The digital mindset for the future designer - an exclusive Digital Fashion Group Academy webinar in collaboration with Parsons N Ventures

About the webinar

The Digital Fashion Group Academy and Parsons N Ventures joined together on Friday August 13, 2021, for an exclusive live webinar "Fashion Design Meets The Metaverse: the digital mindset for the future designer", discussing new paths for fashion through virtual reality, NFTs, and other technologies, from the perspective of the creator.

"Fashion Design meets the Metaverse: the digital mindset for the future designer" is part of the promotion of 'Digital Fashion 101', the certificate program from TDFG Academy and Parsons which introduces fashion designers and other fashion professionals to the digital mindset for the future of fashion.

Meet the webinar participants

Richard Hobbs is a veteran of the fashion industry and has been involved in all aspects of the business in which he has always strived to improve processes and results by the use of technology. In recent years this has involved the use of 3D design and now the application of blockchain technology with the result being bnv.me, the first fashion NFT auction house and marketplace that works with brands and designers to create enhanced virtual products and then take those products and brands into new digital realms.

Dani Loftus is the founder of This Outfit Does Not Exist, a platform bringing Digital Fashion to life. Combining her backgrounds in Fashion and Technology, Dani aims to educate the Fashion Industry about the ways Digital Fashion can and will disrupt. This Outfit Does Not Exist has been featured on a number of influential sites, such as Bloomberg, Nikkei and Maze. Dani is also the first partner and 'PolymXth' of leading Digital Fashion House The Fabricant, hosting weekly Clubhouse rooms with industry leaders from fashion, blockchain, and gaming, and authors monthly deep dives into The Wardrobe of The Metaverse.

Leslie Holden is a co-founder of The Digital Fashion Group. As Head of Fashion at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) and a member of the AMFI board for over 14 years, was responsible for the redevelopment of the international curricula focussing on digitalisation and sustainability in fashion. Instrumental in establishing the ground-breaking “Hypercraft” minor where students immerse themselves in the world of 3D Virtual designing, and the first AMFI Master award, MA Fashion Enterprise Creation, he grew the international recognition and standing of the school as a centre of excellence for fashion teaching and research.

Sean Chiles is a co-founder of The Digital Fashion Group. As Head of Northumbria University School of Design London, developed and delivered a unique Master Qualification Programme Framework for Fashion and the Creative Industries, along with Degree level fashion programmes. He worked with Leslie Holden at AMFI to create the MA Fashion Enterprise Creation. He is an academic strategist experienced in innovative programme conceptualisation, validation and delivery, and an experienced lecturer, visiting professor, and External Examiner for MA and BA programmes in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, India and China.

The webinar was moderated by Dr Lívia Pinent, Digital Professor for Research at The Digital Fashion Group Academy, anthropologist (M.A.) and communications specialist (Ph.D.).

Transitioning the physical to digital - an exclusive Digital Fashion Group Academy webinar in collaboration with Parsons N Ventures

About the webinar

What does the designer need to understand to create for the metaverse? Transitioning and developing skills for the future of fashion is not only about technical knowledge. Learning about machine learning, 3D design, NFTs, Web3 is as important as much as it is to develop a digital mindset and acknowledge the social and cultural impact of these technologies.

The Digital Fashion Group Academy and Parsons N Ventures brings together four key players in fashion innovation for a live webinar to discuss the skills required to develop a brighter future for fashion design in the metaverse.

Meet the webinar participants

Natalia Modenova is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at DRESSX, a digital fashion store for 3D clothing collections from well-known contemporary brands born in the physical world and in the digital space. She has more than 10 years of experience in the fashion industry, including founding a showroom More Dash in Paris and international conference Fashion Tech Summit alongside her business partner Daria Shapovalova. Natalia is in the list of Highsnobiety for TOP13 experts on Fashion NFT and in Threedium TOP50 Voices driving the conversation in AR, VR and 3D and featured in Forbes USA, Financial Times, Vogue Business, WWD, Business of Fashion, Dazed and other media.

Dale Parr is the Chief Operating Officer of Fresh Couture, an established streetwear brand from the United Kingdom. After 8 years in financial services, Dale has carved out an award-winning career at C-suite level in omni channel D2C fashion, brand owner & supply chain management. He is also a crypto investor and blockchain entrepreneur, and a climate change and clean growth activist.

Mauro Mastronicola is an entrepreneur, creative technologist, teacher, founder of TwinOne, and founder of We Are Happy. The technology start-up TwinOne is the landing point of more than two years of R&D activities around Digital Twins (products virtual replicas) run by Mauro with his team of technology experts and partners. For over 15 years, Mauro has been creating award-winning solutions and communication contents for international agencies and brands including Google, Diesel, Sky, Dolce & Gabbana, FCA, Lamborghini, Luxottica and Tod’s.

Sean Chiles is a cofounder of The Digital Fashion Group which develops courses that challenge the status quo of digital fashion education today for the fashion designers of tomorrow. Sean is an academic strategist experienced in innovative programme conceptualisation, validation and delivery, and an experienced lecturer, visiting professor, and External Examiner for MA and BA programmes in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, India and China. He has extensive international experience in the fashion industry and has been a champion of digitalisation in design since the 1980s.

The webinar was moderated by Dr Lívia Pinent, Digital Professor for Research at The Digital Fashion Group Academy, anthropologist (M.A.) and communications specialist (Ph.D.).

Digital fashion presents immense opportunities for young creatives to showcase their talent, reach a global audience, and compete with established brands and designers. With the right support and resources, digital fashion can be a powerful tool for empowering young creatives in Africa and driving economic growth and development in the region. However, there are significant barriers to success

Compared to their counterparts in Europe and the United States, young digital fashion designers in Africa may face greater challenges when it comes to inclusion and equal access to opportunities. This can be due to a range of factors, including limited access to technology and funding, lack of access to global markets and distribution channels, and limited access to education and training.

The Digital Fashion Group in partnership with CLO created ‘The Digital Equity Scholarship’ which provided 5 scholarships every month until the end of 2023 to train African fashion designers in the fundamentals of creating with CLO3D software .

Our panel of experts in the field consider the issues around "Breaking Barriers: Promoting Inclusivity and Diversity in Digital Fashion for Africa" to explore the challenges and opportunities facing young digital fashion designers in Africa, aiming for a better understanding how and in what ways our scholarship can maximize the promotion of greater inclusivity and diversity in this exciting and rapidly evolving field.

Meet the webinar participants

Omonigho Aito-Imonah

Ayotunde Rufai

Jessica James

Coy Griffin

Yemi Scott

Leslie Holden is the host of this webbing and is a cofounder of The Digital Fashion Group & Academy.

As Head of Fashion at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) and a member of the AMFI board for over 14 years, Leslie was responsible for the redevelopment of the international curricula focussing on digitalisation and sustainability in fashion. Instrumental in establishing the ground-breaking “Hypercraft” minor where students immerse themselves in the world of 3D Virtual designing, and the first AMFI Master award, MA Fashion Enterprise Creation, he grew the international recognition and standing of the school as a centre of excellence for fashion teaching and research.

An exclusive Digital Fashion Group Academy webinar in collaboration with Parsons N Ventures

About the webinar

The Digital Fashion Group Academy and Parsons N Ventures joined together for an exclusive live webinar "The Metaverse: where fashion & gaming collide", discussing new opportunities for fashion designers in creative processes, aesthetics, culture, and the ownership of work.

It is time for us, as fashion designers and fashion professionals, to understand the metaverse from within. We need to explore and embrace its unique culture, that started from the gaming industry, as it collides with fashion culture and its own symbols and signs.

Meet the webinar participants

Alexis Arragon is the Managing Director at Skinvaders, a digital company driving brands across the multiple opportunities of the virtual space. He started his path in the tech industry 20 years ago, doing Computer Science studies to work in the game industry. Since then, Computer Graphics and visual aesthetics have been the motor of Arragon's career, joining the digital fashion field in November 2019.

William Easton is the Head of Futuregames, Sweden’s leading games education. He has been teaching for over 30 years in Universities in the USA, Canada, UK, Poland, Turkey and Sweden. For over six years he was Head of Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm, and he has lectured worldwide on a range of topics within the field of communications. As a writer, he is the author of several books including his own award-winning work on design education ‘Play’. Easton was English editor for two art magazines ‘Material’ in Sweden and ‘Mare Articum’ a pan-Baltic art journal. His own performances, films and art works have been shown extensively including exhibitions at the ICA in London, Bornholm Art Museum in Denmark, and as a curator he has presented numerous programs of art and design including exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm.

Lui Iarocheski is Head of Marketing and Digital Fashion Innovation at PlatformE and has a background in fashion design with 10+ years of experience within every aspect of the fashion industry. Lui founded his label IAROCHESKI back in 2013 and showcased collections in fashion weeks in Vienna, Vancouver, and Sao Paulo - being voted by L'Officiel Hommes as one of the top 5 menswear labels in Brazil. Today, Lui is the Head of Marketing and Digital Fashion Innovation at PlatformE and he is committed to the digitalization of the apparel industry working as an On-demand Fashion, Gaming and 3D Apparel ambassador. Next to digital creation and visualization, PlatformE is on a mission to end Fashion's overproduction problem by providing full circle Made-to-Order tech and strategy implementation to apparel businesses and processes.

Richard Hobbs is a veteran of the fashion industry and has been involved in all aspects of the business in which he has always strived to improve processes and results using technology. In recent years this has involved the use of 3D design and now the application of blockchain technology with the result being bnv.me, the first fashion NFT auction house and marketplace that works with brands and designers to create enhanced virtual products and then take those products and brands into new digital realms.

Daniella Loftus is the founder of This Outfit Does Not Exist, a platform bringing Digital Fashion to life. Combining her backgrounds in Fashion and Technology, Dani aims to educate the Fashion Industry about the ways Digital Fashion can and will disrupt. This Outfit Does Not Exist has been featured on several influential sites, such as Bloomberg, Nikkei and Maze. Dani is also the first partner and 'PolymXth' of leading Digital Fashion House The Fabricant, hosting weekly Clubhouse rooms with industry leaders from fashion, blockchain, and gaming, and authors monthly deep dives into The Wardrobe of The Metaverse.

The webinar was moderated by Dr Lívia Pinent, Digital Professor for Research at The Digital Fashion Group Academy, anthropologist (M.A.) and communications specialist (Ph.D.).

Building the curriculum of the future - an exclusive Digital Fashion Group Academy webinar in collaboration with Parsons N Ventures

About the webinar

The Digital Fashion Group Academy and Parsons N Ventures joined together five innovative players in education for an exclusive webinar "Fashion education in The Metaverse: building the curriculum of the future", discussing how fashion educators should approach curriculum development in the age of The Metaverse.

New technologies and social developments are constantly challenging fashion design students to learn new skills and new techniques in the pursuit of their creative calling and to be ready for tomorrow's workplace. But what about the fashion schools? Are they keeping up with the fast pace of innovation and incorporating topics such as the metaverse in the curriculum?

Meet the webinar participants

Maya Georgieva is Director of Education Futures @XReality Center at The New School in New York.

Maya is a futurist, XR strategist, immersive storyteller, and sought-after keynote speaker on the future of Immersive Learning and Innovation in the creative industries. In her role at the New School, Maya provides strategic leadership in creating a culture and capacity for innovative design with emerging technologies, including XR and AI. Her work has been featured at SXSW, the MIT Media Lab, The Atlantic, The Economist, and the Fulbright Program among others.

Professor jules Dagonet is Head of School, Fashion & Textiles @UCA (University for the Creative Arts) London.

Jules took up her post at UCA in the UK in 2020 after moving from Milan, Italy. Since then, she has focused on digital transformation and sustainability as key challenges and opportunities for the Fashion industry of the future, and on developing the School of Fashion at UCA as a provider of contemporary fashion programmes ready for the future.

Kathryn Shannon Sim is the Lecturer-in-Charge for BA(Hons) Fashion Media and Industries programme at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore.

Shannon teaches in the School of Fashion, focusing on Digital Marketing, Social Media for Fashion, E-Business, Business of Fashion, UXUI, Service Design, Branding and Visual Communication. As an active design practitioner, Shannon engages in challenging contemporary design practices and expanding the fields of design and commerce.

Leslie Holden is a co-founder of The Digital Fashion Group.

As Head of Fashion at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) and a member of the AMFI board for over 14 years, Leslie was responsible for the redevelopment of the international curricula focussing on digitalisation and sustainability in fashion. Instrumental in establishing the ground-breaking “Hypercraft” minor where students immerse themselves in the world of 3D Virtual designing, and the first AMFI Master award, MA Fashion Enterprise Creation, he grew the international recognition and standing of the school as a centre of excellence for fashion teaching and research.

Sean Chiles is a co-founder of The Digital Fashion Group.

As Head of Northumbria University School of Design London, Sean developed and delivered a unique Master Qualification Programme Framework for Fashion and the Creative Industries, along with Degree level fashion programmes. He worked with Leslie Holden at AMFI to create the MA Fashion Enterprise Creation. He is an academic strategist experienced in innovative programme conceptualisation, validation and delivery, and an experienced lecturer, visiting professor, and External Examiner for MA and BA programmes in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, India and China.

The webinar was moderated by Dr Lívia Pinent, Digital Professor for Research at The Digital Fashion Group Academy, anthropologist (M.A.) and communications specialist (Ph.D.).

Live Webinar:  Digital Fashion: The New Team

Webinar on June 24, 2022, at 12:00 pm (NYC)/5:00 pm (London)/18:00 Milan

We continue 2022 with our webinar series 3 "Digital Fashion & The Future of Collaboration" dedicated to the changing fashion industry, the creatives involved, and the impact of digital acceleration.

In the first session Digital Fashion: The New Team we will be discussing the changing needs of design, development, and storytelling with leaders in Design, Innovation, Business, and Education. 

Anne-Christine Polet - Head of Hatch & Stitch

A-C leads Stitch, a startup aiming to future-proof the fashion value chain by facilitating human change with a sprinkling of technology. From 3D design to digital selling, the team at Stitch work with some of the largest fashion brands in the world to digitize their workflows and free up their teams to do what they do best: create & sell amazing collections. 

Anita Mitchell - Digital Lead Manchester Fashion Institute

Anita is involved in teaching digital innovation and fashion product development involving VR, Ai, AR, and 3D prototyping, and is driving a successful digital strategy within Manchester Fashion Institute at Manchester Metropolitan University. Currently completing her Doctor of Education (EdD) ‘Reframing Fashion Education’ Anita is also authoring a new book “Advances in Sewn Product Technology” commissioned by the publisher Taylor and Francis. 

David Clementoni - President and Founder Italian Artisan

Founded in 2015 to pursue his vision of creating a sustainable ecosystem for premium brands and Italian manufacturers, Italian-Artisan.com helps international brands source premium partners in Italy for production and supply chain management built on sustainability and transparency. Winner of the Best European Fashion Start-up award 2018, Italian Artisan lists over 700 manufacturers, in 2021 becoming the biggest “Made in Italy” platform for fashion manufacturing.

Michael Ferraro - Executive Director FIT DTech Lab - Creative Director Center for Innovation FIT

Michael is responsible for Industry Partnerships and Collaborative Programs for FIT and is a creative technologist, researcher, artist, and educator with a career spanning the worlds of computer animation, software development, virtual reality media production, fine art, commercial entertainment, and higher education. In 2015, his work with students won a NY Emmy for Graphics and Animation Supervision for a series of PSAs entitled “Best of the Bronx”.  He made his first picture with a computer in 1969. 

Ram Sareen - CEO and President of TUKATECH

With an extensive history and industry engagement that can be characterized by one word: disruptive, Ram has ingrained his philosophy in Tukatech, the fashion technology solutions company he founded in 1995 with the sole objective to transform pattern making to a digital process accessible to apparel manufacturers all over the world.  Tukatech supports students, emerging designers, small companies, and start-ups in their digitalisation process.

Leslie Holden is the host of this webbing and is a cofounder of The Digital Fashion Group & Academy.

As Head of Fashion at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) and a member of the AMFI board for over 14 years, Leslie was responsible for the redevelopment of the international curricula focussing on digitalisation and sustainability in fashion. Instrumental in establishing the ground-breaking “Hypercraft” minor where students immerse themselves in the world of 3D Virtual designing, and the first AMFI Master award, MA Fashion Enterprise Creation, he grew the international recognition and standing of the school as a centre of excellence for fashion teaching and research.

Sean Chiles is the producer in the background of this webinar and is a cofounder of The Digital Fashion Group & Academy.

As Head of Northumbria University School of Design London, Sean developed and delivered a unique Master Qualification Programme Framework for Fashion and the Creative Industries, along with Degree level fashion programmes. He worked with Leslie Holden at AMFI to create the MA Fashion Enterprise Creation. He is an academic strategist experienced in innovative programme conceptualisation, validation and delivery, and an experienced lecturer, visiting professor, and External Examiner for MA and BA programmes in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, India and China.

Live Webinar:  Digital Design & Sustainable Futures: The Goals

First broadcast on January 14, 2022, at 09:00 am (NYC)/2:00 pm (London)/15:00 Paris

In 2022 we start a new series of webinars dedicated to sustainability and digitalization through the fashion supply chain.

In the first session, we will be discussing Sustainable Development Goals in the fashion industry with a group of pioneers and experts in the field.

Alexia Planas Lee is a Founding Partner & Head of Impact Design & Innovation at Circular Fashion Summit by lablaco.

Alexia is a Spanish and Chinese visual creative specialised in fashion art direction and styling, and is currently focusing on lablaco's Circular Fashion Summit, digitizing and connecting garments to move the fashion industry towards a circular economy. lablaco is a global platform connecting stakeholders in a multi-dimensional circular economy for fashion, and the Circular Fashion Summit is a Global Collective Action Summit, supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030. They gather leaders of change in Design, Technology and Sustainability to accelerate circular fashion, and set three measurable goals to be achieved collectively every 12 months.

Evelyn Mora is a Founder at DIGITAL VILLAGE IO.

DIGITAL VILLAGE IO is a Social Metaverse with its community lead Blockchain interface prioritising social and digital sustainability, Digital land, and Digital assets marketplace. She is an awarded strategist, tech and sustainability consultant, and inventor based in Paris, France. Evelyn created the first transparent global Digital Sustainability study and recommendations for more secure and ethical cyberspace. She has been dedicated to creating a future-focused on interdisciplinary sustainable innovation, technology, and design.

Roei Derhi is Founder & Creative Director of Placebo digital fashion house.

Roei was recruited by H&M after his graduation and moved to Stockholm in 2016 to work in the physical fashion industry but later fell in love with the power of 3D. Derhi founded Placebo digital fashion house in 2019. Placebo DFH creates high quality fashion that is genderless, sizeless and ageless, and raises questions about identity. This is a fashion house that challenges the values of humans in the 21st century.

Olga Chernysheva is Chief Sustainability Officer at DRESSX.

Olga Chernsyheva is Chief Sustainability Officer at DRESSX, the largest fashion store for digital-only collections from well-known brands and 3D designers. Olga holds a degree in Mechanical Engineer and a Master’s in Finance. She is a distinguished business leader with 10+ years of progressive experience in Project Management and Sustainable Development.

Merunisha Moonilal is Digital Professor of Circularity at The Digital Fashion Group Academy.

Merunisha is an interdisciplinary environmental and social sustainability professional in the textiles and leather apparel industries. Merunisha also teaches at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute as well as provides strategic workshops on design thinking for middle management professionals in the fashion industry. Passionate about implementing circular business strategies in front running incumbents and SME’s, her expertise lies is facilitating businesses to analyze their dynamic capabilities and reallocate resources to push forward circularity in product and processes in their supply chains. Merunisha holds a MSc in Sustainable Business and Innovation by Utrecht University.

Dr. Lívia Pinent is the webinar moderator and is the Digital Professor of Research at The Digital Fashion Group Academy.

Lívia is an anthropologist and strategic communications specialist working on applied research focused on fashion and innovation. Her studies and research projects aim to better understand and communicate how innovation interacts in the fashion industry and how it impacts consumption and culture. Pinent holds a MA in Anthropology, a PhD in Communications Sciences and is the founder of the Fashion Culture Innovation Bureau, a consultancy working in the interaction of communication, marketing and research through case studies, interviews, articles, social media content and more. At The Digital Fashion Group Academy she brings a fresh approach to academic methodology in research applied to the reality of fashion design students, new technologies and digital fashion.

Live Webinar:  Digital Design & Sustainable Futures: The Sizing

First broadcast on March 11, 2022, at 09:00 am (SF)/12:00 pm (NYC)/5:00 pm (London)

In 2022 we started a new series of webinars dedicated to sustainability and digitalization through the fashion supply chain.

In the second session, we will be discussing Sizing in the fashion industry with a group of pioneers and experts in the field.

Nicole Reader is CEO of Modern Mirror

Nicole Reader is the founder and CEO of Modern Mirror, a fashion technology business that is creating intelligent, virtual fit experiences for the luxury fashion industry. She began Modern Mirror in 2008 as a pioneer recognizing the hybridization of the fashion and technology industries. Over the next 14 years, Reader has become an expert in e-commerce, retail-and-technology experiences, virtual fittings, cyber security in the fashion space, brand investment strategies, and applied science deployment for ready-to-wear companies. 

Muchaneta Kapfunde is The Editor-in-Chief of FashNerd.com

Muchaneta Kapfunde is the founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, and one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and the development of wearable technology. She has given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, and works as a fashion innovation consultant for fashion companies including LVMH Atelier. Additionally, Muchaneta is an active contributor to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.

Virgie Tovar is an author and contributor to Forbes.com

Virgie Tovar is the author of You Have the Right to Remain Fat, The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color, and The Body Positive Journal.  She has received Yale's Poynter Fellowship in Journalism for her advocacy for size inclusivity in the fashion industry and beyond and is a contributor to Forbes.com where she covers plus-size fashion news.

Dr. Lívia Pinent is the webinar moderator and is the Digital Professor of Research at The Digital Fashion Group Academy.

Lívia is an anthropologist and strategic communications specialist working on applied research focused on fashion and innovation. Her studies and research projects aim to better understand and communicate how innovation interacts in the fashion industry and how it impacts consumption and culture. Pinent holds a MA in Anthropology, a PhD in Communications Sciences and is the founder of the Fashion Culture Innovation Bureau, a consultancy working in the interaction of communication, marketing and research through case studies, interviews, articles, social media content and more. At The Digital Fashion Group Academy she brings a fresh approach to academic methodology in research applied to the reality of fashion design students, new technologies and digital fashion.

Live Webinar:  Digital Design & Sustainable Futures: The Sizing

First broadcast on April 22, 2022, at 09:00 am (SF)/12:00 pm (NYC)/5:00 pm (London)/18:00 Geneva

In 2022 we started a new series of webinars dedicated to sustainability and digitalization through the fashion supply chain.

In the third and final session of this series, we will be discussing Data in the fashion industry with three pioneers and experts in the field of Trend Forecasting, Branding & Retail, and Customised Production.

Julie Pont Fashion & Creative Director of Heuritech

Heuritech is a data-driven trend forecasting platform based in Paris. 

Using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to translate real-world images shared on social media into meaningful insights, Heuritech empowers brands to forecast demand and trends more accurately, produce more sustainably, and achieve unprecedented competitive advantage. Heuritech technology solution analyses the precise details of social media images for a comprehensive understanding of your product, customers and market.

Julie graduated in history of arts and fashion anthropology and has over six years of experience in the fashion industry including two in fashion innovation media.

Jonathan Chippindale Founder & CEO of Holition

Holition is a London-based creative innovation studio working across a wide variety of technologies including augmented reality, machine learning, projection mapping, haptic and robotics.  Holition’s creative technology projects bring audiences closer to brands, connecting digital to retail by delivering memorable retail experiences online, in-store and through mobile.

Chippindale is a Digital entrepreneur, with a creative technology start-up turned SME, and a wide experience of mentoring and advising business and academic institutions around the world. International Marketing Director with over twenty five years of experience in luxury goods, and with an emphasis on digital, and a proven track record of creating value and driving sales using insights, creativity, innovation, collaboration and cultural sensitivity.

Beth Esponnette Cofounder & Executive Chairman of Unspun

Unspun is a fashion tech startup is based in San Francisco and Hong Kong and works to make the fashion industry intentional, inclusive, and sustainable through custom-fit, on-demand manufacturing.

Unspun is making custom-fit jeans from phone scans, and have been selectively collaborating with other brands. Named TIME Magazine Best Invention of 2019, H&M Foundation Global Change Award winner, Fast Company World Changing Idea 2021, and other recognitions.

Esponnette is a designer and scientist and founded Unspun in order to solve some of the problems in the fashion industry. Before Unspun, she developed products and materials in the outdoor gear and apparel industry, helped design robot-human soft interfaces, and taught product design as an Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon. She serves as a SBIR proposal reviewer for the US National Science Foundation and received a BS in Fiber Science & Apparel Design from Cornell and an MFA in Design from Stanford.

Dr. Lívia Pinent is the webinar moderator and is the Digital Professor of Research at The Digital Fashion Group Academy.

Lívia is an anthropologist and strategic communications specialist working on applied research focused on fashion and innovation. Her studies and research projects aim to better understand and communicate how innovation interacts in the fashion industry and how it impacts consumption and culture. Pinent holds a MA in Anthropology, a PhD in Communications Sciences and is the founder of the Fashion Culture Innovation Bureau, a consultancy working in the interaction of communication, marketing and research through case studies, interviews, articles, social media content and more. At The Digital Fashion Group Academy she brings a fresh approach to academic methodology in research applied to the reality of fashion design students, new technologies and digital fashion.