There’s a quote from Tom Goodwin – author, strategist, and one of the more grounded voices in the tech space – that I keep coming back to:
“It’s always apparent to me that innovation and transformation is almost never about technology, it’s about the interface between humans and technology, it’s about regulations, and it’s about how organizations actually change. This means that it’s inherently messy, the rollout of technology is particularly prone to being held hostage by power, ego, and ‘that’s not how things are done around here’, or ‘we tried it before.’”
This quote sums up exactly why we’re hosting the Transformation Conference again this August – first in Copenhagen on the 6th, then in Stockholm on the 27th.
Because this is not about showcasing more tools. It’s about getting the right people in the room to talk about how we actually make change happen. And those conversations are more urgent than ever.
I’ve said it many times: the technological needs of the fashion industry are not that complicated. We’re not trying to get to Mars. We’re trying to fix overproduction, streamline supply chains, and improve transparency. It’s about solid tools and smart data sharing. That’s it.
And yet, we’re still not there.
This year’s Transformation Conferences are focused on three areas where we believe real, implementable change can happen:
- How AI will change marketing and communication
- How data sharing can enable healthier ecosystems and reduce waste
- How innovations in retail can reshape the fashion value chain
We’re bringing together some of the most relevant tech companies in the Nordics and Northern Europe — including partners like GS1, Impulso, Centric Software, Brandback, and Markmi — and creating a space for hard, honest conversations.
Because that’s what’s needed right now.
There’s been less talk about sustainability in the fashion discourse lately. The latest State of Fashion report from McKinsey even showed a dip in prioritisation. That may sound discouraging, but I actually see it differently.
Sustainability has gone from being a talking point to something we need to implement. Less signalling, more doing. When I speak to fashion brands today, nobody is saying it’s not important. It’s a given.
The problem is that implementing sustainability is hard. It’s messy. And you can’t solve it with a press release or a tagline.
On top of that, with new greenwashing regulations coming in, many brands are now staying quiet, even when they’re doing meaningful work. Greenhushing is real.
So what we’re left with is the difficult part: doing the actual work. And that’s where we come in.
The role of Transformation Conference – and Scandinavian MIND more broadly – is to be the translator between worlds. Tech companies and fashion brands still don’t speak the same language. Our job is to create the conditions for that dialogue to happen.
For the 2025 conferences, we’re introducing a new element: a closed-door roundtable where select tech founders meet face-to-face with C-level decision-makers from leading Nordic fashion brands. More on that soon.
And speaking of what’s next, we’ll also be launching a new platform this autumn to support these conversations year-round. I can’t say too much yet, but it will help tech companies position themselves better and gain real access to the fashion and retail industry.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll join us in August. Bring your insights. Bring your questions. Most of all, bring your willingness to engage in the work that actually moves the needle.
Because technology doesn’t transform industries. People do.
