Kornit Fashion Week London 2022: Disrupting the Status Quo

Kornit Fashion Week London featured 12 outstanding collections created using on-demand, sustainable production like this one from Julia Clancey shown at Kornit Fashion Week in Los Angeles. | Credit: Aviv Avramov

Kornit Digital (NASDAQ: KRNT) (“Kornit”), a worldwide market leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production, disrupted the fashion status quo during Kornit Fashion Week London, May 15-17 at the historic Freemasons’ Hall. The event highlighted the power of digital production to transform an industry transitioning from the challenges of waste and overproduction to sustainable, efficient production.

Kornit Fashion Week London kicked off on Sunday, May 15 in the UK with a stunning opening gala featuring designs by world-renowned Manish Arora – produced on demand and sustainably with Kornit technology, supplemented by a virtual reality presentation that illuminates his creative process for attendees before connecting it to the physical realization of those inspirations. The following days offered spectacular runway shows combined with keynote and panel sessions by high-profile fashion industry experts addressing critical industry topics. The Kornit press event took place on Monday, May 16 at 1 pm UK at the Freemasons’ Hall.

“Attendees who experience Manish Arora’s virtual reality presentation drawing a direct route from his imagination to runway collection at our opening night gala will understand how we’re transforming what fashionX can and will be,” said Ronen Samuel CEO at Kornit Digital. “Kornit is enabling the connection between the virtual world and brilliant, finished apparel, unleashing creativity in new and fascinating ways. This program offers a glimpse into a completely new experience, from the moment of inspiration to the moment a cherished garment arrives, satisfying and invigorating every creator, brand, producer, and consumer throughout the fashion value chain.”

Samuel continued, “According to a new report by McKinsey & Co., the new face of this industry is digital and on-demand – with investments in technology expected to double by 2030. Kornit embraces this potential with our leadership – from inspiration to the consumer’s door, powered by technology. We’re excited to explore these trends at Kornit Fashion Week, demonstrating the brilliance, diversity, and values of visionaries leading this transformation.”

The runway program by seasoned producer Motty Reif incorporated 12 outstanding designer collections created in days using Kornit’s on-demand production – each challenged the limits of creativity, color, and imagination. Attendees explored the new ways Kornit is driving sustainability and efficiency in a fashion industry eager to overcome the challenges of overproduction (30%) and water waste (95%).

The collections at Kornit Fashion Week London could not be created without Kornit’s digital production technology – accelerating creativity and unleashing the potential for unprecedented design freedom. In addition to the numerous fashion collections on display, another renowned designer, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, debuted their “Breakfast in Bed” collection of home décor applications, also created using Kornit on-demand capabilities. To see the amazing list of designers and their fashion statements, please follow #KornitFashionWeek on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, and Kornit’s press kit with full designer bios.

Keynote Sessions

According to McKinsey, three-quarters of fashion companies surveyed see shipping disruptions as the greatest threat to flexibility and speed. 71% say they are looking to increase nearshoring by 2025 — bringing manufacturing sites closer to their consumer market — and 24% are planning to reshore manufacturing to the same country of operation as the brand. The rich keynote and panel discussions explore critical industry issues such as the shift towards nearshore production, developing responsive, conscientious operations balancing responsibility and profitability, and achieving agility to meet changing customer demands. The robust lineup of keynote speaker sessions included:

• Ex-Chief Supply Chain Officer at PVH, Bill McRaith, “Are You and Your Partners Agile and Ready to Meet Changing Consumer Demands in a Sustainable Way?” This keynote analyzed evolving challenges of supply chain economics, managing inventory, curbing overproduction, and the value of bringing production back home.
• Commercial ESG & Sustainability Director at ASOS, Simon Platts, “The True Cost of Traditional Fashion Practice – and Our Alternative.” This session analyzes the true cost of traditional fashion practices and explores the demand-and-supply production models that can rapidly respond to consumer needs while boosting speed-to-market and reducing risk.
• Designer and Social Entrepreneur, Patrick Grant, “Are You Comfortable in Your Clothes?” In this session, Patrick shared his views on how the industry got to where it is today – and where it needs to go in the future.
• Media and Technology Entrepreneur, Bobby Simms, “The Business of Fashion in the Era of Web3.” This session focused on how NFTs, the Metaverse, and Crypto are changing the fabric of fashion.

“In the fashion world, success demands a great deal of agility – developing a global production structure and manufacturing footprint that strikes the right balance between cost and an ability to respond quickly to ever-changing consumer demands is critical,” said Bill McRaith, ex-chief supply chain officer at PVH, a company with an acclaimed house of brands including Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. “Many of the rules that made the fashion industry successful over the last 30 years just don’t apply anymore. Companies must take a fresh look at their internal processes, value chains, inventory models, and the appropriate balance between producing product offshore and onshore. We’ll learn how to thrive during this transformation at Kornit Fashion Week London.”

“Kornit is flipping the script to supply by demand rather than produce for inventory,” concludes Samuel. “We are confident that fashion will change forever with a digital-first mindset, liberating brands and fashion producers from the waste quagmire, clearing a path to generations of boundless self-expression, unlimited creativity, and sustainable consumption. Those joining us in London will see and understand that complete new creation journey, fully realized by Kornit and our partners in fashion and tech innovation.”

VIP attendees were also invited to demo tours at the Kornit/Fashion-Enter Fashtech Innovation Center to observe the digital, sustainable, on-demand production experience – from inception to delivery of a finished garment, in real-time. During these sessions, participants Joined live demos of digital production of designs in action – acting as a catalyst for nearshore production and bringing fashion and textile manufacturing back to the UK.

Source: Kornit Digital

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Wide-format Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of Wide-format Impressions.