Once a year, New York Climate Week comes to town, bringing a melting pot of industries, celebrities, activists and policymakers with it. Hot on the heels of New York Fashion Week, with some events bleeding into the week itself, this year’s climate week is seemingly more jam-packed than ever.
With over 1,000 events on the official schedule, and many more unofficial gatherings alongside, Vogue Business called on insiders to help you make sense of it all. Here are the key themes fashion will be grappling with throughout the week and the can’t-miss events on their radars.
The themes to watch out for
There are several closed-door sessions on the agenda this year, as climate week joins the growing line-up of other sustainable fashion conferences leaning into off-record roundtables to drive candor and progress. “This year, I’m doing invite-only, curated rooms instead of running myself ragged across every panel,” says Rachel Kibbe, CEO of American Circular Textiles (AMCIRC). “My advice to other execs would be to pick your rooms and don’t try to do it all.”
The mayhem is part of the magic, says Erin Allweiss, co-founder of communications agency No. 29, which counts French footwear brand Veja among clients. “Fashion needs to break out of the fashion algorithm, and climate week is a moment for executives to reach cultural tastemakers in the environmental space,” she explains. “We need to learn from one another, across industries.”
President Trump’s anti-ESG backlash sparked fears of a muted and despondent New York Climate Week. The reality was anything but.
That cross-pollination is crucial, agrees climate advocate and UN Human Rights Champion Sophia Li. “It’s important for fashion executives to understand what’s happening in the energy, food, finance sector, because — most likely — that will touch fashion in the near future. Fashion sets trends for clothes and culture, but it has historically been slow to adopt industry-wide adaptation and innovation.”
Li is an advisor to non-profit The Nat, whose founders aim to close the approximately $700 billion nature finance gap. Last year, New York Climate Week opened with the inaugural Nat Gala, a star-studded fundraiser with Billie Eilish, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, and more in attendance. For 2026, the green carpet is back with a new theme: “water is life”. Attendees have been asked to choose outfits that conserve water — the style guide points to materials grown with regenerative agriculture, dye methods that curb water consumption, and brands that invest in safeguarding waterways. Alternatively, they can side-step new water consumption entirely by opting for pre-loved and rented fashion.
At the gala and the roundtable discussions that will follow throughout the week, Li hopes attendees will consider “how the fashion industry [can] start valuing nature assets — such as soil, farmers, and raw materials — as the most valuable assets”.
Indeed, the question of how to finance the climate transition will loom large throughout climate week. From the Building Fashion’s Circular Future mini-summit on Wednesday to the Regenerative Textiles Forum on Thursday, there will be plenty of chances for fashion to reconsider the cost of progress, says Collective Fashion Justice founder Emma Håkansson. “I fear we are stuck in a short-term thinking mindset where we think things cost too much to change, but the cost of inaction is so much higher,” she notes. “If your shareholders and board were willing to support longer-term thinking — permitting less immediate return investments in material innovation, or company structure changes — that benefited the climate and therefore your brand’s resilience and profitability, what would you do differently?”
Getting shareholders on board with sustainability will be another key theme. This will come as no surprise to sustainability teams, which are increasingly under pressure to make the business case for everything from alternative materials to regenerative agriculture and decarbonization. This isn’t exclusive to the fashion industry, and several climate week organizers will dedicate their spaces on the schedule to helping teams navigate the transition. “In this period of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, the need has become even more urgent to translate sustainability considerations into core business value generation concepts such as supply chain resiliency,” says Beth Jensen, chief impact officer at Textile Exchange.
“As an industry, we’ve done enough pilots; now, we need to scale preferred production systems for raw materials and fibers,” she continues. “How can we most efficiently and effectively fund the transition to these systems? How might the right funding mechanisms differ between sourcing natural materials from farms like cotton and wool, and scaling textile-to-textile recycled materials?”
After a summer of continuous heatwaves, wildfires and an inescapable Super El Niño, extreme heat and climate adaptation are also high on the agenda. “The fashion industry is operating in a climate crisis that, whether we choose to prioritize this truth or not, is rapidly and majorly altering how fashion supply chains can function,” says Håkansson. “We should be radically transforming how our industry exists and how we create clothes out of a moral duty to human and other communities across the planet, and the biodiversity we are part of. But if that’s not enough, climate crisis-related destruction is coming for shareholder profits, too.”
One thing is for certain: for fashion executives, climate week is going to be intense. While much of the processing and actioning will happen in the months that follow, it’s important to find time during the week to connect, says Allweiss. “So much of our climate work can be hard and heartbreaking,” she explains, pointing to political polarization, supply chain shocks, and the sustainability recession. That’s why more lighthearted sessions like The Fable Fund’s good news open mic night on Monday are so vital. “We need these moments to come together, support one another’s work, and remember that we're not alone.”
The event rundown
When: Sunday, September 20
Where: Halo 28
What: Gala and afterparty raising funds for the Blue Marine Foundation, Conservation International and Open Planet – conservation organizations with a specific focus on oceans and water. Expect a mix of industry leaders, celebrities, activists and financiers, as well as an afterparty hosted with Spotify and Coral Gardeners, supporting a new coral garden in Tahiti. The Nat will also host a series of closed-door roundtables throughout the week, and on Tuesday, a private dinner will be dedicated to scaling regenerative agriculture.
When: Monday, September 21
Where: Pulitzer Hall, 3rd Floor Lecture Hall, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
What: Full-day summit exploring how energy systems, materials, markets, finance, regulation, trade and culture are transforming the fashion industry, and what it will take to build a more resilient, competitive, circular and climate-conscious fashion system. The Global Fashion Agenda policy masterclass will be a highlight.
When: Monday, September 21 to Wednesday, 23
Where: Midtown Manhattan
What: Now in its fifth year, Solutions House brings together world-leading climate innovators, advocates, and solutionists to move climate solutions from the margins to the mainstream. The main fashion event, Merch is the Message, takes place on Monday afternoon, but stick around for the evening event, Corporate Leadership and the Race to Deliver.
When: Monday, September 21
Where: 1 Hotel Central Park
What: An aperitivo of optimistic climate storytelling, including an open mic, during which attendees will be invited to share good news to fuel hope around the climate crisis. The event is co-hosted by Patou board member and The Fable Fund founder Akash Mehta, and ecology professor Tom Crowther, who will be launching his new book, Nature’s Echo, at the event.
When: Tuesday, September 22
Where: Fashion Institute of Technology
What: A forum connecting the organizations, innovators, and industry leaders accelerating the adoption of next-generation materials. Co-hosted by Eco-Age, Canopy, Fashion for Good, and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
When: Wednesday, September 23
Where: 41 Elizabeth St Ste 302
What: A morning with the operators and experts that cover the full post-purchase circularity world: resale, repair, rental, upcycling, take-back, and recycling. Speakers include ELV Denim, Cotopaxi, Dôen, The RealReal, and Crocs. Co-hosted by communications agency No.29, digital product passport startup Alu, post-purchase innovator Alternew, circular logistics infrastructure company Fillogic, and secondhand search engine Beni.
When: Wednesday, September 23
Where: Ralph Lauren Offices
What: An opportunity to meet curated innovators reshaping fashion from field to factory. The event will spotlight startups pioneering next-gen materials, using AI to create digital tools, and developing smarter manufacturing methods that shorten R&D cycles and time to market. The event is co-hosted by Global Fashion Agenda, PDS Ventures, Fashion for Good, and Ralph Lauren.
When: Wednesday, September 23
Where: The Explorers Club
What: Hear from a cotton farmer, an agricultural innovator, and the head of environmental and product sustainability at Gap Inc. about the opportunities and challenges shaping the next generation of cotton production. What does it take to build more resilient cotton supply chains? Moderated by Liz Hershfield, executive director at Cotton US and the US Cotton Trust Protocol.
When: Wednesday, September 23
Where: Veja Nolita
What: An intimate salon gathering voices across fashion, climate, culture, and the arts. The evening will feature a conversation with activists Zaya Guarani, Summer Dean, and Aditi Mayer exploring how a new generation of creatives is thinking about our relationship with the planet, as well as the role fashion and culture can play in shaping what comes next. Guests are welcome to bring a short piece of writing, such as an essay, a poem or another form of reflection, about what climate action means to them.
When: Thursday, September 24
Where: 200 Park Avenue
What: Guided conversations at the intersection of fashion, tech and sustainability, bringing together the brands, operators and innovators building real infrastructure for the next era of fashion. Speakers include Coach, Ebay, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Circulose.
When: Thursday, September 24
Where: 873 Broadway
What: The forum focuses on cotton and textiles as powerful leverage points for climate action, exploring how regenerative organic practices can transform supply chains from soil to finished product. Expect to hear case studies from Eileen Fisher, Nike, Patagonia, and more.
