Jasmin Malik Chua for Sourcing Journal
The United Nations Fashion & Lifestyle Network is spreading out
Instead of its usual one-day annual meeting, the global convening platform is hosting a series of talks during New York Fashion Week
“Traditionally, we had it earlier in the year,” Lucie Brigham, chief of office at the UN Office for Partnerships, which oversees the network, said at a press conference at the intergovernmental organization’s New York City headquarters on Thursday. “For the first time in the network’s history, we decided to move it.”
The four sessions, set to take place at the UN’s Goals Lounge, will spotlight Portugal’s fashion and footwear industry, examine how education can equip a new generation of changemakers, showcase how craftsmanship and innovation can reshape material systems and make the case for lifestyle as an engine of sustainable change
Founded seven years ago, the network brings together fashion and lifestyle stakeholders, policymakers, academics, media and cultural leaders to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN’s framework for tackling poverty, inequality and climate change
Its 400-plus members, which span more than 130 countries, collaborate on projects such as the Swarovski Foundation and UN Office for Partnerships’ Creatives for Our Future, a grant program for emerging designers
“We believe that meaningful progress for sustainable development cannot happen in isolation,” said Maika Nakaoka, head of creativity at the Foundation. “We have to work together, through partnerships and cross-sector collaborations built on shared values, ambition and passion, to take us to the next level.”
This May saw the launch of Gothenburg’s UN Sustainable Lifestyle Hub, a two-year “knowledge exchange” initiative that will feature local, scalable solutions for more sustainable living through cultural festivals such as Way Out West
“We had performers like The Cure and Nick Cave, but we also had sustainable lifestyle talks focused on climate, fashion and food,” said Sofia Hedström de Leo, the network’s senior program lead
Following the 2025 debut of UN tour guide uniforms designed by the Swedish School of Textiles—on display at Scandinaitiative’s next phase will enlist students from London’s Central Saint Martins to create new accessories guided by principles of circular design and responsible production
“Our overall objective is to connect people, bring them together, help them collaborate and drive positive impact in how we consume, produce and live our lives,” Brigham said. “We connect the dots.”
Next month’s events will include speakers such as Rebecca Levy-Lewis, chief people and culture officer at Depop; Adam Taubenfligel, creative director and responsibility lead at Triarchy; Massimiliano Giornetti, director at Polimoda; and Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon, International Labour Organization representative to the UN
