DigiFashion Forum

Leslie Holden, is a co-founder of The Digital Fashion Group. Founded in 2020, TDFG is a European-led collaboration between Fashion Academics and Industry Innovators. Working with industry leaders TDFG equips fashion education, professionals and brands with the relevant skills, mindset and strategies for tomorrow’s workplace. Previously, as Head of Fashion at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) and a member of the AMFI board for over 14 years, Leslie was responsible for the redevelopment of the international curricula focussing on digitalisation and sustainability in fashion. And as design director and entrepreneur with over 20 years’ experience in the fashion industry Leslie worked for such companies as Dunhill, Stefanel, Byblos, Burberry and Liberty. Leslie sits on the Steering Committee of The EU Worth Partnership Project,. He was for many years an Executive Board member of the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI), and a trustee of The UK Graduate Fashion Foundation. Leslie is an experienced keynote speaker and moderator and recently nominated by Brytehall as in the top 100 of the most influential leaders in digital fashion.

Sean Chiles is a graduate of St. Martin’s School of Art and a co-founder at the groundbreaking online education, The Digital Fashion Group. As Head of Northumbria University School of Design London, Sean was responsible for a unique Master Qualification Programme Framework for Fashion and the Creative Industries, and the Degree level fashion programmes. He is an academic strategist experienced in innovative programme conceptualisation, validation and delivery, an experienced lecturer, visiting professor, and External Examiner for MA and BA programmes around the world. As a divisional board member of Coats Viyella PLC, he set up and directed the first contemporary, computerised, brand design studio in India. He consults on executive and designer recruitment to deliver creative excellence and collections for studios around the world. For the Royal Society Arts Student Design Awards, he introduced the Fashion Promotions Section to represent changes in fashion education delivery, serving as a fashion judge for 13 years, for 7 years was a Fashion & Marketing judge for Graduate Fashion Week in London

Ching has 20+ years experiences in fashion and technology media, beauty brands and tech startups. Through times, she has witnessed digital transformation in the media and fashion industries. Ching has a passion for identifying future trends, uncovering new ventures and building communities in sustainable fashion, digital fashion and Web3 ecosystems.

Ching created DigiFashion Forum in order to bridge the digital and real world in the fashion value chain, as well as to support education, businesses and designers, to foster a positive impact and find solutions to some of our most complex social and environmental challenges in the fashion industry.

Ching has worked on a large number of editorial management and digital marketing projects, specialized in B2B marketing strategy, management consultancy, PR, publishing, fashion & tech journalism.

Innovation catalyst in SaaS, AI/ML, digital fashion, Web3 and the Metaverse. Sustainable and circular economy advocate.

Elly has over 20 years of experience in the fashion industry, with a focus on digital product creation, 3D solutions, and technical design. As the Director of Digital Product Creation at Makalot, she is leading the implementation and adoption of 3D technologies for our clients, including Walmart, HanesBrands, Gap, and Target.

She also consults at Portal:M, a platform that connects startups with industry experts and mentors, where she provides guidances and feedback on 3D fashion design and innovation. Her goal is to catalyze the digital transformation and sustainability of the fashion industry, by leveraging 3D tools and techniques to enhance efficiency, quality, and creativity.

With over 20 years of expertise, Jac Hsieh specializes in product roadmap planning, innovative product development, and project management across various domains, including apps, cloud services, and hardware products. Jac brings a solid foundation as a software programmer, with 3 years of dedicated experience in firmware programming for embedded systems and cutting-edge software development.

His approach involves employing design thinking methodologies to craft new product strategies and address complex project challenges, demonstrating an entrepreneurial mindset and strategic perspective. Jac founded DMKTZ, a platform dedicated to AI and 3D digital fashion design ideation and collaboration.