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“Fashion can be a universal player in protecting the planet.”
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Pharrell Williams
@pharrell
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.
I, like many of us, love fashion and style-- we love expressing ourselves through our apparel, accessories, art, makeup etc.
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Fashion is a colossal industry and has been significant ever since humans began clothing and adorning our bodies with the elements. Of course as humanity has evolved and grown in number so has our excess. Fashion is undoubtedly a key contributor in global waste and pollution.
As influential as the Fashion industry is, it’s time we use this influence for the benefit and protection of humanity and our environment(s).
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This week's corresponding MILF Monday post revolves around what companies can do and what some have been/are doing to repair the fashion industry's relationship with garment workers, consumers, and the environment. In a separate article, I will also touch on the "phenomenon" of greenwashing as some brands aim to appear sustainable while doing the absolute bare minimum and/or being deceitful.
As mentioned in previous articles and will continue to be uttered, fashion companies have an immense opportunity to help transform the fashion industry for the better. As an eco-conscious Art and Slow-fashion lifestyle brand, it is beyond reassuring to see other artists and designers thriving and evolving in the space of sustainability and mindfulness.
Capitalism, our current landscape of it specifically, has a gnarly and nasty reputation and reality of operating within a "dog eat dog world"mode. I, and many others, believe in there being a healthier system of checks and balances to help ensure little to no exploitation of garment workers is occurring, that production/use of materials and chemicals are considered prior to the creation process along with their disposability in the safest, least harmful way possible, and that consumers are educated and made aware of the responsibility and power they(we) hold in keeping capitalism, companies, and ourselves accountable.
Oh and please keep in mind, that any observations made in this article, past, and future articles are not made to blindly vilify society's current solutions as there may truly be nothing better in place right now. Our observations are to highlight, learn, and educate others on what is and what could potentially be while keeping in mind the reality of the current state of the fashion industry and other production industries altogether.
So, what can fashion companies do to mindfully drive change throughout the industry?
How can you identify a company that's authentically doing the work and setting the tone?
Let's get into our general overview, shall we?.
Eventually, we will have articles to further expand and discuss each subsection below. Once they're available, the corresponding articles will be linked back to their sections here.
Fair wages and treatment of garment workers
It has been horrifically uncovered and established over decades that many, one too many, garment workers in the fashion space especially, fast trashion (couldn't resist) are:
- Paid ridiculously low, unlivable wages
- Working 10-12hrs + a day in crappy conditions for said low wages
- Being physically and mentally abused in the workplace
Unchecked capitalism, mass/overproduction, overconsumption, sketchy textiles and chemicals and apathy are five major ingredients to a quite literally unsustainable recipe for human and ecological disaster...pie.
It is not enough to only consider the materials being used in apparel and accessories. True Eco-conscious and/or mindful companies are hell-bent on ensuring garment workers, artisans, and the like are working in mentally, emotionally, and physically safe conditions. Swapping out all the polyester for organic cotton or recycled nylon doesn't automatically promise that humans, more often than not women, are being paid a livable salary or being valued as key contributors to a business' bottom line.
As we rightfully so condemn slavery and ignorances of the past, we should fight to ensure our products are not made with the stink of modern-day slavery. Unfortunately, we know this is way more prevalent today than others would like to admit.
The 2013 Bangladesh Rana Plaza collapse, along with countless other factory tragedies, was one of many that forced the world to pay attention. In about ninety seconds, 1,134 humans perished with roughly 2,500 others being injured and maimed due to avoidable structural failures that were brought to management's attention by the workers. When profit and a cute fit outweigh human life, these are the grotesque realities in which we live. Sadly, the world's attention span seems to get shorter and shorter as the years go by so these plights get buried and or ignored by the masses.
As heartbreaking as it is or can be to dive into this topic, we empathetically look forward to shedding more light on this issue.
How to spot a fashion company that's doing right by its workers and artisans?
This can be a difficult toss up because humans "be" lying. Brand transparency is one of the biggest ways a company can build trust with their community. Is the brand working with vendors who pay their workers a livable wage? Are the items so cheap and inexpensive you wonder, "Who is getting paid to make a shitty blouse for $10???". Are garment workers receiving adequate breaks and lunches, or are they being pressured to work and toil every second of their shifts to meet quotas?
Many conscious companies know that being transparent with who creates their product, their workers' quality of life, and the workers' working conditions can be and is extremely crucial in showing others that, yes, we can respect our fellow humans for their skilled labour by paying them enough as they work in ideal building conditions that are up to code while overall making a profit.
Look for brands who have a thorough sustainability statement that includes the human aspect of production. Some brands may also have special certificates and qualifications that speak to their relationships with vendors, manufacturers, and any human labour being used. I know it can be a tall order especially with the prevalence of greenwashing. Even mindful brands have to use our better judgment to trust manufacturers are being honest with how they treat and pay garment workers.