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FIT's 19th Annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference
Charting a Course Toward Circularity
April 8 and 9, 2025
Fashion Institute of Technology
Enter via the Pomerantz Art and Design Center lobby, located on the northwest corner
of
West 27th Street and Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001
This year's conference focused on how the creative industries are leading the transition toward closed-loop systems that reduce and even eliminate resource consumption and waste. Vibrant and inspirational conversations among eco-entrepreneurs, designers, activists, and nonprofit leaders delved into strategies for navigating change and fostering collaboration in sustainable design, production, distribution, and business. Together, we explored new ideas, forged a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities the industry faces, and build hope for a better future.
For general information or questions, email [email protected].
Speakers
View the organizers and speakers
Schedule of Events
Tuesday, April 8
The Pomerantz Art and Design Center lobby
located on the northwest corner of West 27th Street and Seventh Avenue
Featuring the EarthTone Interactive Coloring Project, a large-scale graphic that FIT biodesign students created for all of us to color
Genspace Designing with BioMaterials
Feldman Center, Room C804
Explore biomaterials in this hands-on workshop, where we will learn how to cultivate
and manipulate algae-based biomaterials. This workshop encourages experimentation
and creativity, and aims to foster understanding of this biomaterial’s potential.
Workshop participants will:
be introduced to biomaterials;
use the biofabrication process to make biothread;
and learn sustainable design principles and practices.
Lolo Ostia, multidisciplinary artist, educator, and researcher
Natural Dyeing for Textiles (Space Dyeing)
Textile Development & Marketing Dye Lab, Room A683
Join us in the Textile Development and Marketing Dye Lab for a Natural Dyeing Workshop
exploring natural color and modifiers. We will use plant-based dyestuffs grown in
FIT's rooftop Natural Dye Garden to create color on fibers and then experiment with
common color modifiers to expand our natural rainbow. Participants will create several
small swatches for their own collection.
Whitney Crutchfield, Textile Development and Marketing faculty, FIT
Actionable Activism: Empowering Communities Through Design Thinking Workshop
Seminar Room 9
This workshop will help participants explore creative, human-centered solutions for
sustainability challenges in their communities. We encourage participants to move
from abstract discussion to actionable, community-driven design solutions, using the
principles of design thinking. You’ll come away from this workshop with an action
plan for implementing sustainable design solutions in your own community.
Amy Sperber, Fashion Design faculty, FIT
Andrea Diodati, Fashion Design faculty, FIT
Repurposing Waste Workshop: Making a Serving Board with Recycled Materials
Dubinsky AC08
How can we create beautiful and functional objects while prioritizing safety and sustainability?
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll transform recycled wood into unique serving boards,
exploring the properties of different wood types and the potential risks associated
with finishes and treatments. As we craft, we’ll discuss how to identify and avoid
hazardous substances in woodworking, ensuring that the materials we use are safe for
both our health and the environment. Together, we’ll explore sustainable design practices
that give new life to discarded materials and reduce our ecological footprint.
Dr. Julian R. Silverman, Chemistry faculty, FIT
Steven Ceraso, Continuing and Professional Studies, FIT
John E. Reeves Great Hall
Join us for a delicious lunch (included with conference registration fee) and a chance
to connect with fellow conference attendees and industry experts.
Dr. Karen R. Pearson, chair, FIT Sustainability Council
Liz Alessi, Sustainability Consultant/Sourcing Executive/Circularity Expert/Senior Investment Advisor
Liz Alessi will be looking at ongoing innovation in the realm of fashion circularity. Brands, now more than ever, are facing challenges to support their goals. In this session, Alessi will unpack some of the systemic issues and offer practical solutions, including case studies, that support the business case for circularity.
Value hierarchy: The optimal model to preserve the value of products and materials. Design for circularity: Think of the end of a product’s life at the beginning of its life and choose environmentally preferred materials.
Scaled post-consumer opportunities: Make use of the systems in place to collect, sort, and disassemble in order to reuse, recycle, or down-cycle.
Innovative technologies: Entrepreneurs are using AI to support the transition to more sustainable products.
Circular systems in design are crucial for reducing the fashion industry’s environmental footprint. Bringing together the voices of designers and entrepreneurs, this panel will explore how a new generation of fashion innovators are harnessing circular approaches to design. Designers Jonathan Cohen (Jonathan Cohen Studio) and Maxwell Osbourne (anOnlyChild), entrepreneur Indré Rockefeller (The Circularity Project), and FIT faculty member Christina Lee will discuss what it really takes to embrace circularity in today’s industry and its place in design’s future.
Maxwell Osborne, designer and founder, anOnlyChild
Jonathan Cohen, creative director, Jonathan Cohen Studio
Indré Rockefeller, climate communicator, entrepreneur, and Founder of The Circularity Project
Moderator: Christina Lee, Fashion Business Management faculty, FIT
Brush up on the ever-changing landscape of sustainable fibers. The panel will discuss various solutions to sustainable-fashion’s fiber challenge, as well as the latest innovations in both recycling and biodegradable materials.
William Calvert, co-founder and CEO, RTV
Billy McCall, co-founder and CEO, Kintra Fibers
Buxton Midyette, VP marketing and promotions, Supima Cotton
Amber Härkönen, circular business manager, Circulose; Textile Development and Marketing alumna,
FIT
Moderator: Tom Scott, associate professor, Fashion Design Faculty, FIT
A bold vision of our future is one where all human-made products follow a circular life cycle, i.e., they are fully regenerative or degradable at the end of service—an idea inspired by the inherent circularity of biological processes. Realizing this vision requires us not only to discover biomaterials but also to translate them into sustainable commercial materials and systems; and this requires unprecedented transdisciplinary collaboration. This panel will discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in navigating this new frontier and building a convergent ecosystem for deep-tech commercialization—from matching domain experts with innovators to utilizing green chemistry and biofabrication to develop regenerative materials and green manufacturing methods for legacy NYC industries such as fashion, construction, and healthcare.
Kym Canter, founder and chief creative officer, BIOFUR®
Tavis Ezell, director of business development for the New York State Sensor Center of Advanced
Technology (CAT) at CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center
Casey Lardner, executive director, Genspace
Helen Lu, director, biomedical engineering; senior vice dean of faculty affairs and advancement,
Columbia University
Theanne Schiros, associate professor, Materials Science, FIT; National Geographic Explorer
At FIT, sustainability is a core value that infuses every aspect of the college—from curriculum to campus facilities and architecture. FIT’s New Academic Building (slated to open its doors in fall 2025) will advance the college’s commitment to a sustainable campus, with 26 smart, energy-efficient working spaces (classrooms, studios, and labs) and additional green features, such as a green roof and sophisticated daylighting controls. This is your chance to learn all about the new building, directly from its design team, SHoP Architects.
SHOP Architects
Sherry Brabham, treasurer and vice president for Finance and Administration, FIT
Daniel Smith, associate, SHoP Architects
Maxwell Warshaw, senior associate, SHoP Architects
John E. Reeves Great Hall
We invite you to a reception announcing this year’s recipient of the FIT Changemaker
Award for lifetime contributions to the mission of sustainability at FIT. Join us
as we celebrate the award winner—and also one another—for our commitment to sustainability.
Wednesday, April 9
The Pomerantz Art and Design Center lobby
located on the northwest corner of West 27th Street and Seventh Avenue
Featuring the EarthTone Interactive Coloring Project, a large-scale graphic created by FIT biodesign students for all of us to color.
Katie Murphy Amphitheatre
Connect with industry professionals and other conference attendees to discuss sustainability
in the fashion and creative industries.
FIT Conference Co-Chairs
As sustainability reshapes the luxury landscape, how can brands lead the charge toward a more responsible future? As consumer expectations evolve, the future of responsible luxury demands a bold reimagination of sustainability, ethics, and innovation. This dynamic panel brings together internationally recognized leaders from the diamond, fine jewelry, and fashion industries to explore what the next generation of responsible luxury looks like. The panelists will discuss the industry’s biggest challenges and opportunities: from traceability and transparent supply chains to the transformative power of collaboration and inclusivity. Join us for an insightful conversation on how luxury brands and leaders can shift to more sustainable models while maintaining the excellence, craftsmanship, and desirability that define luxury.
Tiffany Stevens, chief business officer and head of sustainability, International Gemological Institute
Malyia McNaughton, founder and CEO, Made by Malyia
Wendy Waugh
Moderator: Lauren Petrovic, founder, Laurenti New York; FIT Alumna
The student-moderated panel brings together a group of FIT faculty who are also business founders, to share insights on how to sustainably and profitably grow a business. The panel will dive into real-world implementations of textbook learnings. Panelists’ expertise ranges from small business ownership to sustainable fabric design and creation.
Ann Cantrell, Fashion Business Management faculty, FIT; and owner of Annie’s Blue Ribbon General
Store
Whitney Crutchfield, Textile Development and Marketing faculty, FIT; and owner of WE GATHER
Jaclyn Lindsey-Noble, Textile Development and Marketing adjunct professor, FIT; and COO of Regenerative Cotton Collective
Moderators:
Giselle Mastrolonardo, student, International Trade and Marketing student, FIT
Julia Nordahl, student, Fashion Design student, FIT
Join us for an engaging discussion about the RE.UNIQLO X FIT capsule collection conceived, designed, and marketed by FIT students. This innovative collaboration between FIT’s DTech lab, FIT faculty and students, and UNIQLO industry professionals, promotes the re-use of materials to inspire circularity in design. It exemplifies how collaboration is an integral part of educating emerging professionals and fostering innovative sustainable design solutions.
Jean-Emmanuel Shein, director, global corporate social responsibility, UNIQLO USA
Juliana Cho, Fashion Design faculty, FIT
Joe Staluppi, Communication Design faculty, FIT
Michael Ferraro, DTech LaB executive director, FIT
Moderator: Joanne Arbuckle, DTech Lab faculty, FIT
Pollution and overconsumption of raw materials are two major issues facing our planet. Naia™ Renew fiber is one of Eastman’s solutions. With this innovative fiber, produced from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% certified recycled waste material, they create value from waste and help brands become more sustainable without compromising on comfort, quality, or style. Eastman’s business development manager of textiles, Valentina M. Henao, will describe how the company is expanding the reach of this new earth-friendly fiber.
Valentina M. Henao, business development manager, Texiles at Eastman; FIT almuna
John E. Reeves Great Hall
Join us for a delicious lunch (included with conference registration fee) and a chance
to connect with fellow conference attendees and industry experts.
A sustainable fashion brand often requires an interdisciplinary approach to design and production. Join us to discover the unique world of fashion brand DIARRABLU. Founder Diarra Busso will unpack the brand’s seamless blend of creativity, technology, and responsible design in an enlightening conversation led by MFIT curator Dr. Elizabeth Way. They will explore Busso’s forward-thinking fusion of artisans, mathematics, and algorithms that brings together tradition and innovation.
Diarra Bousso, founder of the fashion tech company DIARRABLU
Dr. Elizabeth Way, curator of costume and accessories, The Museum at FIT
Extending the lifetime of products is one of the most important pillars in sustainable fashion. The RealReal has been helping with that cause since 2011. In recent years, the company has begun harnessing new technologies to make the process of authentication in luxury resale more efficient and reliable. Come learn about these tech innovations, how they’ve been put into practice, and the impact they’re having on the secondhand fashion economy.
Natasha Franck, founder and CEO, EON
Rachel Glicksberg, women’s fashion and new initiatives lead, The RealReal
Noelle Sciacca, head of fashion and strategic partnerships, The RealReal
Presley Oldham, artist and designer, Presley Oldham
Moderator: Marcie Greene, Fashion Business Management faculty, FIT
Join Wawa Gatheru, founder of Black Girl Environmentalist (BGE), in conversation with Kwolanne Felix, BGE’s fellowship and digital community manager, and Whitney McGuire, former inaugural associate director of sustainability at the Guggenheim, for an insightful discussion on the intersection of Afrofuturism and climate justice. This engaging session will explore the panelists’ various projects that address systemic barriers in the environmental movement, including BGE’s Hazel M. Johnson Fellowship Program and McGuire’s Sustainable Brooklyn, a consulting and educational agency.
Kwolanne Felix, Hazel M. Johnson Fellowships and Community Manager, Black Girl Environmentalist
Whitney McGuire, founder and managing partner, The McGuire Consulting Group
Moderator: Wawa Gatheru, founder and executive director, Black Girl Environmentalist
The climate crisis demands innovative solutions. Discover how leading fashion and beauty brands (from Kallmeyer to Saie to Inversa Leathers, who work with Gabriela Hearst and Khaite) are forging unexpected alliances to tackle environmental challenges head-on. This panel explores the power of radical collaboration in beauty and fashion to create a more sustainable future.
Sophia Li, award-winning journalist and founder, Steard Media
Aarav Chavda, co-founder and CEO, Inversa™ Leathers
Laney Crowell, founder and CEO, Saie
Daniella Kallmeyer, founder and creative director, Kallmeyer New York
Dr. Karen R. Pearson, chair, FIT Sustainability Council
Conference Overview
Each year, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) organizes and hosts a sustainable business and design conference. The event is recognized as a platform for collaboration and discussion across the creative industries, highlighting advances in sustainable design and cutting-edge thought leadership. By sharing innovative student projects, cross-institutional research, and industry partnerships, the conference explores solutions to the most pressing environmental and social challenges of our time. In recent years, session topics have included the farm-to-fashion movement, biomaterials innovation, a sustainable supply chain, mindfulness in design, and recyclable packaging materials. The wide-ranging program features keynote speakers, panels, and projects that delve into pressing issues and exciting developments in the industry.
