Fashion designers Jeanne von Segesser and Miranda Chen will share their first-hand experience in designing and producing sustainable fabrics.
Our 25th Café des Sciences lecture will explore the topic of sustainable fashion. Within this complex field, we will focus in particular on sustainable fabrics, which serve as the fashion industry’s fundamental materials. In a world of finite natural resources, we cannot overlook the topic of eco-friendly materials: its importance and environmental impact are often underestimated and outshined by the dazzling glamour of the fashion design process. In fact, from manufacture (sourcing, weaving, dyeing, etc.) to supply, the whole fabric industrial chain exerts far-reaching impact on our planet.
From the choice of fibers to the recycling of worn materials, each piece of garment is imbued with its designer’s scientific thoughts. Recent innovations and technological advancements in textiles have drastically expanded the aesthetic horizon of fabrics. However, fashion designers are not solely responsible for the adoption of sustainable fabrics; as consumers, we should also be aware of how we can contribute to a sustainable future by spending our money wisely.
For our first lecture in 2021, we are pleased to have invited two fashion designers, Jeanne von Segesser, Founder and Designer of apesigned and Head of the Romandie Region for Fashion Revolution, and Miranda Chen, Manager and Co-Founder of Langerchen, to share with us their first-hand experiences in designing and producing sustainable fabrics. Join us to explore new choices of fashion in this new year!
Event Rundown
*Program from 18:30 – 19:35 (China) / 11:30 – 12:35 (Switzerland) will be broadcasted live via Zoom
18:00 – 18:30 Registration
18:30 – 18:35 Opening Remarks
Cissy Yiwen Sun – Head of Art-Science, Swissnex in China
18:35 – 18:55 Presentation
Jeanne von Segesser – Founder and Designer, apesigned, Head of the Romandie Region, Fashion Revolution
18:55 – 19:15 Presentation
Miranda Chen – General Manager and Co-Founder, Langerchen
19:15 – 19:35 Discussion and Q&A
19:35 – 20:30 Networking Reception
Speakers
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Bio
Jeanne von Segesser
Founder and Designer of apesigned, Head of Romandie Region of Fashion RevolutionJeanne von Segesser is the Founder and Designer of apesigned, a Swiss-Vietnamese conscious and slow fashion label promoting hand-made and tailor-made artisanal creations with principally upcycled fabrics. Currently, she is also Head of the Romandie Region for the not-for-profit organization Fashion Revolution. And she is responsible for FashRev Romandie since a little more than 2 years now. Also, she has launched the eco-responsible community Bubble Ethic, highlighting the diversity of local and sustainable creations (fashion, accessories, care, household products, objects) in French-speaking Switzerland.
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Bio
Miranda Chen
General Manager and Co-Founder of LangerchenMiranda started her career in fashion in 1992. Focusing on the apparel industry, she has rich overseas experience, and experience in cooperation with buyers. After returning to Shanghai from Hong Kong in 1997, she established the representative office of Astoni from Switzerland and served as the general manager. In 2004, she established A-Listair Shanghai Company, engaging in knitwear import and export business with 27 long-term cooperative factories. In 2009, Miranda Chen co-founded the textile manufacturer Jiecco with Philipp Langer. Later they developed their fashion label LANGERCHEN which has developed a series of environmentally-friendly industry-leading fabrics and materials in the company’s own production facility, and undertakes the R&D and production of high-end environmentally friendly fabrics and materials.
Café des Sciences
Café des Sciences is an event series at Swissnex in China initiated in 2019, offering a platform for Swiss spotlight scientists, start-ups, artists and designers to present their projects and connect with the local community. The lectures offer a casual setting in which speakers can present their work and engage with the attendees during a Q&A period. Audiences are welcomed to enjoy the networking reception with Swiss flavor after the talk. Starting in 2021, the lectures are scheduled to take place on the third Thursday of every other month at Swissnex in China or our partner spaces.
