Design Matters: How Sustainable Fashion Is Shaping the UN Experience

One year after launching its first sustainably designed Tour Guide uniforms, the United Nations is showing how fashion can become a powerful tool for education, dialogue and change.  

Marking the next phase of the UN-led initiative, more than 20 students from the Swedish School of Textiles and Central Saint Martins in London will collaborate to design a new sustainable accessory for tour guides. 

Guided by circular design principles, the students will work with deadstock materials, drawing inspiration from both nature and the architecture of UN Headquarters. The designs—focused on practicality and responsible production—are expected to be unveiled during New York Fashion Week in September 2026. 

The initiative brings together the UN Office for Partnerships and its UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network, the UN Department of Global Communications, and leading design schools, with support from the Government of Sweden. 

Sweden’s long-standing connection to the UN through design—from the architecture of UN Headquarters in the 1950s to today’s sustainable uniforms—was underscored by Katarina Fried, Ambassador for ECOSOC, Human Rights and Sustainable Development at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the UN during the 'launch' event. 

With more than 200,000 visitors each year, UN Tour Guides are often the first point of contact with the Organization—and what they wear helps shape how the UN is experienced and remembered. Over the past year, their uniforms have evolved beyond workwear into conversation starters, sparking dialogue with visitors on fast fashion, sustainable materials, innovation, gender equality and the SDGs. 

Introduced on Earth Day 2025, the UN Tour Guides' uniforms marked a historic shift. For the first time, they were designed by a fashion school, with sustainability at the heart of the design process.  

Goals Lounge Launch Marks Next Phase 

“The uniform helps open conversations about responsible consumption and sustainability in a way people can relate to,” said UN Tour Guide Cédric Sainte Croix, who spoke at the launch event held in the Goals Lounge at UN headquarters.

His colleague, James Marcus noted that the uniforms often spark conversations not only with visitors, but also with colleagues, family members and friends—showing how small, visible choices can help build broader awareness and influence behavior. Silmara Roman added that she always invites visitors to reflect on how they, too, can be part of the solution when she explains how the uniform was made. 

At its core, the project carries a simple message: sustainability is shaped by everyday choices. What we wear, how we consume and how we engage with the world all matter. 

“You don’t need to be a global executive to make a difference,” said Lucie Brigham, UN Office for Partnerships Chief of Operations and UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network lead. “There is no action too small.” 

By turning UN Tour Guide uniforms into a living expression of the SDGs, the initiative shows how creativity, partnership and design can bring global values to life—one conversation at a time.