sportstyle

more creative and problem solving." Another change is a strong focus on corporate sustainabil- ity. Stated Yu, "We've seen a lot of change around social respon- sibility since Bangladesh fire in 2012. How we treat workers has become priority. How we operate, and how the industry operates, are topics clients want to know now." Yu continued, "In the old days it was all about numbers — sales. Now it is more about management and how we tend to customer needs." Yu believes sharing informa- tion and resources will be key in the future. "As the popula- tion continues to increase, and resources are demanded, we'll either kill each other or learn to share," offered Yu, who pushed that idea further stating, "Going forward you'll put a design on a virtual platform and anybody can download it, knit it and own it." Unspun's Esponnette, too, shares a belief that sustainable systems are the future. "The challenge is how can we help brands get on board with us to solve the problem of excess inventory. We need to help shift the mindset and bring digital to the forefront," said Esponnette who is urging brands to take more than baby steps. These execs, all of whom participated this summer in the Fashion Sustainability 2020 Summit series, are optimistic about sustainability continuing to re-shape supply chains for the better. However, they believe it will take industry commitment to investment in technology to make this a manufacturing real- ity. "In the future individuals could knit something custom in three to five hours with a press of the button," said Yu. l David Prentice "Our mantra is sell one, make one, ship one." Tara St James "When you can by a t-shirt that costs less than a cappuccino there is a disconnect." A single source to inform the market on the latest trends and newest brands. Published 6X each year: January / March / May / July / September / November The perfect mix of performance, fashion and lifestyle. sportstylemag.com sportstylemag.com • sportstyle November 2020 • 47

• Cover