As ethical fashion becomes more prominent it's important to stay up to date, but also learn how you can change your own buying habits. It's been a while since we've given you some fresh new resources to help educate you on the importance of ethical fashion, so we put together a list of 7 credible ethical fashion books that you have to read before the year is over. Some of these books have been out for a while, but they're still well worth the read!
Fair wage assurance is one of the major pieces missing in garment factories and it's no secret that not all brands have that on their checklist when sourcing or they don't know how to ensure it's met. The Bangladesh Embassy held an event by Faruque Hassan who is the president of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association, to discuss the importance of giving workers better jobs and safer work environments. Here's what we know about the event:
The renewal for the Bangladesh Accord has gone global and there's a reason for that happening. When Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013, the fashion industry was shaken and not only industry professionals saw the need for change, but so did consumers. The Bangladesh trade unions and Global Union Federations, along with labour rights groups, made it their mission to keep workers safe because factory safety is a right.
We love seeing brands (all brands) grow in their sustainability journey. One brand we've been impressed with over the last five years is Madewell. From using WFTO certified factories to a brilliant denim take back program, they've been getting their customers excited about sustainable fashion. Now Madewell has partnered with ThredUP to enhance their customers second-hand shopping experience with their new platform "Madewell Forever". Their mission is to lower the amount of denim waste by opening a new window in the world of second-hand shopping and here's how.
In March of 2020, 66 factory fires were reported throughout the global fashion supply chain, meaning more than two fires per day were reported across the globe; India having 20 fires that month alone (Source: GoBlue). All around the world garment factories and workers have fallen victim to factory fires. These fires are typically started by old machinery and chemicals used during production. Although every case is different the trauma and lives lost are equally as upsetting. Even today these garment factory fires are still happening. Here's what we can learn from the garment factory fires that occurred in the last year.
Made in Asia still holds a long established stigma of sweatshops and child labor from exposés in the 80s and 90s. The simplified solution presented over the years has been Made in America, Made in UK, or Made in Italy is the only safe way to produce ethically made clothing. But are factory standards as simple as an address? The answer is NO. With sweatshop factory conditions and illegal pay violations found continually in America and throughout Europe, we need to start recognizing that garment factory standards go deeper than location.
Deadstock fabric became a popular sustainable fashion resource a few years back as Reformation grew in popularity and educated the masses on the opportunity of using leftover fabric for sourcing. In fact, your desk is probably situation right against bins of old rolls of fabric, cute if it weren't for all the fluorescent lighting. Deadstock fabric often comes from large fabric minimum orders from mills and not as much product made that season. The good news is, since it wasn't made into clothing it is primed for new life now. However, many brands struggle to find ways to use it since it's often deadstock fabric is too small a quantity to turn into a new product you can sell many units of, hence why it's leftover. Here are some creative ways fashion brands can use deadstock fabric no matter how small the yardage.
You may have seen signs of support for the cotton farmers protesting in India in the last several months but not gained access to much more information. Today we dive into the world of cotton farming in India and the hardships that come along with it. It is clear some changes need to be made to protect and improve the lives of farmers, but what those changes are have yet to be discovered.
On January 13th the US banned cotton products that were produced in Xinjiang China.Several Major European Brands have spoken out about the cotton grown in Xinjiang and the abuse that is involved. A major group that is involved in this abuse is the Muslim Uighur minority group that is being forced into labor. China is accused of a violated serious human rights violation against the Muslim Uighur people.
Image source: NY Times One of the 8 standards that constitutes an ethical factory is the right to unionize, meaning, workers can join a union without repercussions in their job. Another key standard is no discrimination which includes political affiliation or sentiment among other things. Which brings us to the recent protests that have been taking place in Myanmar and the news that broke of a garment factory locking workers inside to prevent protest. Here's what happened and how we should respond.
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