“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”
Dr. Maya Angelou
As slow-fashion, mindful living enthusiasts, many of us fully know and understand the difficulties, inconveniences, and sacrifices experienced when embracing a more eco-conscious life.
Our mission, in addition to providing unique original art/art apparel, is to educate, empower, and energize our community at-small and at-large on evolving to a more sustainable mindset and lifestyle.
At first, it may feel like, "Ugh! Can't shop here!" "Can't buy this or that!"
Some of us may feel guilt after making a few impulse buys or buying necessities that aren't eco-friendly and so on.
Listen, on this journey, we should try not to be so hard on ourselves. Our modern global society is neither perfect nor currently set up to make this transition or lifestyle easy, and like Mariah Carey once gracefully shouted into a mic, "Imma do the best I can with what I got!
This is all we can ask or require of ourselves as consumers. Evolving to a more or mostly mindful life means increasing our awareness, discipline, presence, action, and compassion. It is pertinent that consumers understand our power is real, but fast fashion consumers have to want to know better to do better in order to make our power into a superpower.
Consumer indifference and/or ignorance on fast fashion's issues will not be blissful for much longer if we don't collectively get in check.
Fortunately, the eco-conscious apparel industry is seeing a positive uptrend amongst consumers, in fact:
66% of global consumers say they are willing to pay more for sustainable apparel brands https://blog.gitnux.com/sustainable-fashion-industry-statistics/#:~:text=and%20its%20stakeholders.-,
Nonetheless, sustainable slow-fashion consists of us collectively nurturing humanity’s roots of garment/accessory making.
It is understanding and honouring the value of artisans, garment workers, and artists creating specialty, small-batch collections, one-of-a-kind, made-to-order art, apparel, and accessories.
Slow-fashion was our default before industrialization, mass production, and imbalanced capitalism became our norm.
Our goal is that when you learn about the forced human labour, wasteful and toxic practices, and the overconsumption of cheap, synthetic garments that are normalized in the #FastTrashion industry you will be compelled to do better— One mindful purchase or non-purchase at a time.
In alignment with our consumer education and opening weekend for the new Barbie film, one of the most prized toy possessions of millions of children since 1959, we figured this is the perfect segue into our upcoming series, The Ultimate Mean Girls: The Plastics.
Over the next several weeks, we are diving into synthetic materials used in our daily lives, their impacts and realistic solutions to counter or alleviate said impacts as consumers.
Here's a sneak peek Attik Fact:
“Washing our synthetic clothing accounts for 35% of all microplastics in the ocean. These microplastics have entered the food chain and in a study in the Netherlands in March 2022 were found in the blood of 80% of those people tested.” - https://www.earthday.org/campaign/sustainable-fashion/
Idk about you, but we would prefer to not have microplastics in our bodies where we can help it. Just as citizens can benefit from knowing their rights, consumers also have rights and should want more transparency from fashion companies on their supply chain ethics and where they stand on improving fashion's relationship with humanity and the environment.
We have immense power to transform the fast fashion industry in various ways that yield a more eco-conscious and mindful future.
Yes, we are all at different stages of understanding and action, but regardless having a foundational will to educate oneself and to be educated about the problematic fast fashion industry is the best way to start and/or reinforce your journey.
We will keep educating ourselves and others, but our reminder to you is do the best you can, until you know better, then...well you know the rest.
Let's Make A Difference and Keep Evolving Together
Thank you for reading! (^_^)\/
