Exploring Materials & Innovation for Fashion

A panel of experts in fashion retail sustainability brought to the fore insights from top global companies with a focus on preferred sourcing strategies to strengthen the industry's future resilience...

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At the India Fashion Forum (IFF) Innovators Club | Sustainability & Innovation Conclave, held on October 3, 2024, at the ITC Maratha, Mumbai, industry leaders tackled one of the most pressing challenges facing fashion: Exploring Materials and Innovation for Fashion. Moderated by Prem Sadhwani, Head of Business Development at Sanitized AG, the panel brought together insights from experts at top global companies. The discussion focused on preferred sourcing strategies to strengthen the industry's future resilience.

On the panel of experts were:

Navneet Krishnan, Head, Brand Solutions, South Asia Archroma India Pvt. Ltd.,

Ritesh Sharma, Head, Brand & Retail R|Elan™

Sucharu Uppal, Joint President, Brand and Retail, Aditya Birla Group,

Rishi Suri, Business Development Director (South Asia), The LYCRA Company

Kickstarting the discussion, Prem Sadhwani said, "From sourcing teams to product managers and designers, everyone is talking about what materials they start with and how those decisions impact the end product. How brands engage with raw materials and the experiences experts have when collaborating with them form the backbone of how they build their sustainable strategies."

Bringing an engaging perspective to the table, Ritesh Sharma, Head - Brand & Retail, R|Elan TM underscored, "The most encouraging aspect of the sustainability movement is that the industry is eager to embrace it at home, at work, and in the larger supply chain. Some companies have already established clear sustainability goals for 2025 or 2030, and others are moving closer towards actionable targets."

"The process starts at the raw material stage.

That's the key component in any garment, and it's where we, as fibre manufacturers, can really make a difference," he noted.