International Women's Day

Why celebrate International Women’s Day? I bet lots of people think ‘what’s the point?’ Well, for me it’s a matter of equality. Not all women are paid equally to their male counterparts for starters. It's 2013 for crying out loud! Watch this video starring Daniel Craig for a snapshot of some other pertinent figures:

Just over 100 years ago we didn't even have the vote and the leaps and bounds taken since then have been astounding. International Women’s Day used to be more about what was lacking, what was missing, what was wrong but hang on, lets not get down in the doldrums. What has been achieved is remarkable: there are more women than ever in boardrooms and top jobs, such as Katie Bickerstaffe CEO of Dixons Retail UK and Lea Paterson, Bank of England division head.

This time last year I was practising my moaning in preparation for an appearance in The Vagina Monologues. This is a picture of the cast on the night – me complete with ‘man legs’ in training for the Manchester Marathon:

This year I am speaking at an intimate event for women in Huddersfield and I will be focusing celebration of the self. Celebrating the brains, beauty, talent, compassion, skill and kindness of women who come last on the list of their priorities and rarely take the time to realise just how wonderful they really are. 

Fashion ComPassion

Back in the noughties Elle dedicated an issue to ethical and sustainable fashion. Bland, dull, meh it was as if all colour has drained from the pages. I think there was 1 bag I half contemplated buying. It wasn't that this side of the fashion industry had a bad rep – it was just not cool. Fast forward a few years and things are wildly different. With the curse of Fast Fashion quickly filling up landfill quicker than you can say “It was only £2.99 from Primark” more and more people are taking note of where and how their fashion is made and how they consume it. Just look at Livia Firth and her upcycled red carpet dresses for her Green Carpet Challenge, not to mention Lily Cole, Eva Longoria, Anne Hathaway all taking the upcycled plunge. 

Even Bradley Cooper took up the challenge wearing a Tom Ford tuxedo made from ethical wool at the Golden Globes this January. (Queue picture of Bradley…)

So when the invite to the FashionComPassion event dropped into my inbox it actually sounded like something I wanted to go to: clothes, art and vodka (ok, I know I don’t drink but I think I would have had a snifter – it’s made from Quinoa for Pete’s sake!)

So who are they? Fashion ComPassion is a UK-based socially responsible fashion retailer and Debut Contemporary is a renowned art gallery. The showcase will feature socially responsible fashion brands from war torn and under privileged communities together with stunning pieces created by emerging artists from Debut Contemporary. Get your monthly dose of culture washed down with fashion and check them out here on the 20th Feb:

www.fashioncompassion.co.uk