Global Fashion Summit 2025 - Barriers and Bridges Innovation. Capital. Courage. Incentives. Regulation

The fashion industry is facing immense pressure to adapt and innovate while complying with an increasingly complex regulatory environment. The 2025 theme for Global Fashion Summit, ‘Barriers and Bridges’, highlights the dualities of this moment, exploring how challenging new barriers can be leveraged as bridges for tangible change. With new legislation accelerating, the boundaries between voluntary and mandatory efforts are blurring, demanding both courage and capital to seize this moment of opportunity. Viewed through the lens of collective action, the Global Fashion Summit programme will take on impact centric topics related to social and environmental challenges, merging barriers and bridges in unexpected and new ways.

 

The overlapping crises of climate change, human rights violations, and global inequities present an urgent challenge. Yet, these same pressures must galvanise the conditions for pioneering innovation and systemic action. Global Fashion Summit will consider how we can balance regulatory compliance with the imperative for creative and sustainable growth, exploring how resilient strategies can be crafted, not only to mitigate issues but to adapt to them in ways that strengthen the industry for the future.

 

In a turbulent economic environment, sustainability is struggling to prove its bottom-line impact. However, the business case and incentives are vital. The forum will explore how fashion can align financial viability with the planet’s needs. It will delve into the interplay between bold business dialogues and inspiring solutions for change, calling into question the courage and capital required to accelerate the transformation of the fashion industry. How do we build the business case for sustainability, ensuring that it is never deprioritised amid economic volatility? As the regulatory landscape intensifies, incentives must evolve, and we must align business strategy with external mandates without sacrificing creativity.

 

The Summit will spotlight how the fashion industry can collectively navigate these challenges. Through practical case studies and visionary discussions, we’ll showcase pathways to balance competing demands: climate action with business resilience, regulatory compliance with radical innovation, and near-term possibilities for action with long-term vision.

 

Fashion is one of the world’s most dynamic and influential industries, with the power to drive change globally. Climate adaptation is now as crucial as mitigation. Transformation requires more than incremental change; it demands bold leadership, courageous investment, and the drive to reimagine business models. In this era of transformation, Global Fashion Summit is critical to enable collaboration and guide implementation.