Jim is a founder and Chief Science Officer. Jim has had a life-long passion for the environment, with a PhD in Ecology and Evolution. At the University of Cambridge, Jim’s background in building tools for molecular genome analysis led to early adoption of synthetic biology methods aimed at the construction of a biosensor as a sustainable method to assess arsenic contamination of drinking water in Nepal and Bangladesh.

Ranga Nathan NS is the Vice President of Customer Success at TextileGenesis. He leads  Project Delivery and Implementation for the traceability initiatives of all Brands who are engaged with TextileGenesis. Ranga has more than 25 years of experience across Technology, Traceability and Communications. An MBA from University of Oxford, he has worked with international organizations like IBM, Tata Consultancy Services and Ogilvy Advertising.

Born in Messina in 1976, Mr. Ficarra obtained a degree in Political Sciences from LUISS “Guido Carli” University in Rome in 1999. He further pursued a master’s degree in European Studies at the College of Europe, Natolin Campus (Poland) in 2000. A career diplomat since 2002, he served in Baghdad, Moscow, Erbil and Tehran before being appointed Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong and Macau from the 1st of September 2022. In his capacity, he supports consular activities and promotes Italian culture, business, society and sports to further increase and strengthen bilateral relations between Italy, Hong Kong and Macau.

Allisa Lau joined Cotton Council International in April 2010 and was promoted as the China Director in October 2021. She is managing the Shanghai and Hong Kong offices to plan and execute the supply chain marketing activities and trade servicing programs in China. Allisa is also acting as the Special Matter Expert for U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol program in CHK and NEA regions. Before joining CCI, Allisa worked as Senior Manager, Marketing Promotion at the global leading textile dyeing and finishing machinery manufacturer “Fong’s Group” for 9 years.

Dr. Christina Dean is a fashion-waste-reducing sustainable fashion advocate who has been at the forefront of the sustainable fashion movement for over 15 years. She first founded NGO Redress, which works to accelerate circularity in fashion in 2007, following which she founded The R Collective social impact business, which rescues, reuses and recycles textile waste from the luxury fashion industry in 2017. Christina is listed by Asia Tatler’s The Impact List as ‘One most influential individuals defining the future of Asia’ and she was listed by UK VOGUE as one of the UK’s ‘Top 30 Inspirational Women’. Previously an award-winning journalist, Christina is widely quoted in global media, She co-authored ‘Dress [with] Sense’; co-hosts the award-winning docu-series, ‘Frontline Fashion’; and her TEDx ‘You are What You Wear’ has been widely viewed. She splits her time between London and Hong Kong.

Will Lam, a renowned entrepreneur and CEO of High Fashion Group, has made significant strides in the fashion industry, most notably in pioneering sustainable innovation. Celebrated with Forbes China’s Outstanding Leader Award and the 2022 Young Industrialist Awards of Hong Kong, his leadership has transformed High Fashion Group into a leader in digital and sustainable fashion.

Under his direction, the group has championed eco-friendly practices, leading to the creation of materials such as ‘Washable Silk,’ a sustainable organic alternative to conventional fabrics. The Natural Dye Project, another green initiative, addresses the longstanding limitations of color variety and dye wastewater pollution in textiles, earning the group the Green & Low-Carbon Factory Recognition from the provincial government.

Will extends his commitment beyond his company. He established WL District, a cross-functional ecosystem that fosters collaboration and supports emerging technologies in the fashion industry, including Internet, big data, and shared economy concepts. Through this initiative, Will continues to shape the fashion industry and promote sustainable innovation.

Andrew Dixon is the President of Merchandising South Ocean Knitters Europe and has always been involved with knitwear both flat and circular. Starting out as a knitwear buyer for UK high street retail brands, he went on to manage buying offices in Hong Kong, owned his own business, then eventually went back to his knitwear roots and has been leading the European sales and marketing of South Ocean since 2016. Andrew is very passionate about design and creativity, believing everything starts with design. That empowerment of creative people and the deep knowledge required in using the right materials is of paramount importance, we have a duty in the industry to make that happen.

Serena is currently working as Executive Director in the Sustainable Finance team within the Institutional Banking Group of DBS Hong Kong.
Prior to DBS, Serena was the Head of ESG Funding Asia for Home Credit, an international consumer finance provider that focuses on responsible lending to people with little or no credit history.
Serena also has over 15 years of experience with Goldman Sachs treasury and market operations in Singapore and Hong Kong, with focus on liquidity management and payment transaction surveillance across the APAC region.
Ms. Mak is also serving as Board Governor & Honorary Secretary at Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong) with a focus on Green and Sustainable Finance development in Asia.
Ms. Serena Mak holds both MSc Investment Management and BBA (Hons) from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Li Jie is the Director of the China Fashion Technology and Innovation Research Institute and the Deputy Secretary-General of the China Fashion Digital Transformation Innovation Center. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from Fudan University. Li Jie is also the overall responsible person for the China Fashion Smartization Journey Summit and a member of the editorial board for the China Fashion Industry Technology Innovation White Paper. He is a lecturer for the China Fashion AIGC Open Class and has participated in clothing intelligent manufacturing and digital transformation projects for brands such as ANTA and Li Ning.

• Award Winner of “China Fashion Design Top Award”
• Promotion Ambassador of China Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage
• Executive Member of Arts Committee, China Fashion Association
• Vice Chairman of Zhejiang Textile and Garment Industry Association
• Vice Chairman of Hangzhou Fashion Designers Association
• Special Vice Chairman of Chongqing Textile Association
• Art Director of Chongqing International Fashion Week
• Producer & Art Director of Super Child Model Classic. China
• Special Adjunct Professor at Zhejiang Sic-Tech University
• Adjunct Professor at School of Art, Soochow University
• Artwork《行走的花》is permanent collection item of Three Gorges Museum
• Artwork 《行走的花.繁衍》《錦繡映月》are collection item of China Silk Museum
• 2022 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics Uniform Equipment Visual Design Excellence Award

About the Brand: IS.CHAO

IS.CHAO is the original Haute Couture brand founded by designer, ZHANG Yichao. The brand is established based on Yichao’s design style and Chinese traditional culture. It is full of Yichao’s strong personal style characteristics: Using Chinese intangible cultural heritage elements as the medium and source of inspiration, extensively combining traditional Chinese costume culture with modern fashion styling, highlighting the characteristics of oriental culture, with soft shapes, simple lines, and rich and gorgeous colors. Expressing the designer’s uniqueness to Chinese culture and fashion. Based on the insights, the national style design works with “行走的花” as the core is perfectly performed.
In recent years, IS.CHAO has launched a series of products jointly with many famous brands on the e-shop platforms, which has been highly praised and loved by the market.

CONTACT

Xiaohongshu: 545957703

Douyin: 1102266882

WeChat Channel: 行走的花姐儿

John Haffner is Deputy Director – Sustainability, Hang Lung Properties, where he is responsible for formulating the Group-wide sustainability strategy and driving its execution. He has more than two decades of experience in cleantech, infrastructure and sustainability in Asia and North America, and is proficient in Mandarin. John was a World Fellow at Yale University, and has more than 20 publications on various topics including the environment, energy and international affairs.

A graduate of the Malaysian Institute of Art in 1993, the designer Lee Khoon Hooi honed his skills from various fashion competitions and was recognized as a runner up for the Malaysian Young Designer Awards and second runner-up for the ASEAN Young Designer Award in 1996. The following year he seized the grand prize at the Asian Young Designer Award in Japan.

In 1999, he finally launched his own label, a move that took the Malaysian fashion scene by storm.Since then he has been honored for his work and effort by several fashion awards including the Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia Style Award, Mercedes Benz Stylo Fashion Forward Award, a prestigious International Recognition at Bangkok International Fashion Week and Elle Magazine’s 2017 Malaysian Designer of the Year / Red Carpet Designer of the Year awards.

About the Brand: Khoon Hooi

Khoon Hooi is a modern occasion wear label that serves new luxury to women across the globe Founded in 1999 by Malaysian designer Lee Khoon Hooi, the eponymous brand effortlessly melds technical craftsmanship with an artisanal approach Each piece is crafted with a strong play on silhouettes, prints and colours.

The brand has traded in Paris Fashion Week trade since 2010 and its designs have been worn by Hollywood celebrities at movie premieres and during important awards events such as Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Vanity Fair’s Oscar Parties in Los Angeles.

www.khoonhooi.com

Gemma is a writer, curator and consultant focused on the China market. She writes for Vogue Business and is curating a Chinese illustration show with Paul Smith for Lunar New Year. Previous work includes reporting for the Business of Fashion and organising VOICES as well as running the luxury publication Jing Daily. Her book Fashion China (Thames & Hudson, 2015) was the first title to offer an overview of the phenomenon of Chinese fashion designers and she has curated exhibitions for the British Council, London College of Fashion and Design & Crafts Ireland – DCCI

Wesley has over 20 years of general management and investment experience, and is currently President of qonvolv Ventures, established in 2023, the corporate ventures arm of Tessellation Group. qonvolv Ventures aims to be the hub of industry knowledge and technologies for innovative growth in fashion industry and beyond, and conducts both incubation of creative solutions as new businesses and investments in emerging technologies in manufacturing excellence, digital value chain, green tech, and enablement of future workforce.

Previously Wesley spent over six years with Esquel Group, having taken on various positions including Chief of Staff to Chairman, Head of Corporate Communications, and Head of Group Finance before establishing Esquel Ventures in January, 2022.

Prior to joining Esquel, Wesley was an Executive Director of China Infrastructure Partners Fund and Bank of China International Private Equity, evaluating and investing in private equity opportunities with Greater China and Asia angles. Wesley also worked in investments and M&A at Oaktree Capital and Alibaba, after having started his career as a management consultant at Bain & Company.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Wesley obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees in Civil Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Roxana Barbieru has 20+ years of experience in global management in both commercial and technical
functions in various industries, including renewable biomaterials, textiles, and specialty chemicals.
She has been fortunate to work with diverse teams and businesses, honing her ability to drive business
growth through disruptive innovations and sustainability.
She is a truly global executive, having lived and worked in Europe, Singapore, as well as pursuing studies in
the US.
As of 1st June 2023, Roxana is the CEO of TreeToTextile AB, a sustainable cellulosic fibers company for
textile and nonwoven markets, aiming at making a climate impact at scale. TreeToTextile AB is owned by
IKEA, H&M, Stora Enso and LSCS Invest.
Prior to her CEO role, Roxana has been with Stora Enso and DyStar Group in different leadership roles with
a focus on commercialization of new biomaterials and sustainable products, as well as scaling up new
ventures. Roxana has also served as board member and chairperson of TreeToTextile AB.
Roxana holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany and an MBA from
University of California Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management, USA, and National University of
Singapore, Business School.

Jeanne is a design practitioner who investigates creative innovation that interfaces design and technology. Her research focuses on intelligent textile design for fashion, interiors, rehabilitation, and Design-Led STEM processes. Jeanne’s research in intelligent textiles had been patented and commercially licensed for real-world applications. Her work had been showcased at Milan Fashion Week, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and collected as part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of Silk, China. Jeanne’s work had received international coverage including Vogue, WGSN, Harper’s Bazaar and the Public Broadcasting Service (USA). Jeanne is often invited to speak internationally at events such as TedX, ArcInTex, E-Textiles. Recent awards include iF International Design 2023 and Red Dot 2023. Her university service activities had contributed to the securing of a large-scale HKD$ 207 million strategic grant from InnoHK Research Clusters and PolyU’s unprecedented HK RAE2020 results for UoA38 Creative Arts, Performing Arts & Design. As a design consultant, Jeanne works with companies and organizations to implement fashion, textile, and creative education solutions. Her consultancies include LVMH Group (Celine, Givenchy, Kenzo, Loewe, Marc Jacobs), Nike, Alibaba, Fashionary, Kiabi, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, The Hong Kong SAR Government (EMSD) and The Hong Kong Red Cross.