Published on: 2026-09-15
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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15 September 2026 Culture and Education
A series of events within the framework of the “United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network” has begun at the UN headquarters, timed to coincide with New York Fashion Week. The organizers aim to use interest in the fashion industry to remind the world about the Sustainable Development Goals and to show how fashion can serve as a conduit for change.
The key event was the “Future of Fashion” program, during which representatives of the media, educational centers, and the fashion business discussed how new creative and educational approaches can change the industry. It is about changing cultural narratives in fashion, introducing innovations, and what future designers need to be taught so that fashion items not only look striking but also contribute to sustainable development.
New uniform for tour guides
One of the most striking events of the program was the presentation of new accessories for the UN tour guides’ uniforms. This is the result of a joint effort by students from Central Saint Martins and the Swedish School of Textiles.
“Today we are presenting a scarf, a lapel, a mobile phone case, and a brooch,” said Charlotte Kugelberg, Sweden’s ambassador to the UN, speaking at the presentation. “These innovations may seem like insignificant details at first glance, but as anyone interested in fashion as well as negotiations at the UN knows, it is ultimately the details that decide everything.”
UN’s “Fashionable” Partners
The Swedish School of Textiles is a respected European center for the arts, specializing in textiles, fashion, and innovative materials. It is known for combining an artistic approach with engineering and technological research, which is why its graduates work not only in the field of fashion but also in several technological “industries of the future.”
The school is one of the few European universities where textiles are studied both at the design and engineering levels. Here, new types of fibers, processing methods, sustainable materials, and digital production technologies are developed.
Central Saint Martins (CSM) is one of the most famous and prestigious art universities in the world, part of the University of the Arts London. It is considered a true training ground for the fashion industry: Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Stella McCartney, Rick Owens, and many other designers who have shaped the face of modern fashion studied here.
CSM is renowned for its experimental approach, creative freedom, and the fact that students work at the intersection of art, technology, and design. That is precisely why the UN often involves them in projects related to sustainable development and innovations in fashion.
A joint project of the Swedish School of Textiles, CMS, and the United Nations demonstrates how collaboration between educational institutions and international organizations can generate practical and environmentally friendly solutions.
At the same time, the Goals Lounge operates at the UN headquarters – a platform that has already become a launching pad for many high-profile initiatives in the fields of mental health, women’s leadership, and digital development. Here, fashion meets the global agenda, and conversations about style turn into discussions about the future.
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