With this post I'm aiming to introduce a little hope into the equation... Not everyone is buying into this industry. For years there have been people questioning, fighting and getting a little creative as they wage war against this beast. I want to honor them and tell you what they've done as well as challenging you to think about what you could do.
Everybody needs to take responsibility for the garment workers, we live in a global world and we can do much better than this! We have an international trading system that is systemically dysfunctional, completely out of balance and needs to be addressed. I recognize however that the fashion industry changed very very quickly to be like this, and after a big change in any industry it takes a while to smell and feel the dirt that comes from something that is polluting...and now, we've come to the point where the danger cannot be denied and I have a lot of hope that things will begin to change.
Here are a few companies and people that have taken on the challenge, identified with the humanity of the garment workers and done something...
People Tree, a sustainable and fair trade fashion company that sells online all over the world. They source all of their material through organic means and work closely with their workers who they call partners. They start with the people and the skills they have and then design clothing from that space instead of the other way round. Check them out at http://www.peopletree.co.uk/
Larhea Pepper, a Texan cotton farmer who has changed her whole farm around in order to produce organic cotton. They have forsaken mass pesticide spraying and just spray the weeds by hand... This ensures that the land doesn't have excess pressure on it from the chemicals and the cotton produced is much healthier. Larhea made this change after her farming husband died from a cancer they believed came about from working too closely with dangerous pesticides for many years.
Green Carpet Challenge, An initiative encouraging celebrities to take part in more mindful forms of fashion, using their high profiles to raise awareness. More information at http://eco-age.com/green-carpet-challenge/
Swallows, A fair trade fashion and development project based in Bangladesh. This is special because not only do they provide work for people in Bangladesh and a sustainable fashion option for consumers, but they also have a Swallows school in the area that gives education to 320 children. http://www.peopletree.co.uk/about-us/who-makes-our-products/swallows
Patagonia, a popular outdoor wear company that have begun taking responsibility for where their clothes come from and are asking questions that challenge their customers views on consumerism.
This is just a few of many groups taking action to improve the quality and integrity of the clothes we wear. But that's just what they've done, everyone will have a different response... For me, it makes sense that I no longer buy clothes from mainstream companies that haven't taken any responsibility for their part in the problem. I try firstly to not buy clothes if I don't have to, this is partially to fight the lie that says I need more all the time, and partly to not be a part of making more stuff. Buying second hand is always a great option too. There are lots of ethical options for clothes as well, for NZ unfortunately most of these will be online but that can be navigated.
There's a lot of deeper reasons behind why we need to be responsible, why we need to take a stand... a lot of them depend on what your beliefs about God and the value of humanity is, both things I will touch on in the third and final part of this blog on clothing... But until then, ask yourself, what are some practical changes you could make that would, in some small part, join the war against greed and selfishness? What could you do that would be a small act of solidarity with millions of oppressed and desperate garment workers?
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