Fusion Fashion Tech Society

I left tonight’s classroom at Columbia University feeling energized by the next generation of sustainability leaders and the futures they are preparing to shape. It was a pleasure to share my case study, “The Butterfly Effect | Fashion Has an Ego Problem,” with the students.

Together, we explored how one runway moment caused a ripple effect far beyond the incident, raising questions about leadership, institutional responsibility, and the fragmented systems behind what we wear. We traced the connections between power, governance, animal welfare, community livelihoods, intergenerational sustainability, and accountability across fashion’s global supply chains.

At the heart of the conversation was a question: How far does our responsibility extend when the consequences of our decisions reach people, animals, and ecosystems we may never see?

The students brought curiosity, thoughtful perspectives, and a willingness to engage with very difficult questions. Their openness to examining complexity and imagining better approaches left me hopeful. We need leaders who can connect the dots, question established practices, and bring care and discernment to the decisions they make.

Thank you, Sophia Huda Huda and Wendy Hapgood, for the invitation and the opportunity to share this space with your students.

Developing next-generation leaders is one of the most meaningful parts of my work. Tonight was a reminder that the butterfly effect also begins in a classroom with a question, a new perspective, or the courage to imagine what could be different.

We are honored to announce Janett Haas, a dynamic global media executive as the keynote speaker for the Fusion Fashion Tech Summit during Climate Week NYC. Janett brings a powerful combination of media insight, research leadership, and cultural fluency to this year’s theme:

The Reimagination of Good Clothes: What You Take Off Matters.

At a moment when fashion is being challenged to become more circular, responsible, transparent, and humane, Janett will explore how media shapes the stories consumers believe, the brands they trust, and the systems the industry chooses to reward, question, and transform.

Narratives do more than reflect culture, they shape value, influence behavior, and determine which possibilities we are willing to imagine. Janett’s keynote will challenge us to consider how storytelling can move the fashion industry beyond outdated systems and toward a more accountable future.

Huge congratulations to on another successful . Shannen brought together an incredible community of thought leaders, innovators, and industry leaders, from designers, technologists, and scientists to organizations including Mercedes-Benz, The Business of Fashion, and Vogue Business to explore the intersections of fashion, design, material innovation, sustainability, and deep tech.

I especially enjoyed sharing the stage with Liz Alessi and Rebecca Mink, and being in conversation with our moderators, Jessica Binns of Vogue Business and Jessica Kwon of The Business of Fashion. Thank you all for bringing such thoughtful perspectives to the conversation and creating space for an exchange that crossed disciplines, experiences, and different parts of the fashion ecosystem.

It was also inspiring to see so much innovation happening across Newlab and to be surrounded by people who are actively building what comes next.
This is what community looks like: showing up for one another, supporting one another, sharing knowledge, building together, and creating more opportunities for everyone to grow.

Congratulations again, Shannen, on continuing to create spaces where ideas, innovation, and community can come together and expand what is possible.

In just seven days, will convene its Climate Summit and evening reception at The New York Academy of Sciences during Climate Week NYC and UNGA, bringing together leaders and thinkers across economics, technology, science, sustainability, and society to examine the forces shaping the future of the a human centered economy.

Our founder, Ambriel Pouncy, looking forward to hosting the evening alongside Navroop K. Sahdev, Founder of The Digital Economist, and Jose Carvalho, Executive Director of The Digital Economist, under this year’s theme, “Grounding the Digital Economy: True Costs, Local Impact, and the New Math of Tech.” They will create space for a deeper conversation about the true costs of innovation, the realities of local impact, and what more responsible and inclusive economic development can look like. The goal is to understand how these forces interact, where the tensions sit, and what they mean for the decisions being made today.

The Digital Economist is proud to welcome The New York Academy of Sciences as both our host and community partner. For more than 200 years, NYAS has created space for science, research, industry, and public leadership to intersect, making it a meaningful home for a conversation about how we rethink value, impact, and progress in a changing economy.

🌍 Registration: https://lnkd.in/gDqy_B36

📍 The New York Academy of Sciences
📅 September 24 | Doors Open: 4:30 pm

Looking forward to an evening of thoughtful dialogue, new perspectives, and connection.