12 June 2023: Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), the non-profit organisation that is accelerating the transition to a net positive fashion industry, has revealed the eight Members that will form the first iteration of the Next Gen Assembly, in collaboration with its Academic Partner, London College of Fashion’s (LCF) Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF) via the Fashion Values Programme and presented by Target.

Through the newly launched Next Gen Assembly programme, GFA Academy and CSF have selected seven outstanding candidates from a pool of over 170 remarkable applicants, alongside the student winner of the Fashion Values Challenge, to comprise the first Next Gen Assembly. With backgrounds spanning policy, design, communication, supply chains and more, these students and young professionals will be supported in developing advocacy and communications skills to foster their development as sustainability changemakers.  The Members will contribute a range of knowledge and cultural experience deriving from a range of countries around the world including Brazil, the Philippines, Nigeria and India. Renowned Visual Storyteller and Climate Activist, Aditi Mayer, is an Ambassador for the programme.

The eight talented Next Gen Assembly Members are:

• Ikeoluwa Adebisi, Founder, UpTote by IKÉ
• Prakriti Choubey, Student, MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation, LCF and Graduate, NIFT, Delhi
• Pedro Ferreira, Country Leader, Slow Fashion Movement Brazil and Student, Erasmus Mundus Master’s Programme in Circular Economy
• Kaja Grujic, Filmmaker, Climate Advocate, and Brand Marketing Assistant, SOJO and Graduate, Dual BA programme, Sciences Po Paris and Columbia University and MA Fashion Futures, LCF
• Jesse Boga Madriaga, Writer, Journalist, WEF Global Shaper and Student, University of Mindanao
• Sanjana Pimoli, Assistant Manager, Communications & Sustainability Innovations, Shahi Exports and Graduate, Economics Hons and Environmental Law & Policy
• Clara Tomé, Fashion Model, Young EU Climate Pact Ambassador and Student, Environmental Law
• Indira Varma, Fashion and Textiles Designer and Graduate, LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore

On 13 June, GFA Academy, CSF and Target will proudly present a virtual Next Gen Assembly Masterclass, which will feature all eight Next Gen Assembly Members alongside speakers Aditi Mayer, Mark Gavhure, Global Series Lead, Fashion Redressed, BBC StoryWorks, BBC Studios, Monica Buchan-Ng, Acting Head of Knowledge Exchange, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, and Christina Iskov, Head of Innovation & Academy, Global Fashion Agenda. This is an open event that will explore the power of storytelling to shift narratives and celebrate the creativity of people within the fashion system. The event, ‘How To Use Storytelling to Drive Impact’ will take place at 16.00 CEST / 10.00 EST/ 07.00 PDT via Zoom and is open to registration here.

At Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2023 the eight Members will play an integral role as the radical voices of the Summit and be assigned on-site industry mentors. Members will be actively involved in a number of Summit activities including CSF’s Fashion Values side-event, co-hosted by Kering, on 26 June. This event marks an opportunity to celebrate the culmination of the second edition of the Fashion Values Challenge, which centred around the theme ‘Society’. During the event, Fashion Values will unveil the two winners of this year’s Challenge whilst showcasing the work of all six finalists. Plus, GFA’s closed-door Next Gen Assembly Roundtable will take place at the Summit on 27 June. The objective of the Roundtable is to facilitate meaningful connections between the eight Members and esteemed industry leaders. The focus will be upon exploring the transformative power of storytelling as a catalyst for change and fostering an open dialogue where experiences, innovative ideas and visions for the future can be exchanged candidly.

Following the Summit, the stories of the Next Gen Assembly participants will be collated and communicated throughout 2023. This inaugural edition will help to inform the growth of the programme in 2024 and beyond.

Federica Marchionni, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda, says: “Next gen voices are instrumental in redefining the fashion industry and GFA is proud to continually empower the next wave of fashion advocates at the Summit and beyond. I am so delighted to present the remarkable Members of the first Next Gen Assembly, all of which instil a great sense of hope in me for the future of our industry and planet.”

Aditi Mayer, Visual Storyteller & Climate Activist, says: “I feel energised by the opportunity to play a role in empowering this remarkable group of next generation storytellers. As a climate justice activist whose works have traversed grassroots organising, photojournalism, writing, and content creation online, I am delighted to share my knowledge and insights with these Next Gen Assembly members. Together we can craft solution-focused narratives to steer a more just and prosperous path ahead.”

The Next Gen Assembly programme builds on the success of Global Fashion Agenda’s Youth Summit, an educational programme that took place in conjunction with Global Fashion Summit until 2020 and gathered young industry talents from around the world to learn from each other.

Find out more about the Next Gen Assembly here.

If you would like to attend Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2023, 27-28 June on behalf of a publication or media outlet, we invite you to apply for press accreditation here.