Summers joined K-Mart Australia managing director Ian Bailey, PayPal general manager Andrew Toon, and the CEO of digital body scanning company Bodd Rob Fisher to discuss a wide range of topics around design and product development, sustainability, responsible fashion sourcing, digital fit technology, and e-commerce, Cotton Australia said in a press release.

Cotton Australia’s Brooke Summers joined a panel themed ‘Innovating to Secure the Future of Australian Fashion’ at the Melbourne Fashion Festival Business Lunch. Summers introduced the perspectives of on-farm innovation to 300 brands and designers. K-Mart Australia MD Ian Bailey, PayPal GM Andrew Toon, and Bodd CEO Rob Fisher also participated in the panel.

Cotton to Market lead Brooke Summers said: “After many years arguing that sustainable fashion must begin with sustainable farming, it was such an honour to be included in this panel. Our farmers have a great story to tell, and it is always a privilege to represent their voice to our customers at forums like this.

“There was a lot of interest in our on-farm innovations such as drones and robots, our work in circularity and data collection, and the research and development that sits behind the story.”

Bailey, managing director of Kmart Group (also a brand partner of Cotton Australia), began the lunch with a keynote titled ‘Charting the Course of Retail Innovation’.

The PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2023 was a vibrant celebration of fashion, art, creativity, and ideas over nine days and 109 events.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)