Jun 7, 2026
Inside the AI Summit
Inside the AI Summit
Future Fashion Assembly partnered with the British Footwear Association to curate the inaugural AI Summit to help leaders move from AI curiosity to confident, practical adoption across fashion and footwear.
Read Time
5 Mins
Category
Innovation
In January 2026, Future Fashion Assembly partnered with the British Footwear Association to curate the inaugural AI Summit. We designed the content to help leaders move from AI curiosity to confident, practical adoption across fashion and footwear.
Who was in the room
The summit brought together C-suite and senior leaders from across the footwear industry, including Clarks, Fred Perry, New Balance, Deichmann, Hunter, FitFlop, Lanx Footwear, Dr Martens, Gap Inc, Jacobsen Group, London Sneaker School, The Footwear Partnership and Mahabis.
What the summit covered
The programme focused on AI in practice, not AI in theory:
• AI across the business: design, supply chain and operations, digital marketing, buying and retail.
• Where AI is delivering measurable ROI today, with real examples rather than projections.
• Responsible AI in practice: data governance and intellectual property.
• Leading adoption across teams, covering skills and culture as much as technology.
“The AI summit was an absolute game changer for me! I was very anti AI but the summit converted me.... looking into a subscription for Vizcom as I have already developed some pretty cool design CADs and renders. Looking forward to seeing what other magic I can create! "
Freddie Butler, Head of Footwear Design, Mallet
What came next
The summit was the start of the 2026 innovation programme, not a one-off. Following the event, Future Fashion Assembly, announced a six-month programme of support for members, including access to the Digital Innovation Showroom, executive webinar briefings, hands-on workshops and one-to-one support.
That programme continues through 2026 with a series of focused, practical workshops. Recent and upcoming sessions include:
• AI for Design: Better footwear concepts, faster — 18 June 2026, London Sneaker School.
• AI in Practice: A Fashion Ecommerce Workshop — for independent British fashion brands managing ecommerce, paid media and growth.
Why it matters
The summit reflected a shift across the footwear sector: from asking whether AI is relevant to asking how to adopt it and where to start. Future Fashion Assembly is the official innovation partner to the British Footwear Association, giving its network of UK footwear brands, retailers and manufacturers a structured pathway to explore, evaluate and adopt new solutions throughout 2026.
About Future Fashion Assembly
Future Fashion Assembly is a fashion innovation platform that bridges the gap between innovation and adoption. It helps brands, retailers, manufacturers and sourcing partners discover, evaluate and implement the solutions that matter, powered by FORWARD, its proprietary intelligence engine. Founded by Sofia Strazzanti, with a wider team from Nike, Burberry, Net-A-Porter, MR PORTER, Fred Perry and eBay.
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In January 2026, Future Fashion Assembly partnered with the British Footwear Association to curate the inaugural AI Summit. We designed the content to help leaders move from AI curiosity to confident, practical adoption across fashion and footwear.
Who was in the room
The summit brought together C-suite and senior leaders from across the footwear industry, including Clarks, Fred Perry, New Balance, Deichmann, Hunter, FitFlop, Lanx Footwear, Dr Martens, Gap Inc, Jacobsen Group, London Sneaker School, The Footwear Partnership and Mahabis.
What the summit covered
The programme focused on AI in practice, not AI in theory:
• AI across the business: design, supply chain and operations, digital marketing, buying and retail.
• Where AI is delivering measurable ROI today, with real examples rather than projections.
• Responsible AI in practice: data governance and intellectual property.
• Leading adoption across teams, covering skills and culture as much as technology.
“The AI summit was an absolute game changer for me! I was very anti AI but the summit converted me.... looking into a subscription for Vizcom as I have already developed some pretty cool design CADs and renders. Looking forward to seeing what other magic I can create! "
Freddie Butler, Head of Footwear Design, Mallet
What came next
The summit was the start of the 2026 innovation programme, not a one-off. Following the event, Future Fashion Assembly, announced a six-month programme of support for members, including access to the Digital Innovation Showroom, executive webinar briefings, hands-on workshops and one-to-one support.
That programme continues through 2026 with a series of focused, practical workshops. Recent and upcoming sessions include:
• AI for Design: Better footwear concepts, faster — 18 June 2026, London Sneaker School.
• AI in Practice: A Fashion Ecommerce Workshop — for independent British fashion brands managing ecommerce, paid media and growth.
Why it matters
The summit reflected a shift across the footwear sector: from asking whether AI is relevant to asking how to adopt it and where to start. Future Fashion Assembly is the official innovation partner to the British Footwear Association, giving its network of UK footwear brands, retailers and manufacturers a structured pathway to explore, evaluate and adopt new solutions throughout 2026.
About Future Fashion Assembly
Future Fashion Assembly is a fashion innovation platform that bridges the gap between innovation and adoption. It helps brands, retailers, manufacturers and sourcing partners discover, evaluate and implement the solutions that matter, powered by FORWARD, its proprietary intelligence engine. Founded by Sofia Strazzanti, with a wider team from Nike, Burberry, Net-A-Porter, MR PORTER, Fred Perry and eBay.
