Let’s Talk about Sustainability & Circularity in Fashion

On Saturday 19 October, we enjoyed a day of conversations about sustainability and circularity in fashion. Our speakers discussed what we as the consumers can do that would help the current situation in the industry and most importantly, what brands are doing to help us. We invited a brilliant line up of the best in the business to share their wisdom on the topic - as well as a pop up clothing rent event and off-cut scrunchie making workshop hosted by Crease. All accompanied by food, drink and a great group of women. What could be better?

Scroll down for the full programme.

Meet Our hosts!

EMMA SLADE Emma is a dynamic thought leader and sustainable fashion consultant working across all elements of Fashion Retail, Marketing, Branding and Fashion Styling. A change maker in her field, she is renowned for her transformational work within the charity retail sector. With her unique combination of expert knowledge, creative direction and a natural instinct for contemporary trends and cultural shifts, Emma brings an innovative angle to every project she works on. Image by Mike Chalmers

EMMA SLADE

Emma is a dynamic thought leader and sustainable fashion consultant working across all elements of Fashion Retail, Marketing, Branding and Fashion Styling. A change maker in her field, she is renowned for her transformational work within the charity retail sector. With her unique combination of expert knowledge, creative direction and a natural instinct for contemporary trends and cultural shifts, Emma brings an innovative angle to every project she works on.

Image by Mike Chalmers

HARRIET HALL Harriet is an award-winning journalist and the Lifestyle Editor of The Independent, where she covers women, fashion and culture and writes a weekly feminist column for the comment desk. Her book ‘She: A Celebration of 100 Renegade Women’ is out now.

HARRIET HALL

Harriet is an award-winning journalist and the Lifestyle Editor of The Independent, where she covers women, fashion and culture and writes a weekly feminist column for the comment desk. Her book ‘She: A Celebration of 100 Renegade Women’ is out now.

CHARLOTTE TURNER Charlotte is Head of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles at Eco-Age. She is experienced in helping brands and textile manufacturers to understand, manage and improve their social and environmental performance and has worked with numerous start-up and established brands to help embed sustainability within business practice, and communicate their efforts and achievements transparently with diverse audiences.

CHARLOTTE TURNER

Charlotte is Head of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles at Eco-Age. She is experienced in helping brands and textile manufacturers to understand, manage and improve their social and environmental performance and has worked with numerous start-up and established brands to help embed sustainability within business practice, and communicate their efforts and achievements transparently with diverse audiences.

LAUREN BRAVO Lauren is a freelance fashion, food, culture and lifestyle writer, contributing to titles like Grazia, Refinery29, Stylist, Cosmopolitan, Time Out and the Guardian. She is the author of two books: What Would The Spice Girls Do? (out now) and How To Break Up With Fast Fashion (out 09/01/19). She lives in east London. Image by Pablo Strong

LAUREN BRAVO

Lauren is a freelance fashion, food, culture and lifestyle writer, contributing to titles like Grazia, Refinery29, Stylist, Cosmopolitan, Time Out and the Guardian. She is the author of two books: What Would The Spice Girls Do? (out now) and How To Break Up With Fast Fashion (out 09/01/19). She lives in east London.

Image by Pablo Strong

CREASE We all have too many clothes, yet nothing to wear. It’s all too easy to fall into the fast fashion trap of buying one wear pieces for a quick wardrobe fix. Crease want to offer you a sustainable solution to always looking fresh. They’re a peer to peer clothing rental platform with community at the heart, running Rent Events for like minded individuals, who either want to monetise their wardrobes or who are after some guilt-free newness to rent & return. With fashion being the second biggest polluter of our planet, we need to start doing things a bit differently. It’s time to start Creasing.

CREASE

We all have too many clothes, yet nothing to wear. It’s all too easy to fall into the fast fashion trap of buying one wear pieces for a quick wardrobe fix. Crease want to offer you a sustainable solution to always looking fresh. They’re a peer to peer clothing rental platform with community at the heart, running Rent Events for like minded individuals, who either want to monetise their wardrobes or who are after some guilt-free newness to rent & return. With fashion being the second biggest polluter of our planet, we need to start doing things a bit differently. It’s time to start Creasing.

VENETIA FALCONER Venetia is a environment activist and digital content creator who is on a mission to slow fast fashion. She’s the creator of the 5 star rated podcast Talking Tastebuds. Venetia has been featured discussing Sustainable Fashion on on BBC World News, BBC Radio 4’s Costing The Earth, NowThis News, Channel 4 News and BBC Radio London.

VENETIA FALCONER

Venetia is a environment activist and digital content creator who is on a mission to slow fast fashion. She’s the creator of the 5 star rated podcast Talking Tastebuds. Venetia has been featured discussing Sustainable Fashion on on BBC World News, BBC Radio 4’s Costing The Earth, NowThis News, Channel 4 News and BBC Radio London.

AJA BARBER Aja is a writer, stylist and consultant based in London. Her work centers around fashion and all it's intersections (feminism, race, colonialism, sustainability and ethics). Her favourite colour is green and she most likely will love your dog.

AJA BARBER

Aja is a writer, stylist and consultant based in London. Her work centers around fashion and all it's intersections (feminism, race, colonialism, sustainability and ethics). Her favourite colour is green and she most likely will love your dog.

SOPHIE BENSON Sophie is a freelance writer, stylist and fashion lecturer. She works with a focus on sustainable fashion and covers the topic for publications including The Guardian, Refinery29, Dazed and Grazia. Image by Kayti Peschke

SOPHIE BENSON

Sophie is a freelance writer, stylist and fashion lecturer. She works with a focus on sustainable fashion and covers the topic for publications including The Guardian, Refinery29, Dazed and Grazia.

Image by Kayti Peschke

THE PROGRAMME

1pm - Welcome drinks

1.30pm - Conversation: A Letter to the Fashion Industry: Lifestyle Editor of The Independent, Harriet Hall in conversation with environment activist and digital content creator, Venetia Falconer.

2.15pm - Break

2.30pm - Panel: ‘Who do we trust? Greenwashing and what brands are really doing to help us be more sustainable’: Lifestyle Editor of The Independent, Harriet Hall in conversation with: Head of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles at Eco-Age, Charlotte Turner; and writer, stylist and consultant, Aja Barber.

3.30pm - Coffee break

4pm Panel - ‘The Future of Greener Dressing’: Lifestyle Editor of The Independent, Harriet Hall in conversation with: freelance fashion, food, culture and lifestyle writer and Author of How To Break Up With Fast Fashion, Lauren Bravo; thought leader and sustainable fashion consultant, Emma Slade; and freelance writer, stylist and fashion lecturer, Sophie Benson.

5pm - Crease Rent Event and off-cut scrunchie-making workshop over drinks

6.30pm - Event ends