AS A CREATOR
Whether you work solo, in a collective, or as part of a brand — if upcycling is central to your practice, we want to know you, document your work, and amplify your voice on the way to the 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
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
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
05.
REGISTRATION
Whether you're a fashion upcycling designer, an expert in a field that matters to the movement, an organization ready to host, or someone who wants to follow the journey and be there when it arrives — there's a place for you here.
06.
HOW TO BE INVOLVED
AS A PARTICIPANT
You want to follow the journey, attend the events, and be there when the summit happens. Register to receive updates on every event in the series — locations, formats, how to attend — and be first in line when summit registration opens.
AS AN EXPERT
You work in a field that shapes the world fashion upcyclers operate in — and you have something concrete to contribute.
AS A VOLUNTEER
Volunteers shape the journey alongside the RIVED team: supporting event coordination, content documentation, community outreach, and the organizational work that makes this possible. This is not a passive role. Volunteers are co-creators of the summit.
AS AN EVENT HOST
Whether you're a collective, an atelier, a maker space, a showroom, a school, or an NGO working at the intersection of fashion and circular economy — there's a format here that works for you.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Empower the next generation of circular fashion leaders and amplify your brand's positive impact.