In Love Environment, Love Fashion
Why Brands Shifting to “Sustainability” Isn’t Enough
September 14, 2020
View PostIn Love Environment, Love Fashion
Posted on September 14, 2020
This is Part 1 of a 4-Part Series, looking at the underlying structure of the fashion industry, its unavoidable externalities, and the role of countries, NGOs, activists, and consumers.
PART 1
In 2019 the UK House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee introduced a White Paper titled “Fixing Fashion: Clothing Consumption and Sustainability” in response to the undeniable environmental impact of the fashion industry and the extreme lapse in accountability granted it for so long. While countries and large brands have historically bickered over who is responsible for ensuring labour reforms, civil society – such as unions and labour rights activists – have been largely responsible …
As like most meetings these days, Connie Howes and I met on Zoom to discuss her three-year old clothing label Poème and all things related: running a small business whilst being a mother, sticking to one’s ethical commitments, and surviving it all in the wake of COVID.
All of Poème’s clothing is designed locally in Victoria by Howes, then relayed to a small family-run factory in Bali that employs around 60-70 artisans that take part in making her garments. They receive above Indonesian standard wages, work benefits, and are limited to regular 8-hour working days in a clearly cheerful workspace. Should you follow Fashion Revolution’s …
Posted on June 20, 2020
This is a post in response to friends who wanted to read an essay I had written for my “Global Problems in Interdisciplinary Perspective” class which my professor had submitted to the International Studies department. It’s a long read, but there are gaping holes in our current state and international apparatus that will seriously hinder how the world deals with the huge influx of expected flows of environmental refugees. The current approach is denial and delay, and without a strong recomittment to protecting the rights of displaced people, many will be left without help and protections that they are owed under international commitments.
In 1985, …
Okoko Cosmetiques:
About a week ago, I finally got a chance to interview Natalia Lavaggi, one of the smiling faces (with impeccably glowing skin!) at Okoko Cosmetiques. I had met Natalia briefly at Okoko’s open-house late 2018 after already falling in love with their Instagram account’s creamy textures and the vibrant orange of their Sublime balm. The scents and other-worldly luxury of their products was impressive, but I was mostly taken with Natalia’s passion when speaking about the social responsibility of luxury and how Okoko, from the beginning, wanted to empower those it came into contact with.
Over the phone, Natalia unpacked some of …
I had the chance to sit down with Jessica from Jessica Redditt Designs and chat over soy tea mistos about her journey into genuinely eco fashion. For starters, Jessica’s designs are classically elegant – think flowy robes and effortless palazzo pants – the key step in slowing down the dizzying pace of 20 second fashion trends: make clothes that stand the test of time. Second, Jessica uses natural and reclaimed fibres, like cotton, wool, and silk, which she then (third!) hand-dyes with natural dyes, some being from her own garden. Finally, her garments are locally sewn in Vancouver, eliminating the carbon footprint attached to the …