Experts in the fashion industry find happiness in their pursuit of being ethical so let us all follow their lead.
Zen is grounded in the realisation that one does not know what is right and wrong all the time. We wear clothes every day and whether we know where they come from, they represent us to an extent. A lot of us feel more connected to our items, the production of our garments, and the ethicality of the production process is giving consumers more control over positive economic growth.
My zen comes from knowing I don’t know everything when it comes to ethical fashion, but I can be aware of what I am buying, and where my items come from and enjoy myself restyling pre-loved items on my own accord.
We are living through chaos and complexity where right and wrong are tried too hard to realise. In the UK alone the law system is fucked, children are being exploited and outside of our narrow land, cities are being destroyed and civilians are being murdered. What can we do to know zen when it feels like the world is falling apart? We can play our part with the things close to our hearts.
Fast fashion is one of the biggest contributors to global warming. Fashion is something close to my heart, it makes me feel good to get glam. But it contributes ten per cent of global emissions and at the current rate of expansion, it is on the way to fifty per cent by 2030. As well, twenty per cent of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing. Can you believe it takes around 28,800 cups of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair of regular blue jeans? Seems bloody ridiculous when half the world can’t access water for safe sanitation and one in four have no access to water, they can safely drink.
The fashion industry employs more than 75 million people around the world so change must happen systematically. We are buying more than sixty per cent more clothes than we did in 2000 so the change we can do on an individual level is for the better and is not going to suddenly mean millions are out of jobs. Fast fashion is ever-expanding, we can at least minimise that growth. “Fast fashion is becoming denser, and greenwashing is getting worse. People think what they buy doesn’t make a difference, but they have the power to stop supporting unethical brands. People need to believe we can make a difference, there is hope but we need to be diligent” says Garik Himebaugh, the founder of eco-style.
Eco stylist was founded in 2018 to bring men into the sustainable fashion conversation. It has since plummeted to a blog, marketplace, and ethical brand directory where Eco-stylists rate chosen brands against their responsibility criteria. Unsurprisingly, most brands fail because their responsibility marking includes labour rights, animal rights, sustainability, and transparency.
There is evidence that socially good businesses do work. And there are growing incentives for those who focus on being an ethical business, “I gave up several better paid stable jobs to follow a sustainable path. Through my work, I see the direct impact of what I do and that makes me so happy. Thankfully, there is a huge appetite for sustainable fashion and accessories so there is great support for the work I do,” says Sìofra Caherty, the founder of Jump the Hedges which is an ethical brand.
Consistently researching where to find her materials and ways to create new accessories and garments, Síofra deserves the recognition that the European accelerator will provide. The project will provide funding of up to 1500 euros per selected candidate and provide financial and business support so sustainable brands can innovate and manifest into bigger and better establishments. Jump the hedges was chosen out of over 150 sustainable fashion projects from 32 different countries who applied to take part! “This will take up most of this coming summer as we will be attending boot camps in Lisbon, Berlin and Athens,” However, Jump the Hedges is planning a bag drop in June. “My work is material led as opposed to the traditional industry-design-led approach, so I do not have different themes for each drop. I work with whatever material I can source so each drop ends up being different based on what materials I source prior to it. The next drop will consist of all four products and is looking predominantly blue”.
I am very excited for her next drop, her last drop donated one hundred per cent of profits to Ukraine support. The fanny bags sold within one hour of the release and they were hand made by the team from truck tarpaulin and other materials.
Tips on being an ethical fashionista from Síofra
- Wear what you already have. It is always more sustainable to wear what is already in your own wardrobe. Have a nosy through your friends and family's wardrobes too and then the next stop should be the charity shops.
- Simple things like cutting the sleeves off t-shirts instantly makes them more interesting. Adding waist belts to oversized garments works a trick too. In college we went through a phase of wearing things back to front or upside down, this can look great or totally wrong. Don't overlook the men’s or kid’s sections in charity shops also, sometimes you can find some great pieces. Just have fun, experiment and don't be afraid to try new things!
‘The battle against the failures of fast fashion is long and entrenched, it is hard for people to let go when brands are naturally aggressive in their sales and market strategies. Fast fashion brands don’t put prices low because they care about people, price is there to ruin their competitors. Bearing in mind our consumption has doubled since 2000, we can step back and see that we don’t need to buy all the time. Swapping and preparing is an option.
Shien was recently valued at 100 billion dollars; I don’t have any optimism that this can be fixed as their issues and motives are disingenuous.
However, there is positive economic growth in the blossoming ethical fashion industry, some businesses are helping brands, and shifts in labour rights are essential. We can’t separate sustainability and fair labour. Your conscious consumer recognises that.’- Garik Himebaugh
Kommentare