Future Forum 2022: Fabricating the Future
On October 6 and 7, 2022 the Future Forum: Fabricating the Future took place at avangarde event space Company, and with strong representation from HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, our partner Drexel University, and of course, a broad range of relevant US and German researchers, teachers, designers, producers, journalists and more. Our speakers got a chance to connect and network with US, Canadian and other German high-impact fashion folks and politicians.
This year's theme has put a spotlight on fashion and its future. As one of the big drivers of pollution and environmental damage during and post production, and New York as the global fashion capital right at the center of a global fashion network, delivered the geographic heft to the 2-day event.
Dr. Anna Kelles, representative of the New York State Assembly and currently pushing through the Sustainable Fashion Act for New York based big fashion retailers, set the tone: how fashion can and must become more sustainable.
Renata Brink and Patrick Kugler, both HAW Hamburg professors in design and engineering departments respectively and co-founders of Green Cycles, their platform and think tank on corporate social responsibility, invited the community to join their program.
On a panel on fashion identity, Hannah Glaser, a Masters student from HAW Hamburg, Isabel Slone, independent journalist, and Chris Baeza from Drexel University discussed what fashion means today.
Gwyn Conaway, an independent costume designer from Los Angeles and Anna Webber from HAW Hamburg engaged in a polemical debate on the chances and challenges of the 3D-based design process in costume and fashion design.
Also on stage and in the night lab were PhD researchers at HAW Hamburg Barbro Scholz and Bea Bruecker, presenting and explaining their research materials with Aradhita Parasrampuria of Parsons and Slow Factory in a conversation on the stage as well as later more hands-on at the Night Lab. You may find the complete program here and speaker profiles here.
The Future Forum was well attended, illuminating and, well, future oriented, and an important enrichment in multitudes of ways. UAS7 wishes to thank the DWIH organizing team as well as HAW Hamburg and their commitment and our partner Drexel University for supporting this event.