Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine August Issue 2018 | Page 38

BEYOND BD THE LATEST NEWS HAVE YOUR SAY For the latest news on apparel and textile, make sure that you visit https://apparelresources.com/top-news/ Write to Apparel Resources, B-32, South Extension-1, New Delhi (110049), India or email: [email protected] The Responsible Fashion Movement 2018 kicks off in Sri Lanka The second edition of ‘Responsible Fashion Movement’ has been held at the Shangri- La Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Themed Earth-Sensitive, the summit focused on environmental issues which the global fashion industry is currently facing and finding solutions to fix them. “This is a defining movement for Sri Lanka, Asia, and the rest of the world, as our mandate for impact is unique and is very relevant to the global issues that the fashion supply chains are facing, and Sri Lanka is perfectly placed to take the lead in the region.” The summit was conducted by MAS Holdings in collaboration with Hirdaramani Group, Beira Group, BMW i3 and The Design Development Corporation. A total of nine sessions were covered at the event. The speakers’ list included fashion designers like David Abraham (India), Sharleen Ernster (USA), Jeremy Sommers (Australia), and Heidi Gosman (UK). ‘The role of media in influencing consumer -Ajai Vir Singh behaviour towards responsible fashion’ was presented by Nonita Kalra, Editor in Chief, Harper’s Bazaar India. Another panel dedicated to manufacturers presented on the topic ‘Can responsible fashion be part of the business plan’. Sri Lanka’s top apparel exporters MAS Holdings and Hirdaramani Group had taken charge of this topic. “This is a defining movement for Sri Lanka, Asia, and the rest of the world, as our mandate for impact is unique and is very relevant to the global issues that the fashion supply chains are facing, and Sri Lanka is perfectly placed to take the lead in the region,” said Ajai Vir Singh, Founder, Responsible Fashion Movement. The summit was followed by an innovative sustainable fabric presentation by Eco Spindle Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka and Smart Fibres, Germany. Vietnamese brands have good potential despite international pressure: RMIT lecturer There is a good potential for many small local brands to do well in Vietnam despite the international market being very competitive. In an exclusive interaction with Team Apparel Online, Rebecca Morris, Fashion Lecturer, RMIT University, said this, adding that though lot of capital and cost is required, the climate is gradually getting favourable for the Vietnamese brands to thrive. “The recent trends indicate that lots of customers love buying Vietnamese brands and there cannot be anything more positive than that,” reasoned Rebecca. The majority of the garment companies in Vietnam work for international brands like Zara, H&M and others. Rebecca has been in Vietnam for 12 years and teaches fashion designing, product development, merchandising, retail marketing and production at RMIT, Vietnam. She further added that while the students at RMIT are taught to design for fashion giants like Zara and H&M, it is interesting to see many students showing inclination to start their own brand. “Many students are very ambitious and are keen to start their own brand in Vietnam,” said Rebecca while corroborating on the above. RMIT University Vietnam is an Asian campus of Melbourne- 38 Apparel Online Bangladesh | August 2018 | www.apparelresources.com based University and now has over 6,000 students in the campuses of HCM City and Hanoi.