Virtual Forum: Looking to the Future

Envisioning Sustainability and Transparency in Today’s Fashion Supply Chain

The University of Missouri’s Textile and Apparel Management program presented a virtual forum on April 12th 2021 which was a platform for students to engage with industry experts and educators on questions, issues and challenges regarding sustainability and transparency in the fashion industry. The COVID-19 pandemic will reshape values around sustainability and wake up fashion consumers and companies to focus on sustainability-related issues. For retailers and consumers, increasing communication regarding supply chain transparency will help consumers understand companies ‘efforts towards sustainability.

The featured speakers were Mark Messura (Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Marketing for Cotton Incorporated), Fatima Anwar (Founder and CEO of Ethical & Sustainable Sourcing), Dr. Deniz Köksal ( Head of Research Laoratory and Lecturer at the School of Textiles & Design at Reutlingen University, Sustainability Expert and Researcher for the Fashion DIET) and Marieke Eyskoot (Sustainable Lifestyle Expert, speaker, event presenter and consultant, and co-founder of international fair fashion trade show MINT).

The Presentation Topic of Dr. Deniz Köksal, Team Member of the Fashion DIET Project, was: “Behind the Scenes: Unfolding the Defective Fashion System from the Suppliers View”.