NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary participated in the Copenhagen Fashion Summit’s virtual conference earlier this week, appearing in a video on the opening day to discuss sustainability in fashion.
Due to the pandemic, the organisers behind the Copenhagen Fashion Summit decided to host a virtual conference this fall. The conference, which met on Tuesday and Wednesday included a “hybrid of pre-produced premium digital content, live sessions and an online forum” that connected the “fashion industry with the world’s leading innovators to keep the sustainability agenda alive,” according to its website.
“It reflects the times we are living in right now. The worrying times. And it is sad because it’s so nice to meet people from all corners of the globe, to be able to hear everyone’s different reflections and great ideas and innovations, but we’ll continue to do that.
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“We have to have respect for the time we’re in. we have to think creatively and innovatively to find ways to keep moving towards the goals of creating a sustainable fashion industry.”
Crown Princess Mary continued: “Even though our priorities have shifted to deal with COVID and manage the crisis, we have to continue to work collectively on achieving the goals we set before COVID.”
The theme of the 2020 Copenhagen Fashion Summit had been set as ‘Redesigning Value,’ though the theme was modified slightly to reflect the effects of the pandemic. “The worldwide pandemic is forcing our industry to undergo a dramatic transformation that is playing out in real-time,” the Summit’s website says, noting that the discussions would discuss how present and future realities will be affected by health and economics and need to navigate the “repercussions of which will be felt for years to come.”
“The fashion industry is a huge employer, and the majority of those employed are women,” Crown Princess Mary said when asked about how the fashion industry has been affected by COVID-19, and how it provides income and financial sustainability to women all over the world.
Crown Princess Mary also spoke of the importance of finding value in clothing, especially in terms of clothing that will last and be sustainably produced. “We’re seeing a much greater market for second-hand, for recycled, for up-cycled, and I’m thinking that this is another value because it tells another history of the product,” she said, talking about how people are viewing this as a way to be environmentally friendly with their clothing.
Featured image: Crown Princess Mary is patron of the Global Fashion Agenda, a partner of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit. She has spoken at every Summit since 2009. (DET DANSKE KONGEHUS)