Aja Barber is a writer, stylist and consultant focusing on the intersections of sustainability, fashion, and the textile industry. Aja Barber will be in conversation with Zoe Souter (Head of Careers & Stakeholder Engagement, Condé Nast College of Fashion), discussing the traditions of privilege, wealth inequality, racism, feminism, colonialism, and how these systems of power affect our buying habits.

Her debut book Consumed (September 2021) is a treatise on the state of fashion, climate change, and social justice. The book reveals the endemic injustices in our consumer industries, the uncomfortable history of the textile industry, and how these oppressive systems help create a lack of diversity and equality in the fashion industry.

Aja has written for The Guardian, CNN, Selfridges, Eco-Age, and is a Contributing Editor for Elle UK.

This event forms part of the programme that runs alongside the exhibition, What Are You Wearing? which takes place in the gallery until 4 May 2024.

About Inspiring People
Our flagship Inspiring People series is a joint venture between The North Wall and our principal sponsor, St Edward’s School. We host talks or in-conversation events with speakers who have done brilliant things with their lives and who are renowned in their field.

We welcome speakers from a wide range of professions – from art history and neurosurgery, to theatre and environmental science. We offer free tickets to youth and school groups to promote creative futures, philanthropic attitudes, and open minds.

Each event is followed by a Q&A session, giving audiences the opportunity to have their questions answered by the experts.