About Speaker
Han Bekke (1949) worked for more than 40 years for several trade associations in the Dutch clothing and knitting industry. In March 2013 he was elected as chairman of the board of MODINT (Dutch trade association for fashion, interior and textiles) and re-elected for a second term in June 2017. From 2006 till 2013 he was also secretary-general of the IAF (International Apparel Federation), became its treasurer in 2013 and serves as IAF President since 2016.
Other boards Han Bekke serves on:
– member of the Executive Committee of VNO-NCW (Confederation of Dutch Industries)
– chairman a.i. of Federation Dutch Creative Industries
– member of the board of Dutch Circular Textile Valley
– member of the Advisory Council of European Fashion Business School TMO
– chairman of the board of the Amsterdam Tailoring School

About Company
The International Apparel Federation (IAF) is the world’s leading federation for apparel manufacturers, their associations, and the supporting industry. IAF’s membership include national apparel associations from more than 40 countries and associate members being prominent companies or institutes in technology, business services, retailing, logistics and education. IAF’s mission is to unite all stakeholders of the fashion and apparel industry, including brands, retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, and country associations from around the world to enable and promote smarter, stronger, more sustainable supply chains.
The IAF achieves its mission by:

About USFIA
USFIA represents brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers based in the United States and doing business globally. Founded in 1989, USFIA works to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers that impede the fashion industry’s ability to trade freely and create jobs in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., USFIA is the voice of the fashion industry in front of the U.S. government as well as international governments and stakeholders. With constant, two-way communication, USFIA staff and counsel serve as the eyes and ears of our members in Washington and around the world, enabling them to stay ahead of the regulatory challenges of today and tomorrow. Through our publications, educational events, and networking opportunities, USFIA also connects with key stakeholders across the value chain including U.S. and international service providers, suppliers, and industry groups.

About Julia K. Hughes
Julia K. Hughes is President of the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA), which represents brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers based in the United States and doing business globally. She represents the industry in front of the U.S. government as well as international governments and stakeholders, explaining how fashion companies create high-quality jobs in the United States and economic opportunities around the world. An expert on textile and apparel trade issues, Julie has testified before Congress and the Executive Branch. She frequently speaks at international conferences including the China & Asia Textile Forum, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Harvard University’s Bangladesh Development Conference, MAGIC, Prime Source Forum, Vietnam Textile Summit, and others. Julie served as the first President and is one of the founders of the Washington Chapter of Women in International Trade (WIIT) and is one of the founders of the WIIT Charitable Trust. She also was the first President of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT). In 1992, she received the Outstanding Woman in International Trade award and in 2008, the WIIT Lifetime Achievement Award. She also is a member of the International Women’s Forum. She has an M.A. in International Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

About Speaker
Mustafa Cem Altan was born in İstanbul in 1958. He went to the UK for University Degree. He studied textile engineering at Nottingham Trent University between 1977 and 1983. After getting a Graduate degree from University, he started working for In retail groups of Beymen and Benetton in Nottingham. After all those years gaining experiences, Mustafa Cem Altan has started his own business as foreign trading company selling turkish garments to the UK’s market and marketing Turkish garment internationally. He has been the founder and chairman of Aycem textile since 1991. He is a board member of Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association, International Apparel Federation (IAF), The Turkish Clothing Manufacturer’s Association. Mustafa Cem Altan was born in İstanbul in 1958. He went to the UK for University Degree. He studied textile engineering at Nottingham Trent University between 1977 and 1983. After getting a Graduate degree from University, he started working for In retail groups of Beymen and Benetton in Nottingham. After all those years gaining experiences, Mustafa Cem Altan has started his own business as foreign trading company selling turkish garments to the UK’s market and marketing Turkish garment internationally. He has been the founder and chairman of Aycem textile since 1991. He is a board member of Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association, International Apparel Federation (IAF), The Turkish Clothing Manufacturer’s Association.

About Company
Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (İHKİB) is one of the most important industrial organizations of Turkish Apparel Industry, which is among the major manufacturing industries in Turkey, with its more than 9.000 member exporters and a rate of 75% in Turkey’s total apparel export. Istanbul has an important share in apparel trade and İHKİB plays a vital role in this industry. İHKİB, founded in 1986, is one of the four exporters associations under the General Secretariat of Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters Associations (İTKİB). İHKİB has more than 9.000 member companies mostly located around Istanbul. The Association represents apparel industry extensively since the member companies of the Association realize 75% of Turkey’s total apparel exports which is around 17 billion $ annually. İHKİB’s main goal is to enhance the export capability of Turkey in apparel and promote the industry around the world. Besides, İHKİB supports its members in all kinds of trade related activities. In addition to these, İHKİB aims to promote common interests of the industry in both national and international platforms as well as in governmental levels.

About Speaker
Christian P. Schindler is the Director General at the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), a position he has held since October 2004. Before this, between 1995 and 1998 he worked as personal assistant of two Members of Parliament in the German Bundestag, Bonn. In 1998 he joined the Federation of German Wholesale and Foreign Trade (BGA) in Bonn/Berlin as personal assistant and speechwriter of the Association’s President. Between 2001 and 2004 he studied at the Institute for Economic Policy at the University of Cologne, Germany, where he wrote his thesis and obtained a doctorate degree in 2004. Dr. Schindler was appointed Economist of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation on October 1, 2004 and was promoted to the position of Director in 2006. At the Federation’s Annual Conference in Dubai, UAE, in September 2006 he was nominated and elected Director General as of January 1, 2007.

About Company
The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) is the international forum of the global textile industry. It was founded in 1904. Its members are companies and associations from the textile and allied industries. The mission of ITMF is to:

About Speaker
Seray Seyfeli graduated from the Business Administration department and she has worked in the apparel sector for 20 years. Seray is the vice president at Aegean Apparel Exporters’ Association and president of the Foreign Marketing Strategy Development Committee. She is the partner and general manager of Seyfeli company. She has been a member of the Aegean Business Women’s Association since 2013, and she has been the Vice President of the Board since 2017 as well as a member of the Turkish Exporters Assembly Women Council. She is working both in her own company and in Aegean Exporters’ Associations on organic and sustainable production.

About Company
Aegean Apparel Exporters’ Association is a non-governmental organization working in close collaboration with the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Trade. The Association represents approximately 1.000 member companies that are located around the Aegean Region of Turkey and active in the fields of manufacturing and exporting a wide range of top quality apparel products. Exports realized by members of the Association total up to 1,3 billion $ per year. The Aegean Apparel Exporters’ Association works in promoting apparel exports of the Aegean Region and Turkey, expanding the range of export products as well as finding new markets.The Turkish apparel industry is listed as the 7th largest exporter in the world and the 3rd largest supplier to the EU. The Aegean Region is one of the most important centers for manufacturing exclusive apparel products. To enhance the competitiveness of our members and the Turkish apparel sector, Aegean Apparel Exporters’ Association focuses on sustainability awareness projects. Being a center of production of the high quality “Aegean Cotton”, the region has established itself as a manufacturing hub of knitted and woven men, women, children and babies wear. Moreover, the region has specialized in the manufacturing of organic textiles and apparel. The region is a reliable production partner for many worldwide known brands and retail chains by being flexible in terms of production and delivery times and a fashion-oriented mind.

About Speaker
Mr. Mostafiz Uddin is the Managing Director of Denim Expert Ltd – an internationally renowned, cutting edge, fully integrated, environmentally sustainable and social responsible compliant garment manufacturing plant based in Chittagong, Bangladesh. He is a visionary entrepreneur in the development of sustainable apparel systems. He is personally driven by social and environmental ethics and is recognized to be a game changer through the introduction of sustainable practices, innovation and fashion disruption, which he sees as keys to the future of the Bangladesh apparel.

About Company
Mr. Mostafiz founded the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) to promote sustainable practices within the Bangladesh apparel industry and to raise the country’s image through different initiatives under the banner of BAE, including the Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF), the Bangladesh Fashionology Summit and Bangladesh Denim Expo. Through these endeavors he strives to promote the advance of sustainable practices, including environmentally sound production methods, full transparency, innovation, circularity and technology.

About Speaker
Amora Carbajal is a skilled lawyer with more than fifteen years’ experience in different positions in the international trade and tourism industries. She has a masters in Alternative Policies for the Development at International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University in Rotterdam. For more than 5 years, Ms. Carbajal was the director of trade commission of Peru in Italy where she developed apparel projects with global brands like MaxMara to promote Peruvian textile industry. Also she has worked as a Tourism Director for the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru. Nowadays, she is director at Peru Trade, Tourism and Investment Office in the Netherlands (Benelux & Scandinavia).

About Company
PROMPERU is the Commission for the Promotion of Peruvian Exports and Tourism. It’s an agency of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism.The mission of PROMPERU is to position Peru in the global scene by promoting the nation’s image as a tourist destination and producer of value added products. In this way, it contributes to the country sustainable and decentralized development. PROMPERU is considered the best agency of promotion in South America, the second one in Latin America and the eleventh worldwide.

About Speaker
Dr. A Sakthivel has been elected as the Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) by the Executive Committee for the year 2020 to 2021. Dr. A Sakthivel was first elected to the board of Directors of Apparel Export Promotion Council in the year 1982 thus serving the council for almost four decades. He is also the first person in the history of AEPC, who is sworn-in for the fourth time as Chairman of the AEPC. His diligence has played a vital role in the growth of the Council and gradually led to the improvement of exports at the national level. Dr A Sakthivel has not only contributed his time and work to the Council but also served as Managing Committee Member of Federation of Indian Exporters organization (FIEO) for more than a decade. He was also the President and Regional Chairman of FIEO, Southern Region. Dr. A Sakthivel along with some exporters had established Tirupur Exporters Association in 1990 widely known as TEA. Dr A Sakthivel was the first President of TEA and he held the post continuously for a period of 27 years. During his tenure as President TEA, the export turnover of Tirupur Industry increased to a whopping Rs 27000 crores in 2016-17 from Rs 270 Crores in 1990. Government of India recognized his unparalleled service to export sector specifically to apparel Sector and knitting industry, creation of infrastructures such as industrial parks, ICDs and his contribution to the society with regard to education, drinking water, sanitation and drainage etc., by honouring him with one of the country’s most prestigious and esteemed Civilian Award “PADMA SHRI” in 2009 being the first in the overall textile industry. Besides being privileged with many honours and accolades, Dr A Sakthivel was also conferred with Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) in 2011 by Bharathiyar University for his pivotal role in motivating many enterprising and capable youngsters to make a career in exports and also for his dedicated involvement in visionary projects, initiatives and his immeasurable contribution for the growth of industry and development of society.

About Company
Incorporated in 1978, AEPC is the official body of apparel exporters in India under Ministry of Textiles, Govt.of India, that provides invaluable assistance to Indian exporters as well as importers/international buyers who choose India as their preferred sourcing destination for garments. To promote, support and facilitate Indian apparel industry to enhance its competitive advantage and global positioning in a holistic and sustainable way that is beneficial to all stakeholders of the industry.

About Speaker
Andrés is a Mechanical Engineer by the Polytechnical University of Catalonia (UPC) and has an MBA from IESE Business School. He has experience in the construction sector but has worked in MANGO for the last 9 years. There, he started as a Womenswear Buyer but quickly moved on to the position of Head of Buying of the Menswear division. After 3 years he was appointed Head of Sourcing for all MANGO business units. As Head of Sourcing, he leads the strategy for Vendor Management, as well as CSR, Production Quality, Digital Product Transformation and others.

About Company
MANGO is a Spanish clothing design and manufacturing company, founded in Barcelona, (Spain) by brothers Isak Andic and Nahman Andic. MANGO is the second largest fashion exporter in Spain, with 2,3 Bn EUR sales in 2019.

About Speaker
Dr. Andreas Seidl has been CEO of the Human Solutions Group since 2002 and of the subsidiary Assyst GmbH since 2009. His concept of placing people at the center of product development and production was new and globally unique at that time. Today, Seidl is a sought-after expert in the digitalization of processes in the apparel industry.

About Company
Assyst offers software solutions for the entire process chain in the apparel industry – from the initial idea to product and collection development, design and the store. The key technology is the 3D simulation software Vidya, which photorealistically simulates designed clothing. Today Assyst’s solutions shape digital work in the apparel. Around 100 employees work at the Munich site and another 20 at Sistemi Assyt in Lainate/Milan. Partner companies also sell solutions worldwide.

About Speaker
Ton Wiedenhoff joined Alvanon in 2019 as Executive Director, Europe. He heads Alvanon’s European team, and is responsible for the business development and support of key apparel retail, brand and sourcing clients. He also works closely with MOTIF, Alvanon’s online continual e-learning platform, to help client companies connect their apparel industry professionals to the skills and expertise they need to succeed in the digital age. Ton has over 30 years of experience in supply chain organization and integration. He has an outstanding record in helping apparel and brand clients optimize product quality, supply chain efficiencies and speed to market while achieving strategic sustainability and transparency objectives. Ton previously served as chief operating officer, managing partner and purchasing director of Dutch Brand House International BV managing brands Falcon Sportswear and Sjeng Sports, operating in Asia and Northern Europe. Prior to Dutch Brand House International BV, Ton co-founded Falcon International where, in addition to product development, sourcing, financial and logistics roles, he was responsible for the implementation of sustainable initiatives, like ‘Fair Wear Foundation’. He has also held senior purchasing, business development and management roles for K. Swiss Fashion International and Global Fashion Group. Ton graduated from HAN University of Applied Sciences with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Commercial Economics. In addition to Dutch, he speaks fluent English and German.

About Company
Alvanon is a fashion-tech company, focused on the body and its application and implications in the apparel industry. It has developed a unique and innovative body data-driven approach, with a consumer-scanning element, to solving the challenges of sizing and fit inherent in the fashion industry. Since 2001, it has dedicated itself to body shape data research and has gathered more than 1.5 million body scans in 30+ countries, most recently, in China, Colombia, Costa Rica and the US. Combined with its deep apparel knowledge, this has allowed Alvanon to develop thousands of fit standards for hundreds of brands globally. www.alvanon.com

About Speaker
Azfar is an entrepreneur with a background in supply chain management. 4 years ago he set up Lulusar – a women’s pret brand with a focus on using digital tools and technology to launch 12-16 collections a year. Lulusar is a vertical offering on demand products through its micro-factory. Its strength is the use of intelligent digital tools to develop, plan and produce products offered on its e-commerce platform.

About Company
Lulusar is a women’s pret brand with a focus on using digital tools and technology to launch 12-16 collections a year. Lulusar is a vertical offering on demand products through its micro-factory. Its strength is the use of intelligent digital tools to develop, plan and produce products offered on its e-commerce platform.

About Speaker
In 2013, after his studies in computer science and has worked at the sportswear brand Adidas, Martin founded the company of Vizoo in Erlangen, Germany. Vizoo specializes in solutions to digitize materials for the Fashion industry. Since the founding and with Martin as one of the two Managing Directors, the company grew to become the number one technology provider in its field with clients in more than 30 countries worldwide.

About Company
Vizoo is the number one supplier of solutions for the physically accurate digitization of material swatches in the fashion industry.
Since 2013, we help fashion brands and their supply chain to digitize their material processes and create digital twins of their physical samples. Clients are using our technologies from 3D Design to eCommerce in more than 30+ countries globally. “

About Speaker
A prolific dressmaker with years of experience in pattern making and technical design with brands like Jil Sanders and Hugo Boss; Pattima Baehr knows how to transform ideas into reality! At Global Apparel, Pattima supervised the company’s transition into 3D design, successfully working within the complex machinery of an established fashion house to make it compatible with new cutting edge technologies. Over the last 3 years, Pattima and her team gained deep insight into the hurdles and challenges involved in setting up systems of 3D development for a company supplying a wide range of products to multiple customers.

About Company
Global Apparel GmbH is an international company that has established itself as a forerunner in the fashion industry. Offering a wide portfolio of services including product development, 3D development, quality management, sourcing and marketing; Global Apparel is a market leader in innovative and reliable procurement and order fulfillment.”

About Speaker
For nearly half a century, Ram Sareen has served the garment industry with an extensive and storied history characterized by one word: disruptive. In fact, his mantra has always been, “Change is constant, growth is optional.”This philosophy is now ingrained in the DNA of Tukatech, the fashion technology solutions company Sareen founded in 1995. With an inventive spirit, Tukatech is known to simplify practices to meet the ever-changing needs of the apparel industry. Credited with successfully bringing digital pattern-making to dozens of countries, and leading innovation in virtual sample-making and cutting room solutions, Tukatech’s robust systems are implemented by fashion experts from all corners of the garment industry.

About Company
Tukatech was founded in 1995 with the objective to have pattern makers create patterns digitally on the computer. On their silver anniversary, Tukatech is an influential fashion technology company known worldwide for innovative solutions and superior technical support. They are the industry’s leading provider of fashion software and machinery for product development, cloud collaboration, and garment manufacturing.