/ CONVERSATION 2021 /
ON DEMAND
ENGLISH
CONVERSATION WITH JAVIER GOYENECHE
Ecoalf’s founder Javier Goyeneche, pioneer and activist in sustainable fashion and lifestyle tells the audience about himself together with sustainable fashion expert Hakan Karaosman. The talk will explore in depth sustainability today, not only in the textile sector but also in the relationship between humans and nature.
In 1995, Javiere Goyeneche founded fun and basics, specializing in contemporary fashion handbags and accessories. Within 10 years, Javier grew the business to 350 points of sale and 70 branded retail stores.
His accomplishments were recognized by the industry when he was awarded Best Young Entrepreneur of Madrid in 2005.
Javier gradually grew frustrated with the amount of waste he saw being produced by the fashion industry.
He embarked on a mission to create an entirely new concept that would combine his design sensibility and understanding of the fashion consumer with the latest in recycled materials.
In 2013 he launched Ecoalf, named after his sons Alfredo and Alvaro.
Under his leadership, the company has grown steadily and now produces a full sustainable lifestyle collection of outerwear, swimwear, casual apparel, yoga, footwear and accessories
Dr. Hakan Karaosman
Chief Scientist at FReSCH, UCD
Dr. Hakan Karaosman is a sustainability management professional and award-winning researcher focusing on fashion supply chain sustainability. In February 2020, European Commission Research Executive Agency awarded Hakan with the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie award for his project, FReSCH (Fashion’s Responsible Supply Chain Hub) that he conducts with Prof. Donna Marshall at University College Dublin.
He began his career writing corporate reports on carbon footprint and social responsibility. Since 2013, he has been pursuing scientific research on environmental and social justice in and across fashion supply chains. He was the coordinator of the Manifesto: Unlocking Responsible Luxury, an annual knowledge series published by Politecnico di Milano School of Management. He has also contributed to Forbes, The Guardian, Vogue Italia, Women’s Wear Daily, Fashion Revolution, Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica. In addition to his published work featuring highly cited academic papers, book chapters, teaching cases and industrial reports, he has several collaborations about sustainability, climate change and transparency with organisations including the UN, NGOs, fashion companies and media platforms.
He has served as a knowledge contributor for various multi-stakeholder actions, including State of Fashion 2018 – Searching for New Luxury, Sustainable Thinking Exhibit by Salvatore Ferragamo, Shaping a Sustainable Digital Future by PRADA, and Enhancing Transparency and Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector by UNECE. He holds BSc. in Environmental Engineering, MSc. in Management in Engineering of Energy and Environment and double degree Ph.D. in Industrial Management. He lives in Milano, Italy.
