Rewind to 2009 and the word was barely mentioned in the fashion industry. But concerns about climate change were starting to grow, in part due to the release of Al Gore’s documentary, , three years prior. “[There was] the sense that things were moving; [there was] more public awareness,” Eva Kruse, the founder of both Danish Fashion Institute and , recalls.
When it was announced that Cop15 – the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference – would be taking place in Copenhagen that year, Kruse was surprised to see that there was practically zero representation from the world of fashion. “We said, ‘Okay, could we make this a moment where the fashion industry joins forces?’” she continues. In the space of just six months, Kruse and her small team managed to put together the first at the Royal Danish Opera House, featuring speakers from the likes of Gucci-owner PPR, now Kering, H&M and Barneys (RIP), as well as an appearance from the then Crown Princess (now Queen) Mary of Denmark, who has remained a major supporter of the event.
“We actually managed to get a critical mass of relevant voices on the stage and people in the room,” Kruse, now chief global engagement officer at , says. There’s no doubt that getting the most powerful names from fashion in the same room – given how competitive the industry is known to be – is one of the summit’s greatest achievements. But one of the biggest criticisms of the annual event, now named the Global Fashion S.
