COM/VERGE Summit | Global Upcyclers Summit

Global Fashion Upcyclers Summit

01.

ABOUT

COM/VERGE — The Global Upcyclers Summit is the first global gathering dedicated entirely to the practice, people, and future of fashion upcycling. The name says it all: community and convergence, arriving at the same place at the same time.

Before the summit, there is the journey — a series of events, conversations, and encounters building the knowledge, the connections, and the community that will make COM/VERGE worth attending. Each event in the series follows the same thematic arc as the summit itself: craft and education, creator stories, technology, markets, and the panoramic view of what this movement is becoming.

02.

THE GLOBAL
CONVERGENCE
DAY

The journey culminates in a Global Convergence Day — a hybrid event anchored in Berlin, connecting the global community — where knowledge is shared, leaders are spotlighted, and the movement makes itself visible to the world.

CRAFT + INNOVATION

Where technique meets transformation. COM/VERGE celebrates the makers who work with constraint as a creative force — turning existing materials into new value, new form, new meaning.

COMMUNITY + CULTURE

Upcycling is already happening in studios, markets, schools, and streets across the world. COM/VERGE connects these communities into a single, shared movement — giving the scene a collective identity and voice.

INDUSTRY + FUTURE

From AI-assisted design to circular business models, from fashion personalization to brand strategy — the summit brings in the cross-disciplinary context needed to scale what's already happening on the ground.

03.

THE JOURNEY

On the way to COM/VERGE

04.

EVENT SERIES PREVIEW

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CRAFT / EDUCATION / KNOWLEDGE / CULTURAL INFLUENCES

Deep dives into the practice itself: how upcyclers work, what methods they use, where they learn, and how craft traditions from different cultures inform the global movement. Talks, demonstrations, and hands-on sessions featuring makers, designers, and educators. The knowledge that lives in hands — made visible.

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BRAND & CREATOR STORIES

Real stories from brands and independent creators building their practice and businesses around upcycling. From emerging studios to established names entering the space — the business of transformation, unfiltered. How do you build something sustainable from something discarded?

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TECH 4 UPCYCLING & APPLICATIONS

Where technology meets the material. AI tools for design ideation, virtual try-on, 3D pattern making, digital documentation of techniques, and platforms enabling the circular economy. A forward-looking block bridging craft and code — because the most interesting tools right now are in the hands of the people using them least visibly.

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MARKETS & REGULATION

The economics and policy landscape for upcycled fashion — from consumer behavior and retail models to EU regulations, textile policy, and what the industry's formal structures can learn from what creators are already doing. The rules are being rewritten. This is where we write them together.

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IMPACT & PANORAMA

A panoramic view: what does a world where upcycling is mainstream actually look like? Cross-disciplinary input from arts, urban culture, social innovation, and creative economy. The biggest question, asked out loud, with the people most qualified to answer it.

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