A personal insight into the struggle between being a conscious consumer (AKA buying only what we truly need), supporting ethical fashion brands and curating our own personal sense of style.
As a woman in her early twenties who is on an ever-changing path of self-improvement, ethics vs personal style goals is a really big issue. Since breaking from my awkward emo phase almost a decade ago, I have slowly but surely developed my personal style. Or at least, I think I have. The truth is, when most of your clothing comprises of hand-me-downs, you find yourself inheriting the style of the donors. In my case, it would be from my mother and cousin, and a few family friends. Luckily for me, they all have good taste, but getting the styles to work together flawlessly can be a struggle, and not all of them are quite me. While I have never been a shopaholic, before discovering the truth about fast fashion I would default to the cheapest, most accessible option, like dime a dozen department and chain stores.
„The idea that everything is purposeful really changes the way you live. To think that everything that you do has a ripple effect, that every word that you speak, every action that you make affects other people and the planet”
Victoria Moran
Asking questions is the first way to begin change.
Kubra Sait
The beauty of Fashion Revolution Week is that we all wear clothes, and we can all participate in the campaign. All we have to do is ask our favourite brands key questions that ensure the lives of garment workers are protected. So what are those questions? and why are they important?
Who Made My Clothes?
This is the first question we ask on Fashion Revolution Week. Before Rana Plaza brought the world’s attention to the plight of garment workers, many of us didn’t think about how or where our clothes were made. Asking Who Made My Clothes? is the first step, and it works on two levels. One, we as wearers of fashion make the connection between what we’re wearing and the people who stitch the clothes together. Secondly, we literally demand brands reveal the source of their products. No longer do we accept opaque supply chains, where clothing is sourced according to the lowest cost and fastest turnaround with no knowledge, or even regard for how these things are achieved. If we want an ethical fashion industry, transparency is key. We want to know who made our clothes, in what countries, even down to which factories. Once we know who made our clothes, we can ask the next four important questions.
Are They Safe?
A key change to come out of the Rana Plaza disaster is the Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord. This agreement saw dozens high street fashion brands sign up to a regime of improved standards, inspections and training. The groundbreaking thing about the Accord is that it is legally binding, meaning brands that fail to improve standards risk being fined.