Be the Change Summit 2024
Back again for its third edition, the Singapore Fashion Council (SFC) proudly hosted the Be The Change Summit on 15 August 2024. The highly anticipated event took place at the prestigious Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, attracting more than 320 attendees from across the fashion, business, sustainability and education sectors.
This year’s theme, Eternally Circular: Articulating with Asian Voices, draws from SFC’s vision of establishing Singapore as a “Vibrant Asian Hub for Responsible Fashion.” Speakers offered insights into how Singapore can leverage unique opportunities to make this vision a reality, addressing an audience of industry practitioners and dignitaries, including Dr. Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, who attended as Guest-of-Honour.
Transforming Singapore into a Responsible Fashion Hub
SFC’s vision promotes Singapore as an equitable, transparent, and inclusive fashion hub, emphasizing sustainability, innovation, and Asian craftsmanship. By fostering partnerships across the fashion value chain, SFC aims to lead a meaningful transformation in the industry.
Elaborating on the vision, Zhang Ting-Ting, Chief Executive Officer of SFC said, “Sustainability stands as a pressing imperative within the fashion industry. Our strategic pivot ensures that it becomes the cornerstone of our efforts to advance Singapore’s fashion sector. As a significant hub for fashion import and distribution in the region, Singapore is poised to lead by example in fostering a more environmentally conscious fashion landscape. Addressing this challenge requires collective action; it is not something any one organisation can tackle alone. We eagerly anticipate collaborating closely with government bodies, businesses, and consumers alike to drive a lasting transformation!”
Be The Change Summit serves as an essential platform, engaging local and international industry experts in discussions about Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles throughout the fashion value chain. Speakers from renowned global companies, such as H&M Group, The Earthshot Prize, Circ, and Decathlon, shared insights alongside contributors from Singapore’s fashion sustainability ecosystem, including Carousell Group, SGRecycle, RGE-NTU Sustainable Textile Research Centre, and ZERRIN.
Cultivating Future Industry Leaders in Responsible Fashion
Aligned with this new vision, SFC collaborated with local and international partners to launch a student challenge and scholarship program aimed at equipping young talent with skills relevant to the sustainable future of fashion.
During the summit, SFC announced the Fashion Industry Scholarship, supported by garment supplier Fu Yuan International. This scholarship prioritizes study areas such as sustainability and circularity in fashion, textile and material research, and fashion supply chain and business development. Alongside the previously announced Responsible Fashion Scholarship, created in partnership with RGE, each scholarship awards S$10,000 to cover costs for full-time programs, based on merit or potential. In total, three individuals received the Fashion Industry and Responsible Fashion Scholarships.
Additionally, SFC awarded the Singapore Fashion Council Student Challenge Award to six winners, supporting their journey in fashion sustainability and recognizing their creativity and innovation. The winners will collaborate with RGE to develop sustainable fashion concepts, participate in a Sustainable Study trip to Indonesia, and gain behind-the-scenes exposure to the fashion value chain, identifying opportunities for positive change.
This is our first ever pool of scholarships, and I’m glad that we are able to support these promising young individuals on their sustainable fashion journey. The wicked problem of climate change is multifaceted and needs to be analysed through the complex lens of responsible fashion. Navigating this future will also require global perspectives–and it is crucial that more Asian voices are not just heard, but actively participating in how a more equitable and resilient global textile sector is being shaped. By dressing these future change makers with the right tools and critical skills rooted in Asia, we’re optimistic that the future of fashion will be a greener, more inclusive one.
Be The Change Summit is a pivotal thought leadership event for Singapore’s fashion industry, where innovation, culture, and sustainability converge to shape the future of fashion. Through this summit, SFC aims to ignite discussions and drive actions toward a more sustainable and equitable future. Moving forward, SFC is committed to increasing consumer awareness of the garment supply chain and promoting alternative consumption models, such as community-based clothes-swapping initiatives.
SFC will continue collaborating with both established and emerging brands to drive sustainable innovation, advocating for a unified approach that aligns with regional standards.