Fashion Revolution Day at Somerset House

Fashion Revolution Day 
On 24 April 2013, 1133 people were killed and over 2500 were injured when the Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Two years on and campaigners have taken the question ‘Who makes your clothes?’ to Parliament to establish safer working conditions, and support ethical production.
Today, those passionate about creating a better fashion industry are demanding significant, lasting change not only in how our clothes are sourced, but also in promoting a more conscious attitude within the design world itself.
Fashion Revolution Somerset House 
Somerset House is helping raise awareness and spark debate about this important issue, by hosting a Fashion Revolution Day discussion. A select panel chaired by Baroness Lola Young will see Michael Gidney, Safia Minney and Sarah Ditty discuss the realities of the fashion industry, the progress made since 2013 and what is being done to improve the welfare of those who make our vibrant £26 billion industry possible. 
About the speakers
A member of the House of Lords since 2004, Baroness Young was recently appointed to the Lords' European Union Select Committee, and as Chair of its Social Policies and Consumer Protection sub-committee. She is an Independent Cross Bench peer and has been involved in campaigns criminalising and combating modern forms of enslavement. An Ambassador for the Ethical Fashion Forum and MADE-BY, she uses her political position to promote ethical, sustainable fashion.
After leading a major initiative at the Black Cultural Archives, the Baroness became Head of Culture at the Greater London Authority. She currently advises arts and cultural agencies and organisations on policy, diversity, leadership and strategic planning and continues to write. On the Boards of several national cultural organisations including the South Bank Centre and the Royal National Theatre, she is also trustee of Somerset House Trust.
Sarah Ditty is the Editor-in-Chief of SOURCE Intelligence, the B2B magazine run by the Ethical Fashion Forum. Sarah's work focuses on covering social, environmental and commercial best practice for the fashion sector. 
Sarah is also part of the UK government's Sustainable Clothing Action Plan steering committee, the EU's Stakeholder Group on Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment Sector and has done freelance consulting on a number of projects for clients from Bombe Surprise to Nike.
Sarah heads up Policy for Fashion Revolution.
Michael Gidney has been Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation since December 2012, and Deputy Executive Director from 2009. They license the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards, and promotes Fairtrade and issues of trade justice in the UK. From 2005 to 2008, he was Chair of the Board of Trustees, having been a member of the Board since 2002. He was Director of Policy at Traidcraft, fighting poverty through trade for thirty years, trading with producer groups in more than 30 developing countries.
Mike has worked in International Development for 20 years, for most of this time with a particular focus on small enterprise development, helping producers identify and access markets.
Safia Minney MBE FRSA is a British social entrepreneur and author. She is the founder and CEO of People Tree, a pioneering sustainable and Fair Trade fashion label. She initiated World Fair Trade Day in 1999, which is endorsed by the World Fair Trade Organization and their members. Additionally, she co-wrote the book, Naked Fashion, The Sustainable Fashion Revolution and in 2013 launched the Rag Rage Campaign which helped bring pressure with over a million signatories to clean-up practice in the fashion industry.