When news of the Rana Plaza Factory collapse in Bangladesh broke in April 2013 we were all left speechless. Our privileged bubble of constant consumption at rock bottom prices had burst, and no longer could we turn a blind eye to the true cost of how our cheap clothes were made. The Rana Plaza factory collapse drove many fashion professionals to enter the now growing ethical fashion movement, and a lot of progress has been made as a result. What many are not aware of however, is that this has happened before, in NYC. Here’s how history can teach us what lies ahead for fashion in the wake of Rana Plaza, spoiler alert, it’s good news.
Navigating the world of ethical fashion can be overwhelming at first, but as you get acclimated you begin to recognize trademarks, standards, and terminology. However, there’s still plenty of misconceptions that arise from the general market not fully understanding what they are buying and the game of ethical telephone can get quite convoluted. Here’s a blurb from the World Fair Trade Organization website that brilliantly debunks the 7 most common fair trade myths.
By Jessica Kelly | Founder & Chief Everything Officer | THR3EFOLD
Well, it’s been an eventful weekend in America. I was personally so honored to be apart of such a historic event in our nation’s history. Attendance to the Women’s March (on Washington & beyond) is still being counted, but officials have concluded that even on the lowest estimate of 3.3 million attendees (the highest estimates reaching 4.6 million), it is the largest protest in US history and includes 550 cities and towns across the USA and 100 cities around the world. But how do you keep this momentum year round? Luckily, THR3EFOLD has a way to implant women’s rights deep within your brand DNA, to rally for women around the world all year long. Alden Wicker is a freelance journalist and Editor-in-Chief of EcoCult, a blog that covers all things sustainable, including fashion, beauty, home design, food, and travel. She is a regular contributor to Refinery29 and mindbodygreen, and has also been published in Newsweek, Racked, Narratively, Quartz, Rodale’s Organic Life, Greatist, Well + Good, and Conscious Magazine. She is a co-founder and mama bear for the Ethical Writers Coalition, a group of 75+ creatives focused on promoting the sustainable and ethical life through their work.
As Ethical Fashion Brokers, our job is to make it easier for you to get connected with ethical factories in the developing world who can make your collection up to your high quality standards, in your desired time frame, and at a price that beats the big US city competition and still pays their workers a living wage. Whew! One of the certifications we work with that is also the gold star in the ethical certification world is Social Accountability International (SAI) and their coveted SA8000 certification.
Most people aspire to work in fashion because it’s the fulcrum of art, influence, and dreams. Fashion has the ability to influence culture, challenge thinking, make statements, and allow individuals to escape, dream, and feel. But sometimes, after being in the industry for awhile, everything becomes the same. The same trends, the same political opinions, the same routine. So it’s refreshing to come across truly disruptive fashion brands seeking to fill a void for a people or cause that is being overlooked. Here are 2 disruptive fashion brands that are blowing our minds.
Let’s face it, it’s winter, it’s cold, and we aren’t motivated to do much of anything unless it resides within the four walls of our homes. So to help you to survive the winter blues we’ve compiled the ultimate Netflix & Chill guide (ok some are not on the ‘Flix) for ethical fashion. Learn some facts, get inspired, and most importantly stay warm.
New year, new you, same shopping addiction? After the holidays we typically feel over-shopped and completely sick of being sold by a million emails and advertisements. Ready to minimize your life? Here’s 10 great New Year’s resolutions for the conscious consumer.
One of the biggest issues ethical manufacturing faces in the fashion industry is there is no singular, universal certification or trademark that signifies an ethical product. The one certification that has come the closest to this is the World Fair Trade Organization, so let’s take a deeper look at what they audit and what that means for you and your fair trade fashion.
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