Burak Cakmak, CEO of the Fashion Commission, Saudi Arabia

06/23/21 • 30 min

Lewis & Friends: Curious Conversations with Leaders in Sustainable Fashion

Burak Cakmak is a strategic catalyst with extensive experience in corporate, academic and non-profit organizations building innovation driven sustainable solutions.
He is the co-founder of Thean.co, a strategic fashion consultancy and The Digital Fashion Group, a European collaboration between fashion and technology.
Most recently he served 5 years as the Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design where he led the implementation of a new innovative curriculum for fashion design and business programs. During his tenure, he leveraged his expertise in sustainable design to emphasize socially conscious and transformational design to formulate the educational approach and training of the next generation of creators. His experience includes directional roles at corporate and non-profit institutions including Swarovski Group, Gap Inc and Kering’s luxury brands. Under his leadership, he oversaw implementation of best-practice industry standards across all business functions, including raw material sourcing, supply chain management, manufacturing, and retail operations.
He sits on the board of ‘Nest’, a non-profit organization building a new handworker economy, and is on the expert panels for innovation focused initiatives the Global Change Award, Kering’s K-Generation Award and LVMH Prize.
He has been invited to speak at a number of prominent, globally recognized conferences including the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, WebSummit and Fashion Asia Hong Kong. He has served on expert juries including the CFDA + Lexus Fashion* Initiative, and Open Style Lab and has lectured as a visiting professor at SKEMA Business School in France and China.
***************************
About Apparel Impact Institute (Aii)
Aii identifies, funds, scales and measures proven quality solutions to accelerate positive impact in the fashion industry. At Aii, we look for scalable solutions and best practices that can be applied to the entire value chain. By improving upon the environmental footprint of the current industrial model we (know/recognize) the key to unlocking the future will involve new innovations of materials, manufacturing and business models. Learn more:
Website: http://www.apparelimpact.org
Instagram +Twitter: @apparelimpactinstitute

Previous Episode

Kurt Kipka, Vice President of Programs, Apparel Impact Institute

KURT KIPKA, VICE PRESIDENT at APPAREL IMPACT INSTITUTE
As Vice President of Apparel Impact Institute, Kurt manages the growth and longevity of global programs including Clean by Design – a proven platform for improving the resource efficiency of textile mills in collaboration with multinational brands. Prior to joining Aii, he spent three years at the environmental non-profit, Natural Resources Defense Council, where he focused on developing platforms and tools to measure and improve environmental performance of leading brands and retailers. Kurt also spent 10 years in retail sourcing and has served as chair and active member of several retail industry councils and steering teams.
Kurt earned a BA in International Business from St. John’s University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Business.
*********************
About Apparel Impact Institute (Aii)
Aii identifies, funds, scales and measures proven quality solutions to accelerate positive impact in the fashion industry. At Aii, we look for scalable solutions and best practices that can be applied to the entire value chain. By improving upon the environmental footprint of the current industrial model we (know/recognize) the key to unlocking the future will involve new innovations of materials, manufacturing and business models. Learn more:
Website: http://www.apparelimpact.org
Instagram +Twitter: @apparelimpactinstitute

Next Episode

Marci Zaroff on Lewis & Friends

Marci has been instrumental in driving authenticity, environmental leadership & social justice worldwide for nearly three decades. With a degree from the Haas Business School at UC Berkeley, Marci co-founded a thriving health & environmental educational center in 1990 with an organic café, AVEDA concept salon, and national magazine. Now known as The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, it is the largest professional health coach certification program in the world.
ECOFASHION
Marci coined the term “ECOfashion” in 1995 and pioneered the fusion of ecology and fashion. Her vision: to style the world of change, while changing the world of style. Today, this movement is at a tipping point.
Marci keynotes, speaks and consults internationally on sustainable fashion, organic & regenerative agriculture, strategic vision, social innovation and green business/design. She was a key driver in developing the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), as well as the world’s first Fair Trade Textile Certification with Fair Trade USA. She has spearheaded and launched first time organic/sustainable fashion initiatives in top retailers — such as Whole Foods Market, Macy’s, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and AVEDA.
Marci’s achievements have been recognized throughout her career. She is both a Royal Society of the Arts (RSA) Fellow and a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. Marci has been honored by Retail TouchPoint’s “Retail Innovator Award”, ABC News’ “Legends and Legacies”, New York Moves’ “Power Woman Award”, Fashion Group International’s “Rising Star Award” and ELLE Magazine’s “Mercury Style Award” to name a few. She is also featured in the book: “ECO AMAZONS: 20 Women Who Are Transforming the World.”
Marci is an officer on the Board of Directors of both the Organic Trade Association and the Textile Exchange as well as Fashion Revolution USA. She serves on the Advisory Boards of the Cradle to Cradle Innovation Institute’s “Fashion Positive”, Turning Green, Fair Trade USA and others. Marci’s first book—ECOrenaissance: Co-creating a Stylish, Sexy & Sustainable World—was published by Simon & Schuster in August 2018.
An artist, yoga enthusiast, and mother of two “green” Millennials, Marci lives in New York City with her #greenmoregirls daughter Jade and ecopreneur husband & twin flame soulmate, Eric Schnell.
https://marcizaroff.com/
********************
About Apparel Impact Institute (Aii)
Aii identifies, funds, scales and measures proven quality solutions to accelerate positive impact in the fashion industry. At Aii, we look for scalable solutions and best practices that can be applied to the entire value chain. By improving upon the environmental footprint of the current industrial model we (know/recognize) the key to unlocking the future will involve new innovations of materials, manufacturing and business models. Learn more:
Website: http://www.apparelimpact.org
Instagram +Twitter: @apparelimpactinstitute