FASHION AND THE FUTURE:

A CIRCULAR ECONOMY BY DESIGN

Date: 6 August

Time: 5:30 PM

Venue: GRIDAKL

Address: 101 Pakenham Street West, Auckland

Tickets are $15 and include complimentary drinks and nibbles… Cheers to that!

Buy your tickets here

The ‘economy’ often feels like an unchangeable distant machine. But the truth is our economic system was designed by people and just like fashion, that means it can be redesigned. To work for people and the planet.

So, what might that actually look like? Circular fashion in Aotearoa is one of the most exciting, real-world examples we have. It shows how we can move beyond the wasteful, take-make-throw model to something more regenerative, creative, and connected, without losing joy, beauty, or innovation.

Join us for a hopeful panel discussion featuring:

  • Lucy Blakiston (Sh*t You Should Care About) - moderator

  • Emily Miller-Sharma (Ruby / Mindful Fashion)

  • Michele Wilson (Aotearoa Manager, B Lab)

  • Rose Howcroft (Crushes)

  • Emma Wallace (Kowtow)

Whether you’re into fashion, curious about circularity, or passionate about systems change, this conversation is for you.

Meet the panelists

  • Lucy Blakiston (moderator)

    Lucy is an author and creator of Sh*t You Should Care About aka SYSCA, a global multimedia phenomenon that cuts through the jargon and clickbait to make news accessible and entertaining, for all.

  • Rose Howcroft

    Rose Howcroft is a co-owner of Crushes, a brand and boutique on Karangahape Road. She is passionate about sourcing, producing, and educating about the benefits of slow fashion. In particular, opting into a mindful intentional conscious consumerism that relieves the weight of fashion's burden on the planet and her people.

  • Emily Miller-Sharma

    As the General Manager of RUBY, Liam Designer & Co-founder of Mindful Fashion NZ, Emily is at the forefront of shaping a more responsible, creative, and collaborative future for New Zealand fashion.

  • Emma Wallace

    Emma Wallace is the Managing Director of Kowtow and has 25 years of experience in NZ’s fashion industry - spanning design, production and management. Working closely with founder Gosia Piatek and a committed team, Emma has played a key role in growing Kowtow from its Wellington roots into an internationally recognised Fairtrade organic cotton brand—one that puts people and planet at the heart of every decision. She relishes the challenge of leading a global fashion business grounded in circularity principles. She is on the board of Mindful Fashion New Zealand, a not-for-profit organisation committed to supporting a sustainable and inclusive future for the local industry.

  • Michelle Wilson

    Michele Wilson (Tainui, Ngāti Pāoa) is the Aotearoa Manager for B Lab Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand. Michele is the co-founder and former CEO of AWWA Period Care. Michele’s commitment to uplifting mātauranga Māori continues with her groundbreaking work on Ehoa, the world’s first indigenous period tracking app to incorporate Maramataka—the Māori lunar calendar—alongside menstrual cycle tracking. She is also leading a two-year research project exploring the societal and workplace impacts of disregarding menstrual cycles and advocating for the integration of cycle syncing into education systems and workplace structures.