USA: Sustainable Fashion Initiative at Princeton University

Bel Esprit, the online showroom for sustainable and ethical fashion is offering its support of a new initiative at Princeton University. 3 – 5 May 2012 marks the debut of The Sustainable Fashion Initiative during Princeton Fashion Week on the Princeton University campus, open to students, industry professionals and the public. Princeton Fashion Week intends to facilitate partnerships and dialogue around a sustainable design philosophy, Bel Esprit reports. Bridging academia and industry, Princeton Fashion Week serves as a nexus for exploring how to harness the power of fashion to serve as a vehicle of positive change.
 

The Sustainable Fashion Initiative was founded by three students at Princeton University in the summer of 2011, with the purpose of promoting a socially and environmentally responsible understanding of fashion on campus and investigating practices that will enhance sustainability in the fashion industry as a whole.  Princeton Fashion Week is an interactive platform bringing consumers, thought leaders, and industry insiders together to explore the sustainable design process.
 

The event will open on May 3 with a design competition - area students will present their entries in sustainable fashion design. The event will continue with seminars and workshops and conclude with a showcase of sustainable fashion from established fashion companies, including Bel Esprit showroom member, Soham Dave, a contemporary, fair trade and ecological casual clothing line.  Debora Pokallus, CEO of Bel Esprit will speak on the background of ethical fashion, the application of ethical principles across all industry sectors, and its significance and importance in the current economic and business climate. Indego Africa will speak on their program working in Rwanda and with western fashion companies, to build a sustainable fashion business that benefits disadvantaged communities, and Lusmila McColl, designer of the collection McColl & Clan, will discuss conscious consumerism.
 

Bel Esprit offers its support of this event as part of its program to educate the industry and the public about the importance and the commercial viability of ethical practices in fashion and business.  Engaging college students in the discussion and understanding of ethical business practices and social and environmental justice as they consider future endeavors and career paths is an important component of Bel Esprit's mission to transform the global industry. The Sustainable Fashion Initiative offers Princeton University's active community of social entrepreneurs a practical platform for discussion, interaction and exploration of ideas, and future plans are to expand this program to other college campuses.