about the beauty of fair production processes like Aurelyen created with Misericordia. And about changes in the industry - with Francois Girbaud, the godfather of stone washing, they will discuss the impact of new laser washing techniques. With Melanie Kuntnawitz they will embark on the bumpy road that is converting a mainstream company like Jack Wolfskin into a fairwear certified model brand.

Speaking of mainstream. Should somebody be under the impression that sustainable products are still a niche market, Sandra Schittkowski from Lovegreen might just prove them wrong. To maintain credibility and create transparency you need to secure yourself towards your partners. You will be told how to by lawyer Alexander Bretz. For Kalle Lasn, founder of Adbusters, the marketing techniques of companies have a strong cultural impact and therefor make them vulnarable. 

Big or small, loud or soft, each and everyone of us holds responsibilities as a pioneer on the, to-date, largely uncharted lands. If one fails it inevitably affects the whole sector. True to the motto “failure is part of long-term success” we have to find a way of dealing with mistakes concertedly. In this spirit you can look forward to an exciting showdown with Nur Basaran, Kuyichi’s Product & Brand Manager, who will climb the podium together with Dr. Kirsten Brodde and retailer Lars Wittenbrink, to discuss not only the success story of Kuyichi and the danger of image-damaging-processes but also come to a conclusion of how to make sustainable products marketable and how conventional products can survive in the market while converting towards ethical production standards. 

Join this voyage into knowledge exchange, lively discussions and learning processes. Be there when the speakers become a part of the audience after their lectures and the audience part of the performance and when Berlin’s community comes together on the evening of the 21st for the network party. 

Find out what else is on the bill, who is taking part and what is yet to come …

Look forward to:

• 2 days of concentrated knowledge exchange at the summit
• the network party at DasHotel
• included vegetarian lunch at Eckbert Zwo
• free of charge access to THE SOURCE via the Ethical Fashion Forum during the Summit
• an extensive DIY program by Dawanda 

Reduced tickets for the Summit are available for students and members of: Ethical Fashion Forum, Fairwear Foundation, IVN, IVN, Made-By, Create Berlin, Korrekte Klamotten und Dawanda-Shops. 

Please go to beyondberlin.com/download/BFSApplication.pdf to apply.

And should you need a place to stay: there is a special hotel deal for participants at The Michelberger Hotel – which is becoming increasingly in demand among artists, creatives and globetrotters.