The Highlands and Islands Climate Hub are thrilled to welcome award winning author, Tansy Hoskins to deliver an online event to those interested in the fashion industry and it’s impact on people and our environment.

2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy which saw the worst ever industrial incident to hit the garment industry. The Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed and killed over a thousand people and injured thousands more. The day before the collapse, large structural cracks were discovered and while the businesses which made up the lower floors of the building, closed immediately, thousands of garment workers were ordered to continue working by their management and ended up facing the unthinkable the very next day.

The collapse of the Rana Plaza brought worldwide attention to dangerous workplaces within the garment industry and sparked a huge uprising in action to improve the working environments of garment workers across the world. Part of this action was the creation of Fashion Revolution who have fast become the world’s largest fashion activism movement, mobilizing citizens, brands and policy makers through research, education and advocacy. Their work includes the creation of an annual Fashion Revolution Week which the Tansy Hoskins online talk event is part of.

The free online talk takes place on Wednesday 19th April from 7pm and is open to all. Hear from Tansy about her work and a round-up of events in the global garment industry then enjoy a discussion about how the fashion industry could be transformed to become safe, sustainable, and democratic.

Here in the Highlands and Islands, the way in which we shop for clothing is unique. Our high streets are not like those in cities. Regardless of how ethically we shop, our items will almost always require delivery when purchased online or alternatively, require us to travel great lengths to visit shops in store. Both of which have environmental impacts before we consider the impact of the actual purchases we're making.

There’s also the very real cost of living crisis to consider which affects countless, if not all households in the Highlands and Islands. What we can afford and what we would like to spend our money on very rarely match up. Fashion is a way to self-express and show the world who we are, but are we really aware of what our clothing choices are saying about us?

Book to attend now