Running from 7 to 9 July at Excel London, the event will bring together industry experts, buyers, manufacturers and thought leaders.
As part of the wider Source Fashion content programme, Source Debates, the show’s live seminar and panel stage, will offer a provocative space to examine the challenges, contradictions and opportunities shaping the future of fashion sourcing and production.
Our Fashion Fix, co-founder and director Jo Ward, will lead a session on how far AI could change the nature of sourcing and buying roles in the industry, while exploring the balance between automation and human expertise.
A separate discussion, hosted by Jo Ingham, co-founder and director at Our Fashion Fix, will focus on the part buyers play in fashion's overproduction difficulties and whether structural industry incentives hinder efforts to reduce excess manufacturing.
On policy and regulation, Future Fashion Fair director Joseph Mountain will host a session examining the potential of Extended Producer Responsibility, Digital Product Passports and green claims regulation to create lasting impact. The debate will consider whether these measures alone can prompt meaningful industry change or if business cooperation is required.
Source Fashion event director Suzanne Ellingham and Fashion Enter managing director Jenny Holloway will discuss the prospects for UK-based manufacturing and nearshoring as ways for brands to adapt to ongoing disruptions and increased costs.
The circular economy’s commercial realities are also set for debate, as Thread Ahead founders Millie Webb and Saskia Borchardt-Hume will explore whether repair and resale models can offer profitable outcomes while advancing sustainability goals.
Caroline Trend, owner of Rosebudd Agency, will also lead a discussion on common pitfalls brands encounter when moving from product sampling to full-scale production, focusing on the importance of strong supplier relationships to mitigate risks and avoid costly mistakes.
Bernie Yates, a lecturer at Central Saint Martins, will host a session on how fashion businesses can retain talent, promote professional development, and foster working environments where people can grow their careers over the long term.
In addition, the viability of fashion’s long-established manufacturing model will be questioned in a discussion bringing together various industry perspectives to assess whether the existing system is still suitable as the sector undergoes rapid change.
Ellingham said: "The fashion industry is facing some of the most significant challenges it has seen in decades. Businesses are navigating rapid technological change, increasing regulatory requirements, ongoing supply chain disruption and growing pressure to deliver against sustainability commitments, often while operating in extremely challenging commercial conditions.
"Source Debates was created to provide a space for honest, open discussion around these issues. The programme is deliberately designed to ask difficult questions, challenge established thinking and bring together different perspectives from across the industry. We don't claim to have all the answers, but we believe meaningful progress starts with meaningful conversation. By bringing together buyers, brands, manufacturers and industry experts, Source Debates creates an opportunity for the industry to collectively explore the challenges ahead and identify the practical actions needed to build a more resilient and responsible future."
