Brighton Ladies Wine & Design launches – with a difference

This week saw the launch of the Brighton chapter of ‘Ladies, Wine & Design’ (LW&D), joining 280 groups worldwide.

LW&D was started in 2016 by designer Jessica Walsh, founder of New York creative agency &Walsh, to provide a network of support to women in the creative industries.

Hosted at Red Setter, the world’s leading PR agency for the design sector, the Brighton chapter is the first in the world to explicitly include and invite all genders.

Brighton diversity

Claire Blyth, founder and managing director at Red Setter says: “Women’s rights are human rights, and the challenges faced by women in the design industry affect everyone regardless of gender. So it seemed right, especially in a city as famed for its diversity as Brighton, for us to open the group to anyone, regardless of their gender identity.”

The inaugural meeting this week saw men and women from Brighton’s creative industries share their experiences and discuss their future vision for the group. Ideas included skills sharing, mentoring, and a range of practical activities like screen printing.

Shaping a new future

The new Brighton Chapter is spearheaded by local creatives including Red Setter’s managing director, Claire Blyth, along with Sara Scobie editor & creative director at Curate Labs & The Annual Digest, Bronagh Wedderburn, founder of Loveblood Creative, and Kitty Hennessy, new business director, Ogilvy.

“In the UK only 17% of creative leadership roles are held by women. This needs to change. We want this group to be a space where we can support and champion each other in our creative professional lives,” says Hennessy.

“There is space for everyone – and it’s our collective responsibility to help shape that space and move the conversation on about equality in the design industry.”

For details of future meetings see ladieswinedesign.com/brighton. 

Source: Red Setter