The 38th IAF World Fashion Convention has officially begun!

The 38th World Fashion Convention organized by the IAF and Spesa in Philadelphia has officially begun on Monday afternoon, October 23rd. On the same day in the morning the IAF General Assembly unanimously accepted the IAF’s Board of Directors proposal to extend the current IAF President’s Cem Altan term with a further two years.

Opening speech at 38th World Fashion Convention

Mr. Altan is himself a garment manufacturer, representing the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (IHKIB) in the IAF. His term extension reflects the IAF’s strong focus on uniting apparel manufacturers globally and defending their interests. In his opening speech he referred to IAF’s mission to enable and promote stronger, smarter and more sustainable supply chains. He noted that the industry’s needed transition is moving too slowly. A major reason for this is that even though manufacturers often have the tools in hand to make the necessary environmental, social and financial improvements, they are mostly not sufficiently enabled in current supply chain- financially or organizationally- to use these tools.

Creating more value through collaborations

He called on the industry to maintain a positive path forward, staying away from the low value trap, and collaborating across the supply chain using technology and process innovation to create more value. During the two-day conference, a broad range of speakers on topics ranging from digitalization, data technology, legislation, sourcing strategy, sustainability and transparency are shedding their light on industry transition. An equally broad range of sponsors, representing available solutions for our industry’s transition, make this convention possible.