Kingpins Transformers Becomes Transformers Foundation
As a nonprofit entity, Transformers Foundation will focus on uniting the denim supply chain to provide reliable product information with a transparent approach to consumers and the industry, as well as demanding change in the denim industry.
NEW YORK | February 18, 2020 | Kingpins Transformers launched in 2014 as a summit series spotlighting members of the denim community who are committed to creating, implementing and sharing the changes that need to happen in the jeans industry to make it more environmentally viable, socially responsible and financially sound. Transformers’ successful events in Amsterdam and New York, and a spin-off event for students that debuted in 2019 at Ravensbourne University in London, steadily gathered momentum and attracted innovative and notable speakers from across the denim industry and beyond.
With one foot in the denim design community and the other in the manufacturing arena, Kingpins Transformers has been bridging the information gap between the two – introducing brands and retailers to responsible and innovative new resources and giving members of the supply chain a platform to introduce new technologies, machinery and systems. Now, as Transformers Foundation, Transformers is moving beyond education into action.
Effective January 1, 2020, Kingpins Transformers became the Transformers Foundation, a non-profit entity focused on actively addressing and facilitating change in key areas of the denim supply chain: social responsibility, sustainable cotton, responsible chemical management and consumer education.
“Our industry cannot agree on facts or what is right and what is wrong. There is confusion and green-washing, misinformation and dishonest marketing along the supply chain all the way through to the consumers,” said Transformers Foundation founder, Andrew Olah. “Brands and retailers use resources when buying their products which are never replenished. Industry needs to understand and pay the true cost of a product, including environmental and social costs. And each day has new reminders that the clock is ticking and environmental change is needed immediately.”
Collaboration and cooperation will be hallmarks of the Transformers Foundation. As a first step, the Foundation will enlist supply chain industry leaders to join as founding members and create the roadmap for activities in 2020 and 2021.
“The jeanswear industry is an energetic, tenacious and connected community that not only agrees sustainability is vital, but has been working and investing in solutions for years,” Olah said. “We represent about $70 billion in manufacturing revenue, and by collaborating we will make a colossal difference.”
The Transformers Foundation will continue to host and broadcast its summits for industry professionals and students, and will expand its efforts into producing annual reports, white papers, consumer testing, industry honors for outstanding achievements and more.
You can learn more about Transformers Foundation on February 20, when it will be the focus of the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and Lenzing’s webinar series. Click through for more information and to register.
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About Transformers Foundation
We are the denim supply chain representing fiber, yarn, chemistry, textiles, garment factories and laundries, as well as machinery producers. We, as suppliers, know exactly what it takes to make denim products and what the best practices are and, of course, what are not. Transformers Foundation events are for industry professionals who have interest in various subjects in our industry, ranging from energy and water to social responsibility, technology and waste. Transformers: ED is to educate the public and students.