Press Release
24th April 2020
Fashion Question Time at the V&A
Mass consumption: The end of an era.
Friday, 24th April 2020, Fashion Revolution’s annual Fashion Question Time partnership withthe Victoria & Albert museum will undertake a new digital format in light of current COVID-19
measures. The event will be live-streamed at 11 AM BST / 6 AM ET on Fashion Revolution’sYouTube channel and recorded for later viewing on our website.
Chaired by Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey (Co-Chair of the APPG for Ethics andSustainability in Fashion), panellists include Kenya Hunt (Fashion Director, Grazia), DioKurazawa (Cofounder, The Bear Scouts), Dr Lisa Cameron (MP and Chair of the APPG forTextiles and Fashion), Professor Kate Fletcher (Centre for Sustainable Fashion, UAL) andMary Creagh (Advisor on climate, sustainable development, green finance and MP 200519).
This year’s theme, “Mass consumption: The end of an era”, couldn’t feel more relevant to thepresent situation. Our current crisis has sparked a renewed desire to support each other in atime of uncertainty and is highlighting ways in which our personal habits can become moresustainable. We have been encouraging an end to overconsumption for many years, yet wealso know that in the face of this unexpected halt in manufacturing, it is the most vulnerable,
lowest paid people in the fashion supply chain that feel the worst effects. So, as we take thistime to pause and reflect on our own consumption and disposal patterns, the question of
how to support the millions of supply chain workers who have already lost their jobs remains
largely unanswered. Falling on the 7th anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, this year’sFQT will serve as a timely reminder that it is always the less privileged amongst us who pay
the highest price. The industry’s current reality of low pay, little transparency and widespread
exploitation must be completely overhauled into a system that respects people and planet
above profit and growth.
The Fashion Question Time format will be unchanged, relying on selected, pre-submitted
questions by industry professionals and members of the public. By streaming online, we will
be able to reach a wider audience than ever before and deliver our message to a globalaudience.
Looking at Mass Consumption at the time of the coronavirus, our expert panellists will focus
on climate breakdown, on alternatives to the present unsustainable incremental growthbusiness model and its inevitable waste burden, and ways in which citizens can start theirown journey to implementing less wasteful lifestyles while respecting the people who makeour clothes.
Fashion Revolution’s co-founder and creative director, Orsola de Castro says, “Fashion
Question Time is an opportunity for all fashion stakeholders, from citizens to designers toproducers, academics and policymakers to come together and champion a collective vision
for the future of our industry, one that requires radical and systemic change now more thanever.”Edwina Ehrman, Senior Curator of Textiles and Fashion at the V&A says, “The V&A has
been proud to partner with Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Question Time since 2019 on theirannual Fashion Revolution Question Time. We are sadly not able to host this year’s event
because of the global pandemic, however we are delighted that this important event in thefashion calendar is taking place online. I and my colleagues at the V&A will be watching andencourage everyone concerned about the future of fashion to join us. Now more than ever,
we need to engage with the challenges that lie ahead to create a better future for the world
and its inhabitants.”
Fashion Revolution Week, Fashion Revolution’s global campaign calling for a fairer, safer,more transparent fashion industry, runs from Monday 20th to Sunday 26th of April 2020. This
year’s focus will be on four key areas: Consumption, Composition, Conditions and CollectiveAction, showing how the unfolding coronavirus crisis is affecting the people who make ourclothes, as well as the impact our clothing has on the earth and the oceans. The campaign
will highlight what needs to happen to start to rebuild a fashion industry that values people
over growth and profit and conserves and restores the environment as we come out of theother side of this global crisis.
-EndsWhen: Friday 24th April 2020 11.00 am BST / 6.00 am ET
Where: YouTube Live - https://youtu.be/6CLM0YOjseU
Event hashtag is #FQTContact: press@fashionrevolution.org
To submit a question to the panellists, please email sienna@fashionrevolution.org by the
16th April