Botswana’s Okavango Delta Is Created by a Delicate Balance, but for How Much Longer?

Botswana’s Okavango Delta Is Created by a Delicate Balance, but for How Much Longer?

The Okavango Delta in northern Botswana is a mosaic of water paths, floodplains and arid islands. The delta sits in the Okavango river basin, which spans three African countries: Angola, Namibia and Botswana.

Because it’s an oasis, in a semi-arid area, it hosts a rich array of plants and attracts a huge variety of wildlife.

As a unique ecosystem, in 2014 it was placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list and it is an iconic tourist destination, which generates 13% of Botswana’s GDP.

But it’s a fragile natural area. It’s controlled by deformations of the Earth’s crust over a long time (thousands to millions of years) and by annual water flows and evaporation. The size of the flooded delta from year to year varies between 3,500km² and 9,000km² because of weather fluctuations which control its water supply.

Any change to the processes that form the delta will have an impact on the wildlife and local economic activities. Its grassy floodplains are food for grazing animals in the dry period. Losses of this habitat will cause declines in wildlife and livestock. It’s therefore imperative to understand what creates and sustains the delta for the future management of the system.

Beehive Fences Can Help Mitigate Human-Elephant Conflict

Beehive Fences Can Help Mitigate Human-Elephant Conflict

Human-elephant conflict poses major threats to the well-being of both humans and animals. Crop-raiding by elephants across Asia and Africa can be devastating for small farmers, leading to food insecurity, lost opportunity costs, and even death. Crop-raiding and property damage can also result in negative attitudes towards elephant conservation and retaliatory killings of elephants.

Finding effective and inexpensive solutions has proven extremely difficult. Farmers guarding their fields at night lose sleep and put themselves in potentially close proximity to hungry elephants. Killing “problem” elephants is not only inhumane, but is also ineffective at reducing human-elephant conflict. Electric fences, while effective in theory, often fail in practice because they are costly and difficult to maintain.

Bees to the rescue

More recently, conservationists have explored the use of beehive fences as a humane and eco-friendly way to protect crops from elephants. Zoologist Lucy King of the NGO Save the Elephants told Mongabay the idea came from Kenyan farmers, who noticed that elephants avoided foraging in trees that contained beehives.

Why Banning the Mammoth Ivory Trade Would Be a Huge Mistake

Why Banning the Mammoth Ivory Trade Would Be a Huge Mistake

By Douglas Mac Millan, Professor of Conservation and Applied Resource Economics, University of Kent

There is widely held belief that the only way we can protect globally endangered species that are being poached for the international wildlife trade is to completely ban the trade. This is a dangerous misconception and will speed up extinction rather than prevent it.

Adrian Lister, a mammoth expert from University College London, recently suggested that mammoths should be listed under the convention on international trade in endangered species to keep their ivory from being laundered into an illegal trade in tusks. He argued that the mammoth trade is encouraging the poaching of elephants by keeping up the demand for ivory.

This is madness. Mammoths and mammoth ivory is not rare – it is estimated that there are 10 million mammoths that remain incarcerated within the permafrost of the Arctic tundra. And in any case a ban on mammoth ivory would not stop the trade, it would simply drive it underground and attract the attention of organised crime groups. For example, in my own research I found that prices for illegally caught whale meat rose very quickly when enforcement efforts intensified and this in turn led to the trade being controlled by dedicated “professional” criminals.

In the same way, a ban on mammoth ivory would drive up prices and lead to many mammoth sites being excavated in clandestine fashion, without any associated scientific endeavours to garner knowledge and understanding of these great beasts. In fact the current situation supports collaboration between collectors and academics about new finds, to the benefit of scientific research.

Lupita Nyong'o Set To Narrate US Version 'Serengeti' For Discovery Channel Wildlife

Lupita Nyong'o Set To Narrate US Version 'Serengeti' For Discovery Channel Wildlife

Beloved actor Lupita Nyong’o is already an award-winning narrator devoted to protecting wildlife in Africa. the short documentary, supported by The Tiffany & Co. Foundation won top honors in the Virtual Reality/360° Storytelling category at the 2018 Jackson Hole Science Media awards.

Now the articulate, multi-dimensional, Oscar winner, currently making headlines for her role in Jordan Peele’s latest movie ‘Us’, has signed on to narrate the American version of a new “innovative series” ‘Serengeti’ for the Discovery channel. The six-part series, a joint venture of Discovery Channel and BBC One, is the vision of ‘American Idol’ creator Simon Fuller and Emmy winner director John Downer. ‘Star Wars’ actor John Boyega will narrate the British version.

Will Burrard-Lucas + Tsavo Trust + BeetleCam Capture Kenya's Endangered, Magnificent Elephant Queens

Will Burrard-Lucas + Tsavo Trust + BeetleCam Capture Kenya's Endangered, Magnificent Elephant Queens

You are forgiven for thinking that F_MU1 is a woolly mammoth brought to life. Queen of Elephants, the name photographer Will Burrard-Lucas gave to F__MU1, was a rare “big tusker” elephant, one of perhaps only 30 left in Africa. This royal creature enjoyed a peaceful life for more than 60 years in Kenya’s Tsavo National Park.

These images of F_MU1, renamed Elephant Queen on WBL’s website, are among the last images captured of her. Over long periods of horrific, violent poaching in Kenya, Elephant Queen is a survivor, and she died a natural death shortly after Burrard-Lucas made these magnificent image captures for his new book ‘Land Of Giants.’

Burrard-Lucas embarked on the ambitious project in partnership with Tsavo Trust in August 2017, in an effort to promote worldwide support for the elephants of Tsavo.

In his own words, the photographer shares his story of meeting Elephant Queen for the first time:

Bushwick, Brooklyn's Oko Farms Brings Aquaponics And A School Of Fish To The People

Bushwick, Brooklyn's Oko Farms Brings Aquaponics And A School Of Fish To The People

Nigerian-born Yemi Amu shares a look at Oko Farms, a Bushwick, Brooklyn aquaponics system housing both fish and plants with the same water source since 2013. Given that about 70 percent of freshwater is used for agriculture globally, Oko Farms is recycling at its best. Jen Maylack interviews the urban farmer for Vogue US.

When Amu first encountered the concept of aquaponics, she realized this technique, which uses fish waste to fertilize plants grown in water, and then in turn allows the plants to filter toxins from the water so it can safely be returned to fish, had massive potential. It’s a symbiotic system, relying on the relationship between fish, plants and microbes.  “Nature is really efficient, and I fell in love with that efficiency,“ Amu says. “That source of locally raised sustainable protein, nobody is doing it.”

Seeking knowledge about her own eating disorder, the urban farmer began studying Ayurveda and its emphasis on holistic nutrition, supported by the idea that food is medicine. She then attended Teachers College, Columbia University for a Master’s Degree in Health and Nutrition Education. Soon came rooftop gardening and a passion that grabbed her being.

In Africa, Concern Mounts About The Safety Of Botswana's Thriving (And Challenging) Elephant Population

In Africa, Concern Mounts About The Safety Of Botswana's Thriving (And Challenging) Elephant Population

My heart dropped two weeks ago, when global news outlets reported that about 90 carcasses of illegally killed Botswana elephants had been found around a famous wildlife sanctuary Chobe National Park. Thanks to exceptional conservation efforts mandated by Botswana’s former president Ian Khama, the country’s elephant population has swelled to an estimated 120,000  – believed to be the highest concentration of African elephants in the world.

I was embarassed, frankly, over articles that I wrote several years ago about another of Botswana’s great treasures — the adjacent to Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta — and its promise of feminine principles in new luxury lodgings and wildlife conservation in the Okavango Delta. With a love of elephants decades old and a commitment to donate 5% of our GlamTribal business revenues to elephant conservation, I’m not a Pollyanna on the plight of Africa’s elephants.

Days became two weeks, and I failed to write about the Botswana elephants, until I found a tremendous resource last night called The Conversation.com. What a goddess send!!

Ross Harvey, Senior Researcher in Natural Resource Governance (Africa), South African Institute of International Affairs picks up the story of the terrible tragedy for Botswana’s elephants.

H&M Conscious Exclusive Delivers First Fall Collection With Liu Wen | Fall/Winter 2018 Lookbook

H&M Conscious Exclusive Delivers First Fall Collection With Liu Wen | Fall/Winter 2018 Lookbook

Supermodel Liu Wen shares the first Fall-Winter collection from H&M’s Conscious Exclusive collection. Launching on September 27 online, the romantic silhouettes are inspired by ancient tapestry and include materials made from recycled cashmere and velvet, coupled with 100% organic silk.

Cecilia Brännsten, H&M group environmental sustainability manager, explains that as consumers hug words like “transparency” and “traceability’, retailers and manufacturers are pressed to innovate sustainable materials and methods.

This season the Swedish high-street giant has introduced recycled cashmere created from leftover yarn that has been respun, and velvet made of recycled polyester partly sourced from used uniforms. “We have been developing this velvet for years to get a quality we're happy with,” Brännsten explains of the brand's closed loop production efforts on these heavier materials that have finally come to fruition in its first autumn/winter Conscious Exclusive line.

Burberry Formally Gives Up Fur, Moves To Recycled Packaging & Will Stop Burning Excess Inventory

Burberry Formally Gives Up Fur, Moves To Recycled Packaging & Will Stop Burning Excess Inventory

Burberry made two announcements on Thursday, following up on its May 2018 promise to review its use of real fur in its collections. Equally important, Burberry's chief executive Marco Gobbetti responded to criticism from the general public over its practice of destroying its unsold luxury products. In a first move for the luxury brands market, Burberry will become the first company to reuse, repair, donate or recycle all of its unsaleable products. 

Gobbetti said: “Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible. This belief is core to us at Burberry and key to our long-term success. We are committed to applying the same creativity to all parts of Burberry as we do to our products.”

The amount of stock Burberry destroys had risen sharply in recent years, from £5.5 million in fiscal year 2013 to £28.6 million in the last fiscal year. Gobbetti also announced that the creation of a new logo triggered a need for all new packaging, shopping bags, marketing materials, and they would now use recycled materials. 

As for the company's use of fur, it's over at Burberry. Riccardo Tisci's debut collection presented at London Fashion Week on September 17 will be fur free. 

Chopard Adds Sustainable Garden of Paradise Fragrances To Growing Green Credentials

Chopard Adds Sustainable Garden of Paradise Fragrances To Growing Green Credentials

The Financial Times How To Spend It Magazine turns our focus to eco-perfumes and an interesting entry into the fragrance category by watchmaker and jeweler Chopard's Garden of Paradise fragrances. 

Chopard was the first watchmaker and jeweller in the world to enable small scale mining communities to reach Fairmined certification as well as provide training, social welfare and environmental support. With a multi-year track record of high credibility in the sustainability sector, Chopard reaffirms its commitment to honoring both the earth and its everyday laborers toiling for the luxury market by introducing the first perfumes composed of ingredients from the Naturals Together programme.

Chopard first stepped out in the sustainable luxury sector at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival with the launch of the High Jewellery Green Carpet Collection, guided by Caroline Scheufele in partnership with Eco-Age and its creative Director Livia Firth. 

Ladurée Launches Hemp Macaron In LA; Now That Industrial Hemp Is Finally A Legal US Crop, Can We Make Fabrics?

Ladurée Launches Hemp Macaron In LA; Now That Industrial Hemp Is Finally A Legal US Crop, Can We Make Fabrics?

Famed Parisian patisserie Ladurée is known worldwide for its divinely delicious. sweet French sensual treats made in vibrant, intoxicating colors. Simply stated, these macarons are a feast for the eyes, tongue and amygdalae. 

On Thursday, Ladurée in will lauch a new exclusive-to-Los-Angeles macaron flavor containing hemp.

Elisabeth Holder Raberin, co-president of Ladurée USA, describes the flavor of the new L.A. macaron, a blend of white chocolate and hemp, as “a bit like hazelnut.” She says: “I love challenging my taste and I’m very curious about what people eat everywhere. L.A. is a huge market that’s very important and I see many trends here. You can find hemp ice cream and I buy hemp seeds to put on my yogurt or to use in tea. It’s healthy! When I said in Paris that I wanted to have a hemp macaron, they looked at me like, ‘What?’ They thought it was super-funny, but in the end they came up with a flavor and color that are really amazing.”

Let no one crack any hemp jokes. In fact, I have hemp protein powder in the cupboard and once had a love affair with hemp waffles. 

To clarify, writes THR, since marijuana bias has caused a lot of confusion, hemp is a variety of the cannabis plant with trace levels of THC, the main psychoactive element in marijuana, that’s been touted in some circles as a superfood rich in protein, magnesium and omega-3 and -6. And no, it won’t make you high. But at this week’s private launch party for influencers, Ladurée will serve tastings of the new L.A. hemp macaron at a “high tea” in its Beverly Hills salon, where tea will be infused with CBD oil from design-wise L.A. cannabis dispensary The Pottery.

The American government has been obsessed with controlling hemp as a crop, as Canadian farmers get wealthy. George Washington grew it at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson at Monticello for industrial purposes. Yet, as a 2005 report from the Congressional Research Service noted, the U.S. “is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop.”

Canada has been growing hemp for 20 years. Great Britain legalized industrial hemp in 1993, Germany in 1996. And now -- let the trumpets blare -- the US government finally legalized industrial hemp in June 2018. 

Many believe that hemp has a a key role in the topic of sustainability in the fashion industry. Take a read of this 2017 article: A Guide To Hemp: The Miracle Crop that Could Be the Future of Fashion

Asos Launches New Initiative With London College To Educate Its Design Teams On Sustainability

Asos Launches New Initiative With London College To Educate Its Design Teams On Sustainability

In mid-June, Asos, which sells over 850 labels including its own clothing and accessories lines, confirmed that it will ban  cashmere, silk, down and feathers across its entire platform by the end of January 2019.

"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) applauds Asos for leading the charge for compassion in fashion," director of corporate projects, Yvonne Taylor, commented. "In response to PETA's campaigns, consumers are changing the face of the industry by demanding that designers and retailers ditch animal-derived materials in favour of cruelty-free alternatives that look great without causing suffering."

Asos joined over 140 brands, including Topshop, H&M and Marks & Spencer, by halting its use of mohair after PETA released a video exposé of mohair production in South Africa in May 2018.

Whole Foods Markets Wipes Instagram Clean To Support Honeybees & National Pollinator's Week

Whole Foods Markets Wipes Instagram Clean To Support Honeybees & National Pollinator's Week

EcoWatch explains why it's critical to protect endangered species, citing, for example, the rusty patched bumble bee species that has declined by 87 percent in the last 20 years,  disease, climate change, pesticides, habitat loss and intensive agriculture.

“We launched the Give Bees A Chance campaign because kids are often taught to be afraid of bees, but the role they play in our ecosystem is imperative and deserving of our respect and protection,” explains Nona Evans, president and executive director of Whole Kids Foundation. “One of the best ways we can teach kids about bees is through educational beehives at their schools, where they get an up-close look into the world of pollination.”

Trump Revokes National Ocean Policy As Britain Launches Audit Of Fast Fashion Impact Environment

Trump Revokes National Ocean Policy As Britain Launches Audit Of Fast Fashion Impact Environment

Donald Trump cares little about the environment, and that was never more clear than when issued an executive order Tuesday revoking the 2010 National Ocean Policy of the Trump administration. Economic development is Trump's top priority, and if he puts the entire global ecosystem in peril, he could care less. That includes local quality of life as well. His mentality is drill baby drill. As for massive guts of plastic floating in the oceans and killing our fish, basta! Trump insists that it is RIGHT to pollute, to desecrate, to kill the earth in the name of consumption and economic development.

The Obama administration’s goal was to guide a more coordinated, sustainable management of the oceans and coasts in collaboration with states and tribes. Republican opponents call such a plan the liberal bureaucracy in action.  On Tuesday, conservation groups voiced strong opposition to Trump’s action, which, among other things, ensures “federal regulations and management decisions do not prevent productive and sustainable use of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters,” according to the executive order.

The difference between Trump's attitude on consumption and sustainability could not contrast more with Britain's. While Trump practically demands that we pour more chemicals and plastic into the ocean, Britain's House of Commons has launched an environmental audit to assess the impact of fast fashion in the UK.

Jennifer Fisher Jewelry Takes A Stand For Immigration Ethics & Lab Grown Diamonds

Jennifer Fisher Jewelry Takes A Stand For Immigration Ethics & Lab Grown Diamonds

Jennifer Fisher's Instagram page is testimony to her customers' love for OTT jewelry -- aka statement or major bling designs. Why not wear two giant hoops in one ear, writes Vogue. More is better. And just to reinforce the idea that today's bling-lovin girls can also have heart, Fisher throws in ACLU petitions and sad pics of immigrant kids at the border, lost in America's totally dysfunctional immigration system. 

Jennifer Fisher's approach to jewelry design and her personal/brand values underscores that people must not judge a book by its cover -- a challenge in today's Inst-world. The idea that more-is-more may not reflect your personal values. They are not mine, but I will not criticize any brand that is working to product more "sustainable" or "earth-friendly" jewelry

Fisher's new relationship with Diamond Foundry reflects her customers’ changing views on diamonds, particularly her millennial fans who are candidates to buy lab-grown diamonds. “As we’ve grown, people have been asking us more and more questions about [the origins of] our diamonds,” she said. “This new generation wants to know that no one was harmed [in the mining of the stones], and that they essentially have a carbon footprint of zero. But at the same time, we’re getting tons of requests for diamond stud earrings—so I thought now was the perfect opportunity to become more sustainable.”

Carolyn Murphy Unveils Detroit's Shinola's Lois Tote As Ford Motor Announces Plans For Michigan Central Station

Carolyn Murphy Unveils Detroit's Shinola's Lois Tote As Ford Motor Announces Plans For Michigan Central Station

Supermodel actor Carolyn Murphy and made-in-Detroit success story Shinola introduce us to Lois, the perfect summer tote at just $495. Named after Murphy's late grandmother Lois, the bag brings back countless memories. 

“My Nana, whom I was inspired by to create the bag, we’d always do these road trips in the Oldsmobile from [Washington], D.C. She’d put her bottle of vodka, her carrots, her hard-boiled eggs and her Scrabble in this big bag, and the goal was to get to our annual reunion in Nags Head, [North Carolina]. I always remember that tote,” Murphy recalled.

"I lost my Nana, and three days later, my agent called and said, 'Bruce Weber wants to shoot you for Shinola in Detroit,'" Murphy said. "So I like to think she brought us together. It was a match made in heaven."

Murphy was featured in last Friday's Porter Edit, with news about her longstanding commitments to sustainability and protecting our oceans -- a potentially losing battle. There are now six-- count them six --  large garbage patches swelling in the ocean, making Gaia weep. (Note that a brand new and accidental discovery of an enzyme that is capable of breaking down plastic bottles offers us a ray of hope.)

AOC covered Carolyn Murphy's Shinola partnership in the September 2017 issue of InStyle.  The entire brand story behind Shinola (yes, that name of shoe polish) is so inspiring in terms of what CAN be accomplished in America to fight decay, create jobs and inspire design in America's forgotten inner cities. Detroit received a HUGE bouquet of urban development flowers with big news from Ford Motor Company. 

Gucci Launches Equilibrium, Furthering Commitment to Sustainability and Transparency

Gucci Launches Equilibrium, Furthering Commitment to Sustainability and Transparency

Gucci has again affirmed its commitment to sustainability and transparency with the launch of Gucci Equilibrium, an online platform "designed to connect people, planet and purpose". 

“We have been working on sustainability for so long and we realised at one point that our actions needed to be better understood within and outside the company,” president and CEO Marco Bizzarri told WWD.

The Equilibrium.gucci.com website will launch a company-wide program for the 13,000 Gucci employees, allowing every member of the staff to dedicate one percent of their working time to volunteering in their local communities.

“These are critical times when we can all play our part in helping to deliver on the UN Global Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement,” Bizzarri added. “The only way to do that is by bringing people together, sharing ideas, innovation and experiences. This is the objective we have set for Gucci Equilibrium.”

Gucci’s 10-year sustainability plan centers around three pillars: the environment, people and innovation. Within the first pillar, it has set a target to guarantee the traceability of 95 percent of raw materials. Its “scrap-less” program in association with its tanneries, which reduces the quantity of leather that is treated during the manufacturing process, follows Gucci's late fall announcement that the house will no longer use fur in its collections.

Following in the footsteps of Salma Hayek and Beyoncé's Chime for Change dedicated to girls' and women's empowerment long embraced by Gucci, Gucci Equilibrium will launch a series of social enterprises, such as "I was a Sari", in which Gucci craftspeople teach women from Mumbai's marginalized communities in Mumbai how to upcycle saris. 

Alexandra Nataf Flashes Arizona Muse For Mango Committed Spring/Summer 2018 Campaign

Alexandra Nataf Flashes Arizona Muse For Mango Spring/Summer 2018 Campaign

Model Arizona Muse fronts the Mango Spring/Summer 2018 campaign. Alexandra Nataf captures Arizona, styled by Ilona Hamer./ Hair by Mark Hampton; makeup by Siddhartha Simone

Model Arizona Muse fronts the eco-friendly Mango Committed Spring/Summer 2018 campaign. Alexandra Nataf captures Arizona, styled by Ilona Hamer./ Hair by Mark Hampton; makeup by Siddhartha Simone

Arizona explains the sustainability credentials behind Mango's Committed Collection:

“I love the MANGO committed collection. I am so excited to be here wearing it. This is my passion and MANGO came to me and said “Oh we would like to have you in our collection because of your interest in sustainability”. People are starting to see that this is my real interest and passion and I am really honored. I love it because the fabrics feel great, I know a lot about where the fabrics come from and I know how much better they are for our environment, our world and us. The fabrics that you use are really high quality like, Tencel, which is made from trees that were raised to be cut, so has never deforested anything and also the chemicals used in the process are never wasted, they reuse 99.7 % of the chemicals that they use for processing. And also you have chosen organic cotton, which is a totally different way of growing cotton. From my personal point of view, my decision to wear organic cotton comes from the way the farm is run, an organic farm for cotton is a totally different organization and that’s really important to the health of our environment.” – Muse for Vogue Paris on MANGO committed collection.

Ondria Hardin Fronts Sustainable Wool Fashion Lensed By Saskia Wilson For Woolmark S/S 2018 Campaign

Ondria Hardin Fronts Sustainable Wool Fashion Lensed By Saskia Wilson For Woolmark S/S 2018 Campaign

Photographer Saskia Wilson captures model Ondria Hardin for 'Into the Wild', Woolmark's Spring 2018 campaign styled by Jolyon Mason./ Hair by Sophie Roberts

The Woolmark Company is a supporter of the new Commonwealth Fashion Exchange, writing: 

"As a company that markets a premium natural fibre, The Woolmark Company is very proud to be supporting this important project," said The Woolmark Company Managing Director Stuart McCullough. "Australian wool has been cultivated by generations of Australian woolgrowers who care for their sheep and work tirelessly to protect and conserve the extensive pastures on which their flocks graze.

"It is important that The Woolmark Company is active in the sustainability arena to clearly demonstrate the eco-credentials of wool. By supporting this global initiative, The Woolmark Company is highlighting Merino wool as a natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre to a cross-section of the world's most influential designers - and helping secure validity for Merino's eco-argument from respected experts and ambassadors in the field of sustainability.

Note that the fashion industry is considered to be the #2 most aggressive polluter, anti-sustainability business sector in the world, second only to oil. 

Eye: London Launches Commonwealth Fashion Exchange For Sustainability | Kering Offers Online Course On Sustainable Design

SOPHIE, COUNTESS OF WESSEX, AND CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE

Eye: London Launches Commonwealth Fashion Exchange For Sustainability | Kering Offers Online Course On Sustainable Design

"We're not talking anymore; we're doing," said Livia Firth in describing the Buckingham Palace celebration of the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange. Firth has long championed the human potential of fashion to make positive impacts on the lives of people -- especially women -- while reforming the damage wreaked on the environment by fashion. Baroness Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth secretary-general, joined Firth in launching what Vogue calls "perhaps the biggest set of collaborations in history."

“At Eco-Age, we have so many conversations about how to get people to understand the negative effects of fast fashion. We thought this was a real opportunity to demonstrate the handprint, not the footprint, of fashion," said Firth about the Queen's State Rooms,  "lined with more than 30 sustainably produced, handcrafted ball gowns, representing the cultures, identities, and creative skills of 52 countries, from the large—Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Britain—to the tiniest of islands in the Pacific and the Caribbean."

The overarching point, said Baroness Scotland, “Is about engaging young people and using fashion as a thread that connects everyone.” She quoted staggering statistics: A third of the Commonwealth’s 2.4 billion citizens are under the age of 30—a vast generation primed to be interested in fashion and involved in it as workers. “It is the second-largest employer of women in developing countries.”