The 2023 Next Gen Assembly cohort came together from across the globe and disciplines to reflect on what change within the fashion industry can look like.
Interwoven is for students curious to learn more about sustainable fashion; creatives looking to co-create solutions for an industry in crisis; and commercial leaders eager to work with the next generation.
Fashion is not where it should be. While it fuels livelihoods, creates beautiful commodities, and cultivates culture, it also leaves a trail of environmental destruction and social harm. Fashion requires significant effort to keep it on track to contribute to global sustainability goals.
Through the voices and stories presented in this report, eight talented youths from around the world offer a unique snapshot of the fashion industry from diverse perspectives. Their narratives are infused with optimism and hope, serving to inspire action. From reflections on the Global Fashion Summit 2023 to personal anecdotes of their experience within the Next Gen Assembly programme, they share their valuable insights and visionary outlook for the future.
Next Gen Assembly 2023 Member
Placing climate justice at the heart of fashion practice, Kaja Grujic aims to craft a new story for fashion. With a multidisciplinary background in film and political science, she explored the powerful intersection of art and change-making, completing the Dual BA program between Sciences Po Paris and Columbia University. She continued to the MA Fashion Futures course at London College of Fashion, exploring fashion as a critical change agent within the climate movement. Deeply passionate about developing narratives that push the boundaries of climate-focused storytelling, Kaja has produced a variety of creative projects. Her MA thesis film, Entangled, has been screened at multiple international film festivals and galleries, including the Creative Climate Awards in New York, where it won the Audience Award. As an art director and creative producer, she has also worked on fashion campaigns pushing the boundaries of what sustainable fashion can look like. She is eager to continue developing her creative practice and producing stories rooted in regenerative cultures and climate optimism.
Next Gen Assembly 2023 Member
Connecting the youth’s aspirations with the apparel supply chain, Sanjana Pimoli works to scale disruptive innovations and sustainable business models to support the fashion industry’s sustainability agenda. She is the Assistant Manager within the Communications and Sustainability Innovations Team at Shahi Exports, India’s largest apparel exporter. She holds a degree in Economics Hons. Identifying the power of legislation as key in accelerating sustainability, she completed her Environmental Law and Policy diploma from National Law University, Delhi. With a 360-degree visibility in the supply chain from raw material to garmenting to recycling, she leverages partnerships to support sustainable fashion by piloting new technologies in alternate raw materials, processing, and renewable energy. She is among 1000 global talents in the Unleash Innovation Lab 2022, building innovative solutions for the world’s pressing sustainability issues. She envisions a fashion industry focused on just transition and equitable purchasing practices to accelerate decarbonisation and contribute to a net-zero fashion industry.
Next Gen Assembly 2023 Member
Prakriti Choubey is a creative strategist and storyteller from India. She is a postgraduate of MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation at London College of Fashion and a graduate with a gold medal from National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi. Prakriti is deeply passionate about preserving the rich cultural heritage embodied in traditional crafts. As the student winner of the Fashion Values Challenge, Prakriti envisions her project Avatirna as a brand that disrupts perceptions of crafts by representing them in the virtual world through collectibles. Avatirna has secured funding from University of the Arts London for its development, and been named one of the top 50 emerging Web3 Fashion designers awarded by The SYKY. She aims to create social change in the fashion industry through innovation. As a multi-award recipient and agent of change, Prakriti excels in crafting narratives interlaced with strategy and innovation, envisioning a future where everyone has a voice of representation.
Next Gen Assembly 2023 Member
Clara Tomé wears many hats: she is a Spanish environmental law specialist, nature and animals advocate, climate activist, EU Climate Pact ambassador, speaker, and fashion model. With a law degree and a master’s in environmental law, Clara has interned at the UN’s Environmental Programme, focusing on sustainable fashion communications and policy. As an EU Climate pact ambassador, she actively raises awareness about climate change and inspires youth to take meaningful action for a better planet. From influencing consumption patterns to advocating for human rights, plant-based food choices, animal welfare, regenerative fashion, and more conscious lifestyles, Clara is committed to fostering positive change. She has been a speaker at various conferences like the UN Water Conference and at GFS in Copenhagen among others. Clara’s driving force is an unwavering passion for nature and animals. Her ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between humanity and the environment, to reconnect ourselves with nature and other species, to coexist peacefully, and to win this battle against climate change (and rather against ourselves).
Next Gen Assembly 2023 Member
Jesse Madriaga is a journalism-trained writer in the Philippines who has worked extensively in news and lifestyle media, PR, and science communication. He writes for the Mindanao Times and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. As part of his current graduate school journey at the University of Mindanao, he explores the role of community voices in fashion and sustainability. As a WEF Global Shaper, Jesse takes leadership roles in convening youths and communities for inclusive conversations about sustainability. He believes in the power of writing and creating storytelling-centred platforms to achieve global goals. Jesse draws inspiration from global conversations and local experiences; these allow him to gain more perspective for his writing practice. He enjoys yoga and dressing up his avatar in Fortnite.
Next Gen Assembly 2023 Member
Ikeoluwa Adebisi is a trained fashion designer-entrepreneur skilled in dressmaking with 5+ years of experience and a seasoned fashion professional with knowledge of the Nigerian fashion industry. She is also a sustainable fashion advocate, fashion researcher, digital creator, and marketer. She is currently building UpTote by IKÉ, a fashion brand that upcycles pre-consumer textile waste into functional and fashionable pieces. As a fashion content creator and social media manager, Ikeoluwa effectively communicates complex sustainability concepts to a wide range of audiences. She helps brands reach their ideal customers and generate revenue. She holds a degree in History and was involved in documenting the fashion histories of various African societies alongside other research fellows at the Council for International African Fashion Education (CIAFE). Her ultimate goal is to assist small and medium fashion enterprises in Africa to build sustainable businesses.
Next Gen Assembly 2023 Member
Pedro Ferreira is a fashion revolutionary. With a double master’s degree in Circular Economy and a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology, Pedro acts in the intersection between technology, innovation, and sustainability. His expertise is in the environmental performance of fashion materials, predominantly focused on footwear. For the past two years, Pedro has represented Brazil in the Slow Fashion Movement, a global NGO that aims to guide customers to more environmentally and socially conscious decisions. Pedro also acts on the global board of SFM, as the Research and Education Lead, designing and establishing primary data collection and partnership with Academia. He is embarking on a new role as a Life Cycle Assessment specialist in Norway. In his free time, Pedro learns how to sew, so he can wear the revolution he promotes.
Next Gen Assembly 2023 Member
Indira Varma finds a strong sense of purpose in environmental consciousness and community building. A sustainability-driven fashion and textiles designer from Bangalore, India, she is passionate about lending a contemporary voice to indigenous craft practices. A fresh graduate from the LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, Indira’s graduation project was featured in Vogue and Grazia Sinagpore. Placing nature central to design decisions, her process is largely driven by the grassroots textiles communities and a supply chain that is as responsible as possible. She is inspired by artefacts, history and natural ecosystems and expresses these through stories of culture, artisans, locality and materiality. Her research explores cultural sustainability in India through practices like natural dyes, block printing and handloom weaves. In addition, Indira curates collaborative workshops on sustainable fashion and environmental protection. She is jokingly refered to as an ‘ecopolice’ for her awareness initiatives. In her free time, she volunteers with the Art of Living Foundation and enjoys writing, making jewellery, hiking, exploring new places and cooking.
Storytelling is central to this journey and the Assembly members share roles in nurturing stories, amplifying voices from all parts of the supply chain, and creating shared understandings of sustainability, lived realities, and what it means to take action today. From narratives on waste, consumption and innovations to reflections on identity, culture, and technology, the Assembly boldly pens fears, thoughts and hopes for fashion and the future this holds for the world that they see.
Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF) is a University of the Arts London research, education and knowledge exchange centre. Based at London College of Fashion, the centre provokes, challenges, and questions the status quo in fashion to contribute to a system that recognises its ecological context and honours equity. CSF shapes and contributes to Fashion Design for Sustainability as a field of study, industry practices and educational models. By exploring and cross-referencing fashion’s relational ecological, social, economic, and cultural agendas, the centre engages in transformational design practices. CSF takes a pluralistic, systemic approach, collaborating across its network of universities, businesses and other organisations from all around the world. All of CSF’s work is underpinned by their Declaration.
Fashion Values is a sustainability education programme led by Centre for Sustainable Fashion in collaboration with Kering, IBM, Vogue Business Eyes on Talents and GFA. The Fashion Values partners bring together a network of sustainability experts, fashion professionals, educators, academics and students from across the fashion system. The Fashion Values vision is to make sustainability education for fashion open, accessible, and transformative.
GFA provides in-depth analysis, masterclasses and reports based on the latest industry data. GFA specialises in communicating complex sustainability content in a compelling and actionable manner and is responsible for leading industry publications such as the Fashion CEO Agenda, Fashion on Climate and Scaling Circularity.
2023 Next Gen Assembly Members Manifesto covering storytelling for a transformative change in the fashion system.
The GFA Monitor is an extensive guide for fashion companies on how to reach a net positive industry through the consolidation of existing knowledge, clear actions to take, credible tools, solutions, data insights, policy developments and proven best
The GFA Policy Matrix: Americas serves as a valuable tool for understanding the policy landscape related to sustainability and social matters in the fashion industry across South and North America.
