In Honor of World Fair Trade Day
As I'm sure you all know, this coming Saturday, May 10th, has been dubbed World Fair Trade Day. This year's theme is "Fair Trade People," celebrating both the artisans as well as people like you who have make Fair Trade purchases.
While it certainly seems that in the last few year random holidays are taking over the internet (National Siblings Day, anyone?) I really do believe in the power of celebration & choosing to focus on different aspects of life throughout the year beyond the traditional holiday festivities.
I gave a small talk about Ethical Fashion last week at Poolside, the collaborative Pop-Up shop I helped coordinate & thought this would be a great time to share the list of aspects of Ethical Fashion (including Fair Trade & Fair Trade practices) that I compiled.
- Organic fabric
- Recycled materials
- Zero or minimal chemical treatments in processing fabric
- Animal free or cruelty free
- Eco-friendly printing processes & materials
- Custom made / Small batches
- Locally made
- Fair Trade / Ethically made
- Fabric waste reduction
- Green marketing, promotional material, & packaging
- Well made, timeless styles with durable fabric
- Handmade with traditional artisanship
- Reducing materials used (water, energy, materials)
- Vintage, second hand, up-cycled
- Profits philanthropic causes
- Offers training or awareness-raising initiatives
This list made me really see the breadth of Ethical Fashion &, honestly, have a bit more compassion for companies who are working to become more ethical one category at a time. I really appreciated the conversation we had around each of these topics & would love to hear your examples of how you're incorporating these or other aspects of Ethical Fashion in your life & wardrobe in the comments below.
But first! I'm excited to share the following infographic from Boundless Fair Trade:
As I'm putting together this blog post, I'm wearing a classic black pencil skirt I purchased for my first job out of college (8 years isn't bad!), a vintage top my mother-in-law gave me, & a simple gold necklace my dad gave my mom for their first Christmas together.
This is what I love so much about Ethical Fashion - everything I'm wearing has a story. A story I know & one that I'm part of.
What do you think? What part of Ethical Fashion feels the most accessible to you?