In collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and PVBLIC Foundation, the campaign will showcase women who are shaping the new era of fashion for people and planet.

New York Fashion Week saw the launch of the new direction of the Conscious Fashion Campaign via the NASDAQ billboard in Times Square. Standing at over seven stories tall, the call-to-action stated “Are you a woman social entrepreneur transforming fashion for people and the planet? This billboard belongs to you.” The Conscious Fashion Campaign, in collaboration with the PVBLIC Foundation and supported by the United Nations Office for Partnerships, amplifies the advertising representation of women social entrepreneurs transforming the fashion industry by showcasing their work in global billboard and digital campaigns. 

Research suggests that women receive just 25% of global news features [1]. The Conscious Fashion Campaign aims to change this and plans to start by placing fashion-focused women social entrepreneurs at the center of the narrative as they support the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals – 17 urgent calls to action that address the most critical issues of our time. As the first edition of its kind, Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York has compiled an advisory committee of media representatives and conscious fashion advocates who will select ten applicants to be spotlighted in a collective billboard campaign during New York Fashion Week February 2022. 

From July 2018 – July 2021, the Conscious Fashion Campaign in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships created high-visibility fashion event partnerships to accelerate global industry action in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. Through advocacy, education, and engagement the campaign mobilized industry stakeholders to advance solutions for social, economic, and environmental change. The campaign partners collectively represented over 800 annual events in 40 countries hosting 12.2 million industry attendees and 136,000 exhibiting fashion, textile and lifestyle businesses; including COTERIE New York, Council of Fashion Designers of America, Drapers Sustainable Fashion, Kingpins Show, PROJECT Las Vegas, Neonyt, Pure London and The Fashion Awards.

Kerry Bannigan, Executive Director, Fashion Impact Fund, highlights the need for this initiative by explaining, “From learnings via our global partnerships with the Conscious Fashion Campaign program as well as the stark realities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is no understatement that for progress to be achieved it is critical that the fashion industry prioritizes gender equality with women being fairly represented throughout the value chain and those advancing change in fashion must be represented in global media. Advertising is a powerful actor to shape societal beliefs and can play a critical role in amplifying the visibility of women shaping the new era of fashion. I am excited for the next phase of the Conscious Fashion Campaign as we champion the driving forces for sustainable development in the fashion ecosystem.”

Given its global reach, the fashion industry is uniquely positioned to be a driving force in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals; particularly in relation to climate action, gender equality, and responsible consumption and production. Women social entrepreneurs are advocating for a new paradigm in the sector – one that leads towards an inclusive, equitable, and resilient world. 

“Mobilizing media to amplify women social entrepreneurs who are driving change in the fashion sector aligns with our mission to advance global sustainability,” said Sergio Fernández de Córdova, Executive Chairman, PVBLIC Foundation. “Together with the Conscious Fashion Campaign we will enable media networks to spotlight the transformative leadership of the women who are advocating for sustainable business practices, fair wages, labour rights and more throughout the fashion industry. I am excited by the opportunity to combine media and fashion into a driving force for a just and inclusive recovery.”

Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York advisory committee members include Shawnte Brown, Stylist and Founder, Shop OTNT; Sheena Butler-Young, Correspondent, The Business of Fashion;  Tricia Carey, Director of Global Business Development, Lenzing; Marsha Cooke Senior Vice President Global News and Special Projects, VICE NEWS; Laura Sophie Cox Celebrity and Editorial Fashion Stylist; Dominic-Madori Davis Reporter, Entrepreneurs Business Insider; Isabella Fish, News Editor, Drapers; Sophia Kianni, Founder & Youth Advisor, Climate Cardinals, United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change; Sara Kozlowski, Vice President, Education and Sustainability Initiatives, CFDA; Sara Maino, Head of Vogue Talents, Conde Nast; Tracey Meyers, Market Editor, Strategic Content Development, WWD; Strategic Content Editor, Fairchild Media Group, WWD / Penske Media Corp; Thania Peck, Founder/ Sustainability Advisor Catcher in the Style; Lyn Slater, Content Creator, Accidental Icon; Bandana Tewari, Fashion Journalist and Sustainability Activist and Bunny Yan, Fashion Edutainer, Left Side of Fashion.

The Conscious Fashion Campaign is a program of the Fashion Impact Fund. The Fashion Impact Fund supports women social entrepreneurs transforming fashion to scale impact for people and planet. Through finance, media and business partnerships, the Fashion Impact Fund amplifies the visibility and advances the economic empowerment of women social entrepreneurs shaping the new era of fashion. Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York media partner is TPS Engage. 

To learn more about the Conscious Fashion Campaign or to apply for the Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York edition please visit www.consciousfashioncampaign.com