In Conversation With: Bethany Williams and The Magpie Project

Join us for an hour-long online live Q&A with guest experts from the fashion and charity sectors to learn more about how fashion can offer a positive impact in limiting poverty.

Simply head here at the date and time of the event to join in with the Q&A - the stream and chatbox will show below just beforehand. You must be a registered member of The Sustainable Fashion Collective Member. Registration is free: join here.

We are asking for a suggested £3 donation for this event. All takings will go to The Magpie Project to support parents and under 5's in unsuitable or temporary accommodation in East London. If you are a Professional Member, you can attend for free, but if you would like to donate, we would greatly appreciate that. To donate you must RSVP via the Eventbrite page.

When?

Wednesday 24th February 2021, 7-8pm GMT

(PST 11am / EST 2pm / CEST 9pm / IST 12.30am 25th Feb)

For our 2021 Masterclasses, we are visiting the Sustainable Development Goals, with a holistic look at how fashion and creative business can play a role in building stronger societies and creating healthy environments through positive solutions.

In January we considered how fashion can fight poverty. In March we investigate how fashion can fight hunger. So for this Q&A session, we will be diving into how designer Bethany Williams works with social and environmental issues in her business structure to support communities. Alongside Bethany we'll be speaking to Jane Williams, who heads up the partnerships and funding for The Magpie Project, a charity that Bethany worked with to create a conversational collection and ongoing partnership.

See the collaboration, All Our Children.

Thumbnail background image: All Our Children collection, photo credit Ruth Ossai

Guest Speakers:

Bethany Williams, designer and founder of Bethany Williams.

Bethany Williams is a London based designer originally from the Isle of Man. Believing that social and environmental issues go hand in hand and through exploring the connection between these issues, she finds innovative design solutions to sustainability. Each item produced by Bethany Williams London is made from recycled, deadstock or organic materials and made in the UK, working along social projects and local manufacturers on the production. This business structure strives to prove a socially and environmentally thoughtful manufacturing system, aiming to shape the industry towards thinking more ethically. The brand provides an alternative system for fashion production, as we believe fashions reflection upon the world can create positive change.

Jane Williams, funding and partnerships at The Magpie Project.

The Magpie Project, based in the London borough of Newham, is a charity that provides a safe and fun place for mums and under-fives suffering in temporary or insecure accommodation. They help mums get the support and advice they need, and support families with the essentials. Newham has the unfortunate honour of leading other boroughs in the number of people in temporary accommodation, child poverty rates and homeless referrals - and so with vulnerable children becoming homeless and being affected by a transitory life, it puts them at risk for other issues.

Follow us on Instagram for the latest updates on our guest speakers.

Moderator:

Moderated by Stephanie Steele, the content, sourcing and fabric guru for Offset Warehouse and The Sustainable Fashion Collective. Her background and practice is within craft-based sustainable fashion and organic growing.

Ticket cost:

For 2021, we will be charging £3 per ticket for our online discussions (Professional Members can attend for free, but can make a donation if they choose). This is to ensure dedicated sign ups, but also so that we can donate all of the takings to charities or not-for-profits. For this session we will be donating to The Magpie Project.

You can also purchase an Alive protest t-shirt here with 50% of takings also going to this fund.

Head directly to our YouTube Channel if you can't see the video below OR if the room looks like it is full - sometimes it will limit how many can be in the room. You can still use YouTube live chat though!

Professional Members can log in to access the replay below.