The first ever Bangladesh Fashionology Summit is going to be held in International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB), Dhaka on February 12, 2018 to bridge the gap between the present and the future of the textile and fashion industry in the country through technology, innovation and knowledge sharing. Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE), an initiative to promote the country’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector, is going to organize the day-long international summit with the aim to attract a wide spectrum of fashion, technology and innovation stakeholders across the entire sector. Apparel stakeholders including brands, RMG manufacturers, fabrics producers and software service providers from around the world will participate in the summit to discuss the latest products, technologies and innovations that will shape the future and dominate the fashion industry, said Mostafiz Uddin, founder and CEO of the BAE. “We want to bring the most inspiring and innovative thinkers and companies from around the globe together under one roof to initiate the much-needed conversations around technology, digitalization and innovation in the apparel and fashion industry. This will help to guide our nation and transform it into the next-generation apparel manufacturing and marketing hub using latest digital technology and advancements.” Apparel and fashion industries are on the cusp of a huge shake-up enabled by digital and technological advancements sweeping the apparel industry and customer expectation landscapes, said the organizers. “We believe that the time is ripe for Bangladesh – the second largest apparel exporter to the world – to take a leadership role in initiating and defining sustainable future that is profitable for all stakeholders,” said Md Mohiuddin Rubel, managing director of BAE. The event will have four key conversation themes. The first theme, Factory of the Future, will cover ideas ranging from automation to robotics for the apparel industry, the latest RFID-based digital shop-floor control systems, virtual photorealistic simulations for apparel prototyping, and product development for cybersecurity. The second theme will cover mass customization and on-demand manufacturing business models: how customer’s changing expectations are forcing traditional business models to re-think and change their strategy against the threat of newer technology-savvy entrants to the industry. The third theme will focus on innovation and technological advancements in regard to sustainability and eco-innovation. The fourth theme will explore the new age of fashion industry which is a blend of engineering and aesthetics. The industry expo will be a By Invitation Only event.