 Wow. We truly were blown away by the incredible communities that came out to each of our THR3EFOLD events during Fashion Revolution Week. Between the trailblazing panelists and inspiring ethical fashion brands in the pop up, we were so inspired by the great work and progress that is taking place in the fashion industry today. Here's what happened in case you missed it. Chicago Chicago showed up in full force and we definitely loved our trip to the Windy City with a big help from THR3EFOLD Chicago Agent Kadie Afrik. Every panelist brought such a passionate perspective on the role they are playing to make a difference. We garnered wisdom from Theresa Vandermeer, Founder of Work + Shelter, on what it really takes to launch and sustain an ethical factory. Whereas, Hoda Katebi was able to bring a unique perspective on how to uplift women in our own country through fashion as she prepares to launch Blue Tin Production to employ immigrant and refugee women through production. From there we dove into the design side of product and discussed how the fashion industry is beginning to catch up to inclusivity through modest fashion by Adilah Muhammad, Designer & Founder of Adilah M, and radical sizing inclusivity by designer/artist Abigail Glaum-Lathbury. Each woman had a different take on the many issues that make up where we stand as an industry today, and while they were not always of the same opinion, they perfectly exemplified how many practical paths there are to take in order to be a part of the solution. Complex problems require complex solutions so if we all do our part we can make fashion a force for good together. The Chicago fashion community is up to a lot of this change and we cannot wait to come back and continue the conversation soon. Orlando In the Sunshine State we gathered ethical fashion brands and bloggers to discuss what actually goes into creating a brand for people and planet. THR3EFOLD Orlando Agent Jaimie Partin gathered everyone at Tammy Jo Fashion's retail boutique to learn how Tammy Jo makes practical decisions as a designer to be sustainable. We learned from Thais Cuachio the power of a product-based business like Deux Mains to create change for Haitian people, taking them places that their non-profit Rebuild Global couldn't. And we connected with fashion blogger Nikki A Hall about what to do as a consumer when you learn about all the issues in fashion and where you can shop to make a difference. Copenhagen Copenhagen sits in the center of the Scandanavian area that has been working on sustainability for far longer than the rest of the world, so we were beyond excited to pop over the pond for a robust discussion on what brands can be doing to create change. The event and panel was hosted by THR3EFOLD Copenhagen Agent, Manon Bisgaard. Maria Wolf, head knitwear designer at leading sustainable fashion brand, AIAYU spoke to how she's built a more sustainable design team for their brand to keep making progress through product. And Mette Fredin from Blanche CPH was able to bring a fresh perspective as a brand more newly starting out on what you can do right from the beginning. Suzi Christoffersen had a robust point of view as someone who consults with many businesses on increasing their labor and environmental standards and practices with Closed Loop. And we loved hearing the unique challenges and benefits of working with artisans across the world like Anna Andres does with Pura Utz. New York City We were excited to host our 3rd annual event in New York made possible by ethical/sustainable coworking space CSI (Center for Social Innovation), and even more excited for such a powerhouse panel that gave such a diverse perspective on what we can each be doing to make a difference now. Cal McNeil from the CFDA brought an important perspective on looking for opportunities in existing organizations and how to navigate those changes internally. Ngozi Okaro discussed her transition from law to launching Custom Collaborative to tangibly provide sustainable employment through production for low income and immigrant women here in NYC. We love sustainable employment! Jessica Schreiber, self proclaimed trash nerd, made a big career transition as well coming from city sanitation to launching Fabscrap to tackle our pre-consumer textile waste issue (it's big)! She brought great insight into why non-profit was the route they chose and the challenges as they've scaled so quickly. And of course Patrick Duffy from Global Fashion Exchange brought his years of experience through collaboration to show just how much impact you can create when you bring people together, not to mention how much fun is to shop a swap! And we must of course mention the incredible shopping that took place after with ethically made brands Agaati, ONE432, Half United, Par en Par, ELMNTL, Kat Bond Co, Casa Ysla, Alajas, TL Brooke, Article 22, Voz, The Root Collective, Nineh, Blue Hair Days, Tai, and Volta Atelier. If you missed the event, please still check out these brands online for your next purchase, because when you must shop, shop ethically. Thank you of course to Fashion Revolution for creating a space for this conversation on a global scale. A huge thank you to everyone who came out, shared on social media, and is working everyday to drive this mission forward. We live to gather this community of changemakers in fashion around the world to better equip each other to make a difference for people and planet moving forward. If you missed these events but would like to join the community, please join Deadstock District today! It's free and a fantastic way to network, learn, and buy/sell deadstock fabric to grow your company for people, planet, and profit. 
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