Ethical, Fair Trade, Recycled & Upcycled Fashion
Our recent Ethical fashion Show has inspired us in many ways, not least by how it has supported us in our own knowledge and understanding of what we mean by Ethical, Fairly traded, Organic, upcycled & recycled Fashion and how we value these as being equally important. We thought we would share some of our thoughts and ideas with you.
Ethical Fashion is really an umbrella term for how we award & recognise businesses that seek to avoid harm & bring sustainable benefits to both people & planet. Many of the collections that we showcase are designed by businesses that are seeking to acknowledge that they are creating their ranges with a conscience. Many use organic, recycled or fairly traded business models, valuing the skills of true artisans, supporting community development within marginalised groups, providing education, training and a living way with environmentally friendly methods of production. It is also important to point out that not all the brands in our range achieve all these objectives but are seeking to grow to work towards these principles. Each holds at least one of the following credentials but maybe not all.
Organic production methods are based on pesticide, fertilizer & GM free chemicals and seeks to have the lowest & most positive effect on soil fertility that is sustainable for future generations. Organic farming is also healthier for farmers who do not have to work with hazardous chemicals that can often be fatal to health.
Fairtrade & Fairly Traded fashion is a central part of ethical fashion and is all about clothing that has been produced by workers in the developing world who are paid a living wage, a wage that is not determined by market fluctuations, who are working in pleasant conditions, who have a right to join a trade union, receive a pension, health benefits and education for their children. The Social premium is also paid to producers so that they can decide how to develop their communities. Some groups have managed to achieve formal Fairtrade certification, but EcoChic also recognises for some this is financially prohibitive and supports these groups within the category of Fairly Traded.
Recycled/Upcycled Fashion is concerned with utilising much of tonnes of discarded fabrics that end up in landfill polluting our environment. Reusing reduces this burden on our planet, by using less energy. Upcycling is all about creating an improved garment or product from recycled materials an ingenuous way of improving what we already have.
Valuing the skills of true atrisans: many mass produced items lack the true skills that artisans hold across the world. Often today, these skills are being replaced by large factories, communities are breaking up, families are splitting up and are forced to find work in overcrowded cities all in the name of development and progress. EcoChic has conscientiously decided to work with marginalised groups across the world to support and nourish the skills of true artisans. A growing handicraft revival is supporting the growth of the co-operative movement, community growth & development and the progression of traditional skills in a modern world that are sustainable for future generations.
So we hope we have begun to unravell the term Ethical Fashion and inspired you with some fresh ideas.
Your thoughts would be most welcome to us…
