Oxfam UQ is bringing you a virtual panel event with reputable professors and changemakers working in the spaces of eco/slow fashion, modern-day slavery in the industry and transparent clothing supply chain enterprises! Topics of discussion include how we think about clothes, purposeful consumption, as well our connectedness to the environment and how it impacts our quality of life! 💚💚💚

WHAT + WHEN:
We will host an online panel event from 6-7:30PM AEST on Monday 27th of April via Zoom.
*You must register via the Qpay link to receive an email with Zoom dial-in details*

Following our discussion there will be an opportunity to ask any questions to our panel and details of how to connect with them/their sustainable businesses!

Register here.

SPEAKERS:
💚 James Bartle: Founding CEO of Outland Denim -- a fashion company on the vanguard of the socially conscious manufacturing movement.

💚 Justine Coneybeer: A dedicated professional who is deeply passionate about human rights and sustainability issues within the fashion system.

💚 Jane Milburn: Founder of Textile Beat -- a purpose-driven business that aims to inspire a creative approach to the way we dress, to embrace natural fibres and upcycling for pleasure, reward and sustainability.

💚 Nina Gbor: Eco Stylist and Founder of ClothesSwapStyle which provides Sustainability and styling workshops to support circular fashion.

💚 Pemba Amuri: Founder of Kilimanjaro Krafts, an online store and a social enterprise that invests in projects to improve the lives of refugees and disadvantaged groups in Africa.

CONTEXT
Fashion Revolution is a global movement which calls for greater transparency, awareness and action around the socio-environmental impacts of the fashion industry and wearables/clothing supply chain. They are one of many facilitators, activist/advocacy groups working towards sustainable fashion, ethical supply chain and modern-day slavery eradication.

Fashion Revolution Week 2020 marks the 7 year anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse and loss of over 1100 lives, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which occurred on 24th of April, 2013. As such, Fashion Revolution states that “Our clothes have gone on a long journey before they reach stores and web-shops, passing through the hands of cotton farmers, spinners, weavers, dyers, sewers and many more. The number of people that work in the global clothing supply chain isn’t fully understood, due to the complex web of processes involved. Most of these workers in low-skill and low paid work are young women. The fashion industry is a significant contributor to gender inequality in many forms, and those #whomakeourclothes predominantly live in poverty, lacking a living wage and/or the freedom to negotiate for their pay and working conditions”.

The fashion and textiles industry impacts, especially in regards to the socio-economic welfare of its labourers and even the environment is exacerbated (made worse) through the COVID-19 pandemic. Fast fashion brands for example (but not limited to) usually pay suppliers AFTER delivery; in the face of a global pandemic, many brands are cancelling orders, not paying for orders already produced (to the cost of $1.5 billion) in Bangladesh alone) without consideration of the workers in their supply chain. As a result many factories are closing and their workers are being laid off with less than a month’s salary, if anything at all. As we consider how the world will change in a post-COVID environment, we can look to sustainability changemakers in the fashion industry and regenerative economy, to consider how the industry must change.
✅♻️👕👗👔
----

Join us to hear from phenomenal creators and practitioners on a more optimistic view on Sustainable Fashion and how we all can make a positive difference in our lives, our consumption practices, the environment and for those #whomakeourclothes!