NICE and nice events coming up

12. Aug 2010 This is looking to be a busy fall for those who want to soak up inspiration in the sector of sustainable fashion. First off the bat is an exhibit in Stockholm of the NICE collection: Couture by Nordic designers with eco-friendly materials from C.L.A.S.S. Followed by a NICE day in Copenhagen, and two very nice days in London!

If you are in Stockholm for their Fashion week, make sure to pencil in Thursday August 19th. Between 4 and 6 PM you can join the Swedish Fashion Council at Gallery Pascale in Humlagårdgatan 15 for the NICEst exhibit of the year. These are the result of the design competition that was show-cased on the catwalk in the Copenhagen Opera House during Fashion Summit last December. 20 designers from the five Nordic countries had been chosen by the Nordic Fashion Association, and their challenge was to create beautiful clothes from eco-friendly textiles provided by C.L.A.S.S. The result was amazing, so don't dare miss this exhibit!

Next on is the NICE conference in Copenhagen September 23rd, you can register now (the conference is free, but your registration is binding) by emailing mai@danishfashioninstitute.dk. The venue is the Danish Design Center and it lasts from 1 till 5 PM. More about the conference, which will focus on sustainable design, you can read about in the news story right under this one. But hearing both Phil Patterson from Colour Connections and Sandy Maclennan from C.L.A.S.S. is always a thrill!

So you still want to hear more? Well, we could recommend London in the beginning of October.... First Textiles-UK on Tuesday October 5th, where Wool - the Cloth of Kings, is the theme. For more details, check out the program for what is going on at the Clothworkers' Hall this day. There's an early-bird special price for this event, so be sure to register before August 31st. You may also want to stay for the black-tie dinner. There will also be a presentation of the exciting exhibition of SDC International Design Competition and CSI Award finalists and announcement of the award winners in as part of the event. Among the speakes are Peter Duffield — Global Textile Associates on achieving sustainability in the wool supply chain, there will be a presentation of the HRH Prince of Wales Wool Campaign and David Lewis — University of Leeds will talk about the digital printing of woollen textiles.

The very next day (so you have an excuse to attend the black-tie event AND stay over-night in London) you will have the chance to attend the RITE conference, which runs alongside The annual Ethical Fashion Source Expo on Wednesday 6th October at Central Hall, Westminster, London. The Expo brings together international manufacturers, suppliers and cooperatives working to high ethical standards. The event includes a programme of seminars, introducing new products and exemplary supply and production systems. The Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) is the industry body focusing upon social and environmental sustainability in the fashion industry.

The EFF represents the world's largest and most established network of fashion professionals dedicated to sustainability, including more than 3500 members in over 100 countries. The event will be attended by the biggest names in retail as well as hundreds of independent brands seeking partnerships with ethical suppliers. Representatives of the following regularly attend EFF events: Liberty, Monsoon, Tesco, All Saints, Ascension, Burberry, Edun, Whistles, Marks and Spencers, New Look, Sainsbury’s, Ted Baker, Topshop, and many others. This year all RITE conference delegates will also be invited to attend. There will also be a Designer Pavillion. Who will be the featured speakers at the RITE conference, we've already updated you on. But keep updated as new speakers get added on www.ritegroup.org.