Press Release – NEW YORK, NY – October 29, 2018: Nest, the nonprofit building a new handworker economy to generate global workforce inclusivity, improve women’s well-being beyond factories, and preserve cultural traditions, today announced that its second annual 2018 New Handworker Economy Convening will take place on November 9, 2018, at 9:00am ET at the BNP Paribas offices in New York City. The event will address prevailing financial gaps keeping home and small workshop-based production systems from driving economic growth and social improvement across the fashion and home design industries. The Convening will host a series of solutions-based dialogues led by leaders from public and private sectors to align on strategies for financing craft-based work, the second largest employer of women in developing economies.
As an established leader in supply chain financing and innovation in social responsibility, global banking group, BNP Paribas, will serve as the Convening’s title partner, kicking off the program with opening remarks delivered by the CEO of BNP Paribas USA and Chairman of CIB Americas, Jean-Yves Fillion.
Jean-Yves Fillion stated: “BNP Paribas is honored to host this special event here at our offices in New York City. We applaud Nest’s commitment to educating investors on profitable ways to support small businesses, and are also proud to help provide sustainable financing solutions to all client types, from individuals to institutions, globally.”
The day’s keynote speech will be from Jim Brett, CEO of J.Crew Group, followed by a series of dialogues covering: what it takes to build a case for bottom-of-the-pyramid investment; how to navigate when supply chain financing is worth it; strategies for building a sustainable pipeline of export-ready craft-based businesses; and finally, how to generate a financing ecosystem in which philanthropy, industry, and impact investment are aligned on social objectives and strategies for change.
Nest emphasizes that its Convenings aim to bring together experts from outside the niche fashion and home industries to build holistic solutions to the problems impacting today’s supply chains. Said Nest Founder and Executive Director, Rebecca van Bergen: “For too long, philanthropy, brands, artisans, and impact investors have operated in silos instead of building complementary strategies that stand to generate amplified impact. Our goal for this year’s Convening is to create this alignment and to start rebuilding the funding ecosystem for the handworker economy.”
The Convening’s preliminary lineup of speakers includes the following experts, with more to be unveiled on a rolling basis leading up to the November event:
Jean-Yves Fillion, CEO of BNP Paribas USA and Chairman of CIB Americas
Ivanka Mamic, Senior Director of Responsible Sourcing at Target
Dan Viederman, Managing Director at Humanity United
Jim Brett, CEO at J.Crew Group
Jennifer Gootman, VP of Social Consciousness & Innovation at West Elm
Jill Filipovic, Attorney and Contributor to The New York Times, TIME, Cosmopolitan
Marc Bain, Fashion Reporter at Quartz
Marissa Pagnani, Group Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at PVH Corp.
Marty Cordes, Co-Chair of the Cordes Foundation
Sandy Fernandez, Senior Director of Center for Inclusive Growth at Mastercard
Ivanka Mamic, Senior Director of Responsible Sourcing at Target, commented, “At Target, we value our partnership with Nest and share a commitment to ensuring that global supply chain workers thrive. Last year, we joined together with Nest and many others in the retail industry to align on consistent compliance standards for artisans and home-based workers. As we look ahead, we think it’s critically important to continue collaborating with other brands and stakeholders to develop funding opportunities for artisans, which in turn helps drive a sustainable pipeline of artisan growth. Target will again support Nest’s annual Convening to take part in important conversations that support our work to enrich and protect the people who help create our products, the families they support and the communities where they live and work.”
Nest’s 2018 Convening comes as the culmination of its fourth Annual Artisan Leadership Summit, which brings a class of 15-20 artisan leaders from around the world to New York City for five days of industry immersion and hands-on learning from top professionals. The 2018 participating class of leaders will be honored at a dinner hosted by Nest at Marta, a Roman-inspired pizzeria by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group the evening prior to the Convening.
Tickets for both the dinner and following day’s Convening are open to the public. Institutions and individuals interested in purchasing tickets to Nest 2018 New Handworker Economy Convening and/or Artisan Impact Dinner should visit buildanest.org/convening.
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