What am I doing here?!

When diving into this world, there are a lot of terms, most of which seem to have absolutely no consistency whatsoever.

When someone uses ethical fashion, another might mean sustainable fashion, while a different person wants to talk about conscious consumerism and eco-fashion… Some people might tell you to create a capsule wardrobe or to wear your clothes inside out, while others will tell you to research the toxicity of the dye and never to buy anything labeled fast fashion. After a while, it really can all start to just sound like BLAH BLAH BLAH i.e. things that are way too complicated to do, so I’m not going to try anyway KTHANKSBYE.

To be very clear, I’m not the first to talk about this. I might not have really anything earth shattering to say about it. But my hope (and promise) is to talk about it in a way that is simple, relatable, nonjudgemental, and actionable (and perhaps sometimes a bit funny).

So, let’s start with a little ground work about WHAT we are talking about without making it into an incredibly boring post so we can get to the good stuff (Shopping!!)

My interests are rooted in the idea of “ethical fashion.” Of course, ethics are something that are relatively personal and since this is only our second post/date, we can hold off on going there for a moment. But, in terms of the fashion world, ethical fashion pertains to any number of the following ideas:

  • Direct operation of social good programs from within the company
  • Artisan made and/or active preservation of artisan traditions
  • Transparency regarding production methods and sourcing
  • Production in a developing country and/or locally made
  • Limited impact on the environment and/or animals
  • Fair/ living wages for all employees 
  • Employment of women, minorities, and/or disadvantaged populations
  • Use of profits to make donations to social good organizations

In order how to examine what a brand is doing to do MORE, I’ll look across the following categories, each of which I see as important: 

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Post by post, we will dive into different brands to understand how they are uniquely producing ethical fashion. Some brands will do things across all categories, while others might focus their impact in a specific area. It’s up to each of us to decide what is most important when making our purchasing decisions. And of course what looks the best on us, fits our budget, and makes our hearts flutter.