Artist spotlight: Tolmeia Gregory
Artist bio
Tolmeia Gregory (Tolly, she/her) is a 20-year-old climate justice activist and artist. Tolly originally started her activism journey by learning more about ethical and sustainable fashion as she initially wanted to become a fashion designer. Having left her childhood dream behind after coming to terms with the climate emergency, Tolly now uses her online platform to raise awareness about the climate crisis, whether it's by sharing her work as an artist, the behind-the-scenes of organising and direct-action, or by opening up conversations about topics such as climate anxiety.
tolmeiagregory.com
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My name is Mary Raftopoulos, and I am a reformed shopaholic. There was a time when my wardrobe was less of a collection and more of a fast-fashion landfill in disguise. As a kid, I thought nothing of buying the same pair of shoes in every colour, like I was collecting Pokémon, except my catchphrase was “gotta wear ‘em all… once.” I would also use Primark like a disposable clothing store. Wear it, bin it, repeat.
But growing older has a funny way of shifting your perspective. The more I learned about the realities behind my shopping habits - the waste, the exploitation, the sheer environmental cost, the harder it became to ignore. Slowly, the thrill of a quick purchase was replaced by a different kind of satisfaction of finding interesting pieces that outlived fleeting trends.