New Zealand fashion industry organisation Mindful Fashion has just had a name change ahead of its Threads of Tomorrow Summit in June.
Guest speakers at the upcoming summit include Patagonia category senior director – lifestyle essentials Mark Little and materials director Sarah Hayes.
The Threads of Tomorrow Summit aims to connect the dots across the New Zealand fashion and textile industry’s value chain, accelerate best practice, showcase breakthrough innovation, and unlock real opportunities for collaboration.
Which brings us to the name change.
Mindful Fashion New Zealand is now Fashion & Textiles New Zealand. The new name reflects the breadth of the industry it works with, from fibre and materials innovation through to manufacturing, design, retail and circular systems.
“Mindful Fashion New Zealand has always been about more than fashion,” says Jacinta FitzGerald, chief executive of Fashion & Textiles New Zealand (formerly Mindful Fashion).
“This isn’t a shift in direction, it’s a clearer expression of what we’ve been building for years. A connected, future-focussed fashion and textile industry recognised for its economic value, its cultural contribution, and its ability to lead in innovation and circular thinking.”
Fashion & Textiles New Zealand chief executive Jacinta FitzGerald.
FitzGerald says they’re proud of what Mindful Fashion New Zealand has built over the past seven years and they are taking that forward.
“Fashion & Textiles New Zealand is simply a better reflection of the breadth of the industry we serve, and the opportunity in front of us,” says FitzGerald. “Now, it’s about bringing more of the industry with us. The more representative we are, the stronger our collective voice becomes.”
Under Mindful Fashion, Fashion & Textiles New Zealand has brought major initiatives to life, including the landmark Threads of Tomorrow report (produced with EY New Zealand) and the Circular Design Awards.
However, Fashion & Textiles New Zealand should not be confused with the Textiles Advisory Group (TAG) a voluntary expert group driving systemic change for a circular textile economy in New Zealand.
TAG is on the cusp of releasing a major piece of research on advancing sustainable textile regulation and product stewardship in Aotearoa New Zealand in collaboration with global sustainability consultancy Eunomia. The research, funded by the Clare Foundation, explores the significant economic and environmental benefits of aligning New Zealand’s textiles industry with the European Union’s Scope 3 emission requirements.
It’s heartening to see action on multiple fronts in New Zealand where more than 52,000 tonnes of clothing sent to landfill each year – around 143 tonnes every day!
The upcoming Summit will provide the opportunity for conversations and connections, bringing together producers, makers, designers, manufacturers, innovators, brands, researchers, policymakers, investors and students in one room.
Personally we’re excited to hear what Patagonia’s Mark Little and Sarah Hayes have to say. Three years ago Patagonia made the Earth its only shareholder. You can read Patagonia’s 2025 Work in Progress Report here.
Patagonia is committed to using all of our resources to save our home planet. Photography Cristian Villanueva, Pexels. Main image photography Hendrik Morkel, Unsplash.
Little brings more than two decades of experience in apparel merchandising, product leadership and category strategy. His career spans senior product roles across retail and apparel, with deep expertise in building consumer-led, commercially grounded product categories.
He will discuss the global shifts shaping our industry, and how Patagonia connects product strategy to long-term business strategy.
Hayes has nearly two decades of experience in the apparel industry. She joined Patagonia in 2013, and previously worked with leading brands including Banana Republic, Nautica and Alexander Wang, building deep expertise in textile development and product creation.
Patagonia materials director Sarah Hayes.
Haye’s talk will explore what circularity and materials leadership look like in practice, navigating trade-offs between cost, performance and impact, and provide tangible strategies that New Zealand brands can use.
