Small But Perfectly Formed
x Impact Hub Lisbon
2022
Lisbon (PT)
Facilitation | Community Activation
System Dialogue
Action
Dialogue
Highlights
Small But Perfectly Formed was a 30-month collaborative project (January 2021 – July 2023) co-funded by the European Commission’s COSME programme.
Recognising that systemic change in the fashion industry won’t stem from a single source but rather through collaboration, education, and innovation within the SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) ecosystem, Impact Hub launched this initiative to help small and medium-sized fashion businesses transition to circular and sustainable models.
As part of the project’s activities across various Impact Hub locations, the Lisbon office hosted a two-day networking event that brought together fashion entrepreneurs, industry stakeholders, and enthusiasts. The event showcased 38 small businesses selected for the acceleration programme and aimed to foster a network for sharing knowledge, insights, and best practices across the sector.
The Dialogue Lab facilitated these exchanges by leading a series of workshops designed to co-create solutions through dialogue, strengthen connections among participants, and set the stage for future collaborations.
The Challenge: To set the first stone of a future network of collaboration
The Small But Perfectly Formed network supports cross-border collaboration, helping members share knowledge, skills, and best practices. It offers access to a curated mix of tools, workshops, mentoring, and networking opportunities, all designed to help small fashion businesses grow stronger and more sustainable through collective learning and support.
As a first stepping stone, the programme organised a series of in-person meetings with the SMEs selected for the accelerator. Participants came from across the fashion and creative industries, including designers and brands, producers, suppliers, fashion technology and innovation companies, media and communications organisations, textile recycling initiatives, fashion councils and associations, incubators, accelerators, creative hubs, community platforms, activist movements, as well as local and national governments and policymakers. The event was open to anyone working toward a more sustainable and inclusive fashion ecosystem.
The challenge was clear. How do you break the ice and create meaningful connections among such a diverse group? How do you encourage easy communication and collaboration? How do you prototype solutions together? And how do you create the right conditions for an event where knowledge sharing and genuine connection can flourish?
A 2-day event, at the same time intimate and open to the broader community
Impact Hub Lisbon proposed a two-day event featuring both a focused gathering and a public session. On July 28 and 29, more than 30 participants from across Europe were invited to take part in an intimate series of sessions, followed by an open event for the broader fashion ecosystem on the afternoon of the second day.
The aim was to "accelerate the accelerators" by working closely with business support organisations to integrate circularity and social and environmental sustainability into their programmes and initiatives. At the same time, the event sought to "accelerate the policymakers" by mapping the policy landscape affecting sustainable and circular fashion SMEs, helping to ensure that change reaches every level of the fashion industry, from concept to implementation.
The results: A showcase of local talent
On the first day, The Dialogue Lab set the tone by hosting the program's introduction and agenda with a participant mapping session, followed by a series of interactive workshops. The group was then divided into smaller teams to work around real challenges through dialogue, building concrete solutions and collective peer knowledge. In between all the different workshops and sprints, The Dialogue Lab facilitated moments of individual exchange and energizers for building a collective group feeling.
On the second day, The Dialogue Lab led an inner/outer circle experience and an Open Space session for real-world proposals. In the afternoon, all attendees were invited to join the roundtable discussion on “Made in Portugal” and explore what it means for the country to play an active role in the current transformation of the fashion industry. The event also featured a showcase of local talent, including the Transparency Fair and a Clothes Swap, where participants could exchange up to three items of clothing, accompanied by music from DJ Lizatron and a selection of food and drinks.
