
Sweden and Finland are similar in many ways, and our commonalities are shown in the current state of the fashion industry. Our shared values of equality and innovation have birthed some of the most forward-thinking materials companies, as well as fostered a slew of creative talent in global demand. In the midst of the most transformative period that fashion has ever seen, we want to explore how Finland and Sweden can deepen their impact on the industry — together.
Time: 25 August 2022, 09.00-13.00
Location: Nordic Fabric Fair at Stockholm Fashion District.
RSVP: [email protected]
Programme
09.00
Registration
09.30
Opening words
By our moderator Konrad Olsson, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Scandinavian MIND
09.35
Introduction of Stockholm Fashion District
By Helena Waker, CEO, Stockholm Fashion District and Trade Partners
09.40 Keynote
How to transform the fashion industry – actionable insights
Fashion keeps facing increasing pressure to adapt to both digitisation and sustainability. But transformation is hard. Olof shares some actionable insights on transforming companies and turning profound external changes into a competitive advantage.
Speaker:
Olof Hoverfält, VP Transformation, Reaktor.
10.00 Case study
How sustainable innovation can transform the fashion industry
Shahriare Mahmood, Chief Sustainability Officer at Spinnova, on how they have used their technological innovation to help foster transformation in the fashion industry. We will talk about how the technology is applied, the sustainability advantages, and how they have built their own brand through partnerships and fashion collaborations.
10.15 Panel
What are investors looking for?
Three leading investors talk about what they are looking for in startups and new companies. What are the new criteria for success, both from a financial perspective, but also in terms of sustainability, diversity, and innovation.
Speakers:
Nora Bavey, Unconventional Ventures.
Erik Karlsson, H&M Co:Lab.
Samira Aissi, Investment manager, SEB Greentech VC.
10.45 Innovation sessions
The new Nordic innovations part 1
Rapid fire introductions to leading Finnish innovation companies within fashion and textile.
Speakers:
Petri Alava, Infinited Fiber Company
Niklas von Weymarn, Metsä Spring
Janne Hakonen, Nordshield
Miska Palorinne, Rester
11.15 Intermission
Coffee and refreshments.
A chance to network and interact.
11.30 Keynote
The New Sustainable Consumer
Fashion researcher Fredrik Ekström shares his insights on The New Sustainable Consumer. He talks about how brands can thrive in a time of transition, where the consumers’ hearts and anxieties are, and three consumer profiles you need to know.
11.50 Innovation sessions
The new Nordic innovations part 2
Rapid fire introductions to leading Finnish innovation companies within fashion and textile.
Speakers:
Krista Virtanen, Natural Indigo
Anna Garton, LSJH
Jonne Hellgren, Repack
12.10 Panel
Fashion recycles only 1% — how do we change that?
Recycling textiles should be as natural as recycling paper or plastic. Why isn’t it? We discuss the challenges of turning textile fibres into new materials, and the technologies and regulations that are leading the way.
Speakers:
Nora Eslander, Renewcell
Petri Alava, Infinited Fiber Company
12.30 Keynote
Design to die – how clothes that deteriorate raises existential questions
Erik Lindvall, founder of Streamateria, gives a thought-provoking keynote about the meaning of quality. He will talk about clothes that are like good food, that cannot be owned, but rather experienced. Clothes that show us a renewable world based on transience instead of the all too prevalent notion that things should be produced to last.
12.50
Closing words
13.00 – 14.30
Light lunch and networking
Speakers

NORA BAVEY
Founder, Unconventional Ventures
Unconventional Venture is a Nordic VC that focuses on impact tech companies founded by diverse founders. Nora is an award-winning brand strategist who became a tech entrepreneur. Nora was named one of the 50 most influential in Tech 2022, Most important Female investor 2021, Role model of the year 2020 and among Sweden’s 101 Sustainability Leaders 2020.

SAMIRA AISSI
Investment Manager, SEB Greentech VC
Samira is responsible for investments in innovative green tech companies across Europe. Current portfolio companies include both SaaS and hardware companies like Climate View and CorPower Ocean. Prior to Greentech VC, Samira co-founded an impact start-up, headed Impact at Swedfund and worked in senior deal and strategy consulting roles globally.

SHAHRIARE MAHMOOD
Chief Sustainability Officer, Spinnova
Shahriare is a sustainability enthusiast, researcher and professional in the fashion industry. He has become a sustainability leader in the textile-apparel industry through the relevant technical expertise and professional experience over two decades in almost all stages of textile-apparel value chain operations. He has deep expertise in process optimization in this industry aiming at environmental sustainability. He is a proponent of product sustainability as a part of total sustainability.

OLOF HOVERFÄLT
Principal Consultant of Strategy & Business Design, Reaktor
Olof is a Principal Consultant of Strategy & Business Design at the creative technology company Reaktor. He works with clients in technology-enabled innovation and digital transformation with a special focus on fashion and consumer services. Olof has worked with a wide range of major brands such as Adidas and Tommy Hilfiger.

FREDRIK EKSTRÖM
Senior Business Advisor, Above the Clouds
Fredrik is a future-focused brand consultant and senior business advisor, specialising in sustainable lifestyle brands. He has over 17 years of work experience working with brand activations, insights and development. His company Above The Clouds works with projects ranging from Samsung mobile experience, eco-crypto strategies, sustainable gaming, sustainable fashion retailers and outdoor brands.

ANNA GARTON
Customer accounts, LSJH
LSJH produces custom raw material from household collected post-consumer end-of-life textiles in Finland and Anna — with a degree in Design Management — leads the sale and key customer accounts. As LSJH looks to find value chains for all the different collected textiles by returning them into circulation, her role is to inspire and encourage the use of this new local raw material in various industries, processes, and applications.

NIKLAS VON WEYMARN
CEO, Metsä Spring
Niklas has a Doctor of Science degree in biotechnology from Aalto University in Finland. In 2018, he accepted the task of building an innovation arm for Metsä Group, hence, Metsä Spring Ltd. One of Metsä Spring’s key projects is developing a concept, in which wood pulp is converted into Kuura textile fibres.

KRISTA VIRTANEN
Fashion Designer & International Coordinator, Natural Indigo Finland
Natural Indigo Finland produces natural dyes from woad and industry by-products on an industrial scale with the reliability of delivery. Krista Virtanen is a fashion designer, and she has been working as an international coordinator in Natural Indigo Finland.

PETRI ALAVA
CEO and Founder, Infinited Fiber Company
Petri is an expert in waste management who was pioneering circular initiatives before the concept was widely understood. In 2016, he founded Infinited Fiber Company together with research professor Ali Harlin to turn textile waste into Infinna, a premium-quality regenerated textile fibre that looks and feels soft and natural like cotton. Petri’s vision is for circularity to become an everyday reality in the textile industry and beyond.

HELENA WAKER
CEO, Trade Partners Sweden & Stockholm Fashion District
Waker is the CEO of Trade Partners Sweden and one of the founders of Stockholm Fashion District. Her professional experience consists of working with both national and international trade, particularly within the fashion and textile industry. Along with being on the board of the ICC Sweden, Helena holds several other prestigious positions in projects concerning fashion and international trade.

ERIK LINDVALL
Co-founder, Guringo Design Studio & Streamateria
A photographer and director since the late 90s, Erik works with innovative design within fashion and apparel since 2011. He’s the co-founder of Guringo Design Studio, a trans-disciplinary creative studio that designs and develops products, ecosystems and concepts within the fashion industry. The main purpose is to support brands to transform successfully into thriving participators in the circular, digital society. He’s also co-founder of Streamateria, virtual-first garments with a limited lifespan that convert seamlessly between the virtual and physical world — a material that challenges the very notion of quality, time, and consumption.

JANNE HAKONEN
Vice President, Sales, Nordshield
NordShield® creates a durable, wood-based alternative for antimicrobial surface protection utilized across applications and industries. Hakonen has an M.Sc. Economics with experience of over 15 years in commercializing antimicrobial products and technologies in major corporations in the global medical industry including Johnson & Johnson, Baxter and Fresenius.

JONNE HELLGREN
CEO, Repack
RePack is a reusable packaging service and loyalty program for e-commerce, whereby delivery packages can be conveniently and easily returned, and then reused. It is a concrete solution to reduce packaging trash in e-commerce.

MISKA PAULORINNE
Head of Growth & Strategy, Rester
Rester’s circular economy plant in Paimio receives the end-of-life textiles of companies and processes the fibres into new, high-quality raw material. Rester has an innovative and scalable closed-loop solution to tackle the ever-growing problem of textile waste and side streams from different industrial segments. Miska has previously worked as senior innovations at Nike and head of market at Stefanini Group.

NORA ESLANDER
Head of Communications, Renewcell
Nora Eslander is Head of Communications at the Swedish sustain-tech company Renewcell, producing a 100% recycled material for fashion, Circulose®. Renewcell has during the past years been named The world’s most innovative company 2021 by Fast Company, Circulose® the best invention by TIME magazine and they’ve launched Levi’s® most sustainable jeans ever. Nora holds a BS.c from Copenhagen Business School and has a background in PR and communications at global brands like the danish company Tattoodo.

ERIK KARLSSON
VC/Impact Investor at H&M @CO:LAB
Erik works as Investment Manager responsible for Sustainable Fashion at H&M Group’s investment arm CO:LAB. Erik has led investments in e.g. Ambercycle, Colorifix, re:newcell and Infinited Fiber Company. Currently, serving on the board of several companies in the portfolio. Prior to this role, Erik held various positions in H&M Group’s Sustainability Department. Before joining H&M Group, Erik worked as a sustainability consultant in the oil & gas and shipping industries. Erik holds an M Sc in Environmental Engineering.

KONRAD OLSSON
Editor-in-chief & Founder, Scandinavian Mind
Stockholm-based Konrad Olsson is the founder and editor-in-chief of Scandinavian MIND, a magazine and platform covering the intersection of lifestyle and technology. Konrad is an experienced speaker, moderator, and podcaster. He regularly advises brands and organisations on content strategy and digital transformation.