For decades, September has been a month to celebrate fashion, with fashion weeks being held across the globe. Brands show their latest collections in the different fashion capitals in the Western world. However, September is also the month of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The 76th session of UNGA opened on September 14th, 2021. In this unique forum, all UN Member States participate in discussions about international issues covered by the Charter of the United Nations. As the world slowly recovers from the pandemic, the gravity of the inequality and climate situation across the world is more apparent than ever.
While the intersection between the two events is scant today, they both – UNGA and Fashion Week – have the ambition to shape the future: Fashion weeks showcase the industry’s trends of the future, the UNGA discusses how we can create a liveable and peaceful future for all. At Maakola, we identify with both – using our Collective Evolution framework to carve a future of conscious beauty and interconnectedness through our colorful designs that bridge heritage, sustainability, style, and innovation.
We developed the Collective Evolution framework as a means to be a vehicle towards a more humane fashion industry and a more inclusive and just society. We believe that Collective Evolution comes from a synergy of economic, environmental, social, and cultural impact of our business. By studying the principles and frameworks provided by the work of the UN, we can hold up a mirror in order to improve our own goals and frameworks. One of the tools provided by the UN are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sustainable development has been a recurring topic for years at UN Summits. In 2015, the UN Member States formalized the objectives by launching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. The UN SDGs are guiding lights for the Collective Evolution framework that we’ve built at Maakola, with 11 out of the 17 effectively implemented. In the coming weeks, we will introduce you to those SDGs and how they are part of Maakola’s commitment for a better world.