OVERVIEW

The World Fashion Forum was the first fashion‑focused forum held at United Nations Headquarters on International Women’s Day, bringing together diplomats, UN entities, and leading women in fashion to explore how the industry can advance women’s rights, economic empowerment, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Co‑produced with UN Women, the forum was chaired and directed by Michael William Paul, who shaped both the program and stage direction to move the conversation from awareness to concrete commitments.​

INITIATIVES

• Convened ambassadors, senior UN representatives, and fashion leaders to address women’s economic empowerment, visibility of gender‑based violence, and how fashion and media can support long‑term work on gender equality and the SDGs.​

• Positioned fashion and cultural platforms as vehicles for peace and development by inviting participants to act as role models and ambassadors of goodwill, using their brands, networks, and media reach to create real opportunities for women and girls.​​

• Partnered with UN Women to showcase the launch of the “One Woman” song on International Women’s Day, aligning the forum with a global campaign for women’s rights and solidarity.​​

• Featured a panel of leading women in the industry, including Fern Mallis (founder of New York Fashion Week and former IMG Fashion Senior VP), Stephanie Winston Wolkoff (SWW Creative, IMG Fashion and Lincoln Center advisor), Pauline Brown (then Chair of LVMH North America), and Ashley Jordan (CEO, Fashion One), alongside senior UN Women leadership such as Lakshmi Puri and other diplomatic and civil‑society voices.

CREDITS

Chair / Event Director: Michael William Paul (forum chair, stage direction, closing remarks).​​
Production: UN Women and World Fashion Forum, in partnership with supporting UN and NGO stakeholders.​
Host Forum: World Fashion Forum – International Women’s Day event at the United Nations.​​
Key Partners: UN Women (“One Woman” launch and senior leadership participation), World Association of Former United Nations Interns and Fellows (WAFUNIF), NGO Branch / Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Global Millennium Development Foundation, and fashion‑industry sponsors.​
https://www.modelsforpeace.org
https://www.unwomen.org/en

All Photographs © Michael William Paul