Shetland designer who got apology from Chanel set for XpoNorth

A Shetland knitwear designer who got an apology from Chanel last year will be among the speakers at this summer's XpoNorth festival in Inverness.

Mati Ventrillon took to social media to challenge the fashion house after garments similar to her own appeared on the catwalk of a 2016 preview show.

Chanel said this had happened because of "a dysfunctionality" within its teams and apologised.

Fair Isle-based Ms Ventrillon will join two panels during June's XpoNorth.

Protecting intellectual property will be among the topics she has been invited to discuss.

The annual Inverness-based conference, formerly known as GoNorth, promotes the Highlands and Islands' music, fashion, arts, writing and publishing.

Events will be held at venues across the city on 8 and 9 June.

More than 100 films made by emerging film-makers from the UK and abroad will be screened.

They include Red Sky On The Black Isle which recalls the suspected illegal deaths of 22 birds of prey, including 16 red kites, in 2014.

Also featured will be North Coast 500, which is about Scottish endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont's journey around the Highlands' far north coastline and interior.

From overseas, the films include Romania's A Natural Occupation and from Australia, We're Here Now, which tells of two sisters hiding in a toilet as one takes a pregnancy test.

XpoNorth will also stage the UK premier of Bafta Scotland New Talent Award-winning film, Hula.

Hula was made by Robin Haig, a film-maker and founding member of the Scottish Crofting Federation's Young Crofters group, in her home village of Dornie in the Highlands. It stars Taggart's Blythe Duff.

About 70 music acts will also be performing during XpoNorth. The acts include 18-year-old songwriter Eleanor Nicolson, from Lewis in the Western Isles.