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Completely inspired by the Fashion Revolution 2014. We asked our designers to be completely transparant and answer the question "Who made your clothes". Interview with Carry Somers and Bianca Alexander. greenthisseason.com the best online concept store for stylish conscious, green, fashion designers.
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Green This Season Magazine SPRING 2014; year2, Issue No. 1
Cover: Anne GorkeSpring Summer 2014 collectionimage: courtesy of Anne gorkegetty images
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EDITOR’S letter
This years first edition is all about the Fashion Revolution 2014, how could it not be. For the last years we, at greenthisseason, have been changing our own attitude towards fashion. We make conscious choices when it comes to buying fashion, we buy less, we buy better, and we support our designers. Long before this revolution we knew, like so many with us, that the way we abuse fashion couldn’t go on much longer.
Carry Somers took to action; she is asking the entire world to take note of what is happening and demands a change. She started the Fashion Revolution. Our own Jo-Ann had an interview with her, you can read it here.
Like they say at the Revolution’s HQ; “Fashion is a force to be reckoned with. It celebrates, provokes, and entertains. And, from April 24th 2014, it’s going to do even more. Because we’re turning fashion into a force for good.”
“ON 24th APRIL LAST YEAR, 1133 PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND
OVER 2500 WERE INJURED WHEN THE RANA PLAZA FACTORY
COMPLEX COLLAPSED IN DHAKA, BANGLADESH. SOCIAL AND
ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHES IN OUR FASHION SUPPLY CHAINS
CONTINUE. THE FASHION REVOLUTION DAY SAYS ENOUGH
IS ENOUGH.”
Inspired by this global event, we used this opportunity to ask our own designers “Who made your clothes”? We already knew that they are all very conscious and very much involved with every aspect of their production, but even we were surprised at how much effort they really go through, to stay honest, transparent and fair on every single level of their production. You can read their stories in this issue.
Why not ask your favourite designer or brand “Who made your clothes”? It shouldn’t be a hard question to answer.
Show your support on April 24th label. Share your picture on our Facebook or twitter page and tag yourself with #insideout
We also ask you to support our platform, support our designers and support the movement. Believe it or not, you are the only one that can demand a change with your actions.
YOU HAVE MORE POWER THAN
YOU THINK.
You are the change the fashion world is waiting for.
Donna
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espen picand title
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You Won’t Fool the Children of the Revolution
When discussing the issues regarding Fair Trade and ethical fashion, it is impossible not to come across the name Carry Somers. A pioneer in the Fair Trade fashion industry, Somers founded Pachacuti, the only Fair Trade producer of genuine Panama hats, in 1992 after witnessing the exploitation experienced by hand-knitters during a trip to Ecuador. Committing herself to improving the lives of the local artisans through enabling the weavers to retain as much of the value of the finished hat as possible, Pachacuti has now become the world-wide standard for ethical, FairTrade production, becoming the first company in the world to be certified under the World Trade Organisation Sustainable Fair Trade Management System.
The name Pachacuti translates as ‘to turn the world upside down’; and Somers’ truly Carry Somers’ hard work and determination to improve traceability within the fashion industry has now led to the creation of Fashion Revolution Day, launching this year on April 24th on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster a short year ago. By participating we are all encouraged to ask ‘Who Made Your Clothes?’, and demand that the fashion industry becomes more transparent in the entire manufacturing process of how clothes are made.
Having keenly followed the progress of the inspirational tour de force that is Fashion Revolution Day, I welcomed the opportunity to meet up with Carry Somers over a coffee in her homecounty of Derbyshire, to find out more.
By Jo-Ann Worthington
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Fahion and ethics; two words that at one time seemed barely to fit together. Do you feel that Fair Trade Fashion is finally shedding its ‘boring’ image?
I think that fashion and ethics traditionally have gone together, it ’s probably only in recent years that fashion and ethics have diverged. In terms of fair-trade fashion shedding the image that it’s had personally I feel that ethical fashion has been able to stand alongside mainstream fashion for a very long time and it really frustrates me when I still see articles, which say ‘Finally, Ethical Fashion You Can Wear’, because there’s been ethical fashion that you can wear for a long time, but unfortunately it doesn’t get the publicity that it deserves. There is a lot of amazing fair-trade fashion out there that sits completely amongst mainstream fashion. In terms of Pachacuti, we sell our hats in some of the foremost luxury stores around the world, and a lot of the stores we sell in to don’t particularly label it as an ethical product. This proves that it can sit amongst its mainstream equivalent.
Do you see mass-produced, ‘fast fashion’ as a stumbling block for change?
We can’t carry on consuming at the rate in which we are; something has to change. The implications of cheap, fast fashion - both the human cost and the environmental cost - have to be recognized. Consumption is all about meeting our needs, and it’s about meeting our human needs, of which one of the strongest of those is the need to belong and be a part of society. So we have to look for ways to meet those needs differently- as well as buying ethical clothing we can satisfy those needs through getting involved in the design process, buying items of clothing which we can customize or by finding designers who will then link you up with the producers.
Through buying fair-trade, ethically and locally, you’re getting those humanconnections throughout the supply chain, meaning we feel that we’ve been a part of the design process and so are likely to cherish those clothes and look after them for longer.
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And I think we also need to educate consumers about cost-per-wear; because actually if you buy a cheap piece of clothing which is likely to fall apart or be out of fashion within six months, it can actually be cheaper to buy a timeless, quality piece of clothing which might cost you twenty or thirty times more, but you will be wearing it for years. It’s really about changing consumers’ purchasing habits and the thought process that goes into consumption- or rather, the lack of thought process that goes into it.
Have you seen any positive changes in the way in which brands operate on an ethical level?
A lot of brands have good people in place, some good policies and most - butcertainly not all - brands and retailers are starting the process of change. It is slow; there are a lot of brands that are completely burying their heads in the sand. What we need to do is show that transparency is good for business. Initially when we thought of the idea for the theme of the first Fashion Revolution Day being ‘Who Made Your Clothes?’ we thought that it was a really simple question. I naively assumed that brands knew who made their clothes, but a recent survey done by the Australian Fashion Board found that sixty one percent of brands didn’t know where their clothing was made and a massive ninety three percent of brands didn’t
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know where the raw materials were from. So actually, the question ‘Who MadeYour Clothes?’ is a lot more difficult for brands to answer than we thought.
I see transparency as a prerequisite to improving standards. We’ve really got to get the brands to tell us who made their clothes, so that they can start to rebuild these broken connections throughout the supply chain.
Fashion Revolution Day is fast approaching, how has the response to this campaign been so far?
We certainly haven’t seen a big response from the brands and retailers in terms of consumers asking ‘Who Made Your Clothes?’ A lot of people have been asking the question, a few brands have replied and they’ve generally told us where the clothes were made but not who made them. A lot of brands haven’t replied at all. We need more people, to ask more questions so that everybody around the world is starting to demand to know ‘who made my clothes?’ We hope that by consumers taking that small step, brands will realize that they have to take a bigger step towards transparency. In terms of the response from the public, from organizations, from the government and from brands and retailers that want to be involved, we have had a phenomenal response. We have fifty-three countries involved
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now, so it truly is a global movement. We’ve got the support of most of the international NGO’s, from Oxfam and Greenpeace to the Fairtrade Foundation, and have an amazing variety of events happening in the UK and globally as well.
Fashion Revolution day is set to be a yearly event. What can we hope to see in the upcoming years for this campaign?
It is certainly ongoing and what we hope to do is to get a consensus from everyone in the supply chain about what changes need to happen and what we need to focus on. We don’t want this to be a ‘top-down’ approach; so we want to ask the cotton farmers, the dyers, the weavers and the seamstresses, what do you feel is the most pressing issue for next year? What would you like to see us address?’ Obviously we need a theme, which is inclusive, but we want something we can reach by consensus as well. I think that the important thing for Fashion Revolution Day is that it is a platform, with a lot of different organizations involved, which will all have differing issues they’d like to emphasis. ‘Who Made Your Clothes’ embraces, I feel, almost every priority which all of the different organizations and individuals have.
This year we’ve had a few hundred brands already who want to join in and participate, and I think it may be next year when most of the high street brands jump in- a lot have expressed interest, but it may be that it needs one or two to jump before the rest do. We’ll see.
Carry Somers
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anne gorke
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The products are made in India. My production partners’ factories are socially responsible and verified by Fair Wear Foundation. This means:
- No use of child labour- No use of forced labour- Safe and healthy working conditions- Legal labour contracts- Payment of living wage- Freedom of association and the right - to collective bargaining- No discrimination against employees- No excessive hours of work
“Who made your clothes Ultra Tee?”
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“Who made your Clothes Ultra Tee?”
All the manufacturing facilities have been audited for social compliance and are running active monitoring programmes in accordance with standards advocated by the International Labour Organisation the Ethical Trading Initiative and other international bodies. For me that is the main reason why I have chosen this manufacture partner because he cares about the employees and assures a good conditions of work, which is important for me.
Some of the garments I produce are 100% recycled and some contain 60% recycled organically grown cotton, certified under the Organic Content Standard by the Control Union Certifications, licence CU 828402 and
40% post-consumer recycled polyester, certified under the Global Recycle Standard by the Control Union Certifications, licence CU 828402.
For the beautiful printing I am working with a small printing atelier in Touquet-Plage (North of France). There are only two employees and they work with a small capacities. They support young designers like me and care about our environment. They use high-quality equipment; use water-based inks with no chemical products in it. Inks are tested for harmful substances according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and certified by powerful organization Confidence In Textiles. I’m proud to say that all my products are printed there.
We asked Angie Sam, owner and designer of the fabulous urban Ultra Tee collection.
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Conscious Living Bianca Alexander
Just in case you haven’t heard of Bianca before, let us do a proper introduction on the woman behind Conscious Living TV.
Conscious Living TV was founded in 2006 to raise the consciousness of theplanet through media. From eco-fashion and organic vegetarian cuisine to luxury green travel, spirituality and natural health – our goal is to highlight the best in sustainable living, and feature the people, places and pioneers who are changing the world for the better.”
Bianca Alexander, Esq. is an EMMY© award winning TV journalist and ethical fashion advocate. In 2007, Bianca launched Conscious Living TV, a digital media platform she hosts covering the people, places and pioneers on the front lines of sustainability and evolution. A graduate of Princeton and U.Va Law school, after a successful career as a Hollywood entertainment attorney and later as on-camera talent for hit shows on Lifetime, TV Guide, and TV One, in 2006 Bianca combined her passion for media and justice to create Conscious Living TV along with her husband and business partner Michael. In 2011, she won an EMMY© for her role as “Outstanding On-Camera
Bianca Alexander, USA Director of Communications for Fashion Revolution Day. As frequent visitors of Conscious Living TV and fascinated by Bianca Alexander’s work and achievements, we were delighted that she made some time for greenthisseason.com to answer some of our questions.
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Correspondent” on Conscious Living TV’s first original series, Soul of Green, a news program about urban sustainability that aired on Fox/WFLD Chicago as part of Next TV. Bianca has curated and produced several of the top eco-fashion shows in the U.S., including Vert Couture and T.H.R.E.A.D.S., and has covered the ethical fashion movement from the runways of Paris to New York and L.A. Bianca’s latest series, Threads, highlights sustainable design innovation across the globe. Bianca is a frequent presenter on sustainable fashion around the world including at the World Congress on Organic Cotton in Interlaken, the Textile Exchange, and Green Festivals across the U.S.
Bianca is excited to serve her lifelong passion for fashion as the USA Director of Communications for Fashion Rev-olution Day, a global campaign in 50+ countries commemorating the 1133 lives lost and 2500 injured in last year’s Rana Plaza garment factory collapse, which took place on April 24, 2013. Most of the people affected were young women of color who make only a few dollars a day working long, inhumane hours in unsafe factory conditions. By engaging consumers, designers, manufacturers and thought leaders across the world to answer the question “Who Made Your Clothes?”, Fashion Revolution aims to bring transparency and justice to the global fashion supply chain for garment workers worldwide. Join the movement! Post a photo of yourself wearing your clothes #insideout on April 24th and you could win *$1,000 in ethical designer clothing!
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Bianca is a certified yoga instructor and energy healer
(2nd degree Reiki master). As a raw/vegan eco-fashionista
and world traveler, she is committed to being on the life-long journey towards
Conscious Living, one day at a time.
At greenthisseason.com we were delighted that Bianca managed to schedule some time for us and answer some of our conscious living questions.
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You live very consciously, how easy do you find that, in day-to-day life, how easy do you find it to shop for apparel, shoes, and food?
I actually find it easy. Like anything in life, be it a romantic relationship, job offer, or deciding to go vegan, the hardest thing to do is make a commitment to take 100% responsibility for your life. This requires being willing to be honest with yourself, to let go of the people, places and habits that no longer serve you, to take a step towards living in greater integrity with your higher values. This includes doing what is good--life giving--for your mind, body, spirit and the planet in the long-term. Once you do, the Universe takes ten steps forward on your behalf, and many of the lifestyle choices you previously thought were impossible become quite possible.
The good news is, today, consumer demand for the conscious lifestyle has grown exponentially, making sustainable products so much easier to find than they were 10+ years ago when I first started on the path. There are literally thousands of great products and stores on the market now that offer everything you need to live a healthy, spiritually grounded, eco-chic life. Today, there are yoga studios and juice bars on almost every city block, hundreds of great designers and media
platforms around the world dedicated to the best in eco-fashion, and dozens of tasty vegan restaurants in every major city.
For people who don’t live in major cities, everything you need is just an app or an internet click away. You just have to be willing to take responsibility to honestlyask yourself powerful questions about what you’re buying, where/how it was made, and its overall impact for better or for worse.
What is the hardest part about living consciously?
Being willing to take fearless and honest moral inventories about the movie of my life where I am 100% accountable for everything--whether positive or negative--that happens. It takes no effort to be an angel when everyone agrees with you or is loving, kind and supportive. But when confronted by people who don’t share my values, whether it’s being cut off on the highway or dealing with a crabby co-worker, choosing to take the high road can often feel like lifting heavy weights. Over time, I’ve found that these interpersonal challenges help me develop stronger muscles in places where I am spiritually or morally weaker. Eventually, strengthening these muscles has helped me accomplish great things on my life journey.
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Living consciously is not about being perfect, but about being humble enough to listen to the soft, whispering guidance of the Universe, to stay present and “awake” to the present moment make little adjustments to smooth out the rough patches in order to stay in integrity. This is how I eventually went from an anxious size 14 alcohol and cigarette smoking meat-eater to a size 4 vegan, yogi and meditator. It’s 24-7, which can be challenging, but the adjustments on a day to day, moment to moment basis are minor--much less dramatic than checking out for days on end and then having to take extreme measures to get back into harmony with oneself. It requires constant vigilance, but the more balanced I am, the more I meditate, the more I practice yoga, the more I surround myself with positive people who I vibe with, the easier it is to stay in balance.
Conscious Living TV is an incredible resource for numerous topics. What is your favourite topic to cover and why?
I love covering the latest innovations in ethical fashion as an on-camera correspondent. Since I was a little girl, fashion has always been one of the ways that I express my creativity; it’s a great way to wear my passions on my sleeve and each I dress for a different mood. In my view, the most interesting designers to cover are eco-friendly--from
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cutting-edge textiles and artisanal designs to state of the art manufacturing techniques--they are by far the most innovative and it’s both fascinating and inspiring to witness their creative work. I also love shooting food--my husband and business partner, Michael, is the starof one of our newest series, Vegan Man, which I direct. I just love getting great close-up shots of tasty morsels, and the rich range of emotions people express when their palates are satisfied with healthy, well-seasoned cuisine.
What is the one topic you haven’t covered yet, that’s still on your list of things to do?America’s prison industrial complex.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d want to give people that want to switch to a more conscious lifestyle?
Start meditating. Just 5 minutes in the morning or evening can make a huge difference on the rest of your day. Eventually, this awareness will expand and effortlessly permeate every part of your lifestyle. If meditating feels too challenging, commit to making one small change you can commit to every day for the long-term--whether it’s eating less meat, gossiping less, or wearing ethical fashion; small changes each day have a greater impact that major life overhauls.
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The secret story your clothes are telling you , WILL YOU LISTEN?
But what’s the story being told by the clothes you’re wearing?If you feel it’s hard to discover it, you’re not alone. The only piece of evidence that tells yousomething about this mysterious
story is tiny and hidden deep inside: it’s the (almost invisible) tag. And here we find out two things: what material your clothes are made out of and where they’ve been made. Useless trivia? Absolutely not.
As I blog about all things organic, green and eco on Oreeko.com, I often find this argument to be true about food. It is increasingly common to find labels that tell us a product is Organic (free from pesticides and chemicals), Sustainable (cultivated with respect to the environment) and Fair Trade (workers treated with fair wages and working conditions). This awareness impacts the buying choices we make and voila’ - what you’re holding in your hands is not “just” a cup of hot tea but a secret tale of the Planet and its unique People.
Everything around us tells a story - about the past, the present and the future; about people and things. Being conscious of this can impact the choices we make on just about anything.
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Knowing about the material is more useful than just learning how to properly wash the garments. It can tell you stories of:
Quality (were any organic material used or just synthetics?) Health (If not organic, were materials obtained through industrial cultivation? If so, were chemicals and toxins used? Can these impact your health?) Sustainability (How has production impacted the Earth in terms of water waste, CO2 emissions in the supply chain etc?)
Lots of interesting questions right? And I can guarantee each question has some pretty interesting answers too (though beyond the scope of this article, but answered on Oreeko.com).
Now let’s look at the “Made In” part of the tag. This piece of info is crucially important because it reminds us that our garments were made somewhere and by someone. And that changes everything because we are forced to think about the persons(s) behind the garments. We’retaught to think that our clothes magically appear on a rack in a boutique or mega mall. But let’s face it: if there’s a pair of hands involved, we must try to think of the working conditions endured by the person(s) who created our clothes.
One year after this event, Fashion Revolution Day (FRD) wishes to remember these victims and to take the opportunity to shed light on where and how clothes are made.
You see, I believe that maybe there is a reason why tags are so small and tucked away: no manufacturer really wants you to think about the story your clothes are trying to tell you because - despite the glitz and glamour of the fashion world - there’s a dark secret hidden within the fibers of your garments.
Consider this: One year ago on April 24, 2013 a huge structure housing many garment factories collapsed in Bangladesh.
1,133 people were killed. This wasn’t an underground sweatshop - it was all “official” businesses working for huge brands out there.
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But now that you’re aware of this, you can go the opposite route and take the opportunity to make others knowledgeable too. One way is to take part in FRD. The organizers suggest we wear our clothes inside out on April 24 to clearly show the tag, forcing ourselves and others to think: “Where do my clothes come from?”. Why not meet your friends for coffee and turn their puzzled stares at your reversed clothes into a great opportunity to make them hear the story of their own clothes?
FRD is a wonderful way for people to be aware of the injustice that many workers are put through. But how do we extend this concept into everyday living? How does this lesson impact your future fashion choices?
Here’s just a couple of simple ideas:
Stop constantly buying new, cheap clothes. Invest in a couple of versatile pieces of high-quality garments that can
We wear our clothes inside out on April 24 to clearly show the tag, forcing ourselves and others to think: “Where do my clothes come from?”
YOU CAN CARRY ON THE REVOLUTION BY THE CHOICES YOU MAKE.
DROP THE CHEAP
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last longer than a season. What makes a piece versatile? Think timeless, simple, well-constructed, no crazy prints. (Ten years ago I bought some good quality clothes that I still wear now).
Remember that as the ultimate consumer in a long chain of events, the power of choice is ultimately up to you. What you buy will impact how your fellow humans are treated.
So here it is: our clothes are begging to tell us a unique story. It’s about what they’re made of, the people who crafted them and in what conditions they’re forced to work in. It ‘s about the presentand the future of our fellow humans and of our one and only Planet. The question is: will you listen to the story?
Try shopping in a vintage / consignment store. You’ll be amazed by the things you can find and you’re almost guaranteed to rule the party with tales of your garments’ past life!
Find garments made with organic and eco-friendly materials! This category is growing quickly and dressing ‘green’ has never been more glamorous and beautiful! Forget the days when eco-clothing meant looking like a walking burlap sack! Designers are doing awesome contemporary fashion with a green soul.
By the way, on oreeko.com I showcase every month an “Eco Look” highlighting different styles and the latest trends - all green, eco-friendly or sustainable. You’ll be amazed at the amazing quality and
variety you’ll find!
CLOTHES WITH A SOUL
GO VINTAGE
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“Who made
your Clothes
Ecoology?”Answers from Eva Garcia owner /designer of Ecoology from Spain
All designers we represent on GREENTHISSEASON.COM are“green” designers. In this case green means that they are conscious about the collections the produce; respecting nature, people and the environment during every step of the manufacturing process. We selected some designers to get some more in-depth info about “Who made their Collection”.
So our first question to you as a designer is about what you are wearing now, “Who made your clothes?” What does it say on the label?
I’m wearing a dress from Ecoology made in Barcelona in a small workshop by Alicia one of my favorite girls, she is a wonderful professional, always comes up with great solutions and ideas and has everything on time. I’m so thankful.
How did you choose the manufacturer of your collection? What was most important for you during the selection process?
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That was really difficult, for a small and responsible brand like Ecoology I had to visit and try so many different manufactures, I worked with 5 or 6different ones before I found my actual one. Some were not transparent about the process and the way they manage the production. I want to control all the process because I want all the chain to be honest and ethical. That has been the hardest part of making abrand with an honest ethical structure.
Do you regularly visit your production facility?
I contact them every week and I try to visit them as many times as possible, I really love going to the workshop, it’s like the kitchen in a restaurant, all the creativity gets shaped there and it ’s an organized mess. It’s full of sewing machines, beautiful fabrics, and expert hands bringing technical sheets to live. I would love to have my own workshop soon; it’s one of my dreams.
What is more important to you, the material you select or the producer of your collection?
Actually both, the materials needs to be organic and of a good quality. The production needs to be ethical, the combination of these two is very important for our brand. It’s the core and
heart of our business; it gives meaning to who we are. Making organic clothes with no ethics has no meaning for Ecoology.
What are your ideas on mass-production of clothing?
I stopped buying mass market clothing a while ago, for many reasons as you can imagine. How can anyone feel good knowing that someone is suffering while you wear a €10,- shirt? We will all sleep better if the supply chain of all that we buy is transparent. We don’t need as many clothes; less clothes but better quality. Now I wear my own clothes and also buy garments made in Barcelona from small designers. Besides the ethical insight I think we have to make beautiful and stylish greenclothing that make you feel unique, even the mass market addicts. We need to seduce them and then convince them with our designs and beautiful stories behind every garment.
What is the one change you would like to see in the fashion industry?
The best change is the knowledge of the consumers, they have the power to decide what they want to buy and to whom they are giving their money. Theycan decide who made their clothes, so that’s the most important change I’d like to see.
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Hey Outsider
Fashion,“Who
made your Collection?”
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She visits the factories regularly and they have ensured the working hours and conditions are of a fair and high standard.
“We would never use a factory we wouldn’t want to spend time in!”There is no child or slave labour. We aim to encourage all factories to continue to improve their environmental standards as our business grows.
We are aiming to produce 50% of our styles in the UK by the end of 2013, we are passionate about working locallywhere possible.
By manufacturing in India we have the opportunity to work with a developing country with amazing skills as well as being able to offer our customers competitive prices without compromising on quality. We source our Organic cotton in India too so we minimise transportation and the resulting carbon emissions at this early stage.
We were inspired to work with Macedonia by USAID which has been supporting economic growth and democratic modernisation there. Again they have fantastic skills especially for more tailored styles. We mainly source our wools and silks from Italy so by keeping production of these styles within Europe we reduce transportation and carbon emissions.
There is still much more we want to do so we will continue to review, improve and work towards the most sustainable production model possible.
Noorin Khamisani uses 3 production facilities to bring her collections to life, one in the UK, one in
India and one in Macedonia.
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“Who made your Clothes Minga?”
We asked Anna Herzig owner and designer at Minga Berlin some Fashion Revolution questions.
So our first question to you as a designer is about what you are wearing now,“Who made your clothes?” What does it say on the label?
Just now I am wearing the Boob Warmer, a breast-feeding Sweater. Boob is a Swedish label for mums. The label says, it’s made in Portugal.
How did you choose the manufacturer of your collection? What was mostimportant for you during the selection process?
The GOTS certification, reliability and the price were the most important. We contacted different chambers of commerce in different countries, got in
contact with the producers and chose those fitting the above.
Do you regularly visit your production facility?
Yes, we visited the facility several times and do so every time a new collectionis produced. And we are not just in contact with the top management; we are also involved with and meet up with some employees.
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“Who made your Clothes Minga?”
What is more important to you, the material you select or the producer of your collection?
That’s hard to say, as both are really important. The material must fulfill specific standards, in our case organic Mako cotton from Egypt. If the producer is not good enough to make the best out of that high end cotton, we would fail. So I cannot really say, one of those is more important than other.
What are your ideas on mass-production of clothing?
I think the clothing production is very outdated if you compare it to other industries. Every year there is such amass of clothes being produced for nothing, because no one wants to have it, cause the size is wrong, the color not the one the people like etc.
Only very few producers care about the future, care about their workers, the environment, even the suppliers and customers. In other industries, even very profit oriented industries like e.g. the car industry, the people understand, that they need to care about that and that in the long term this will be more profitable. I don’t want to say that the car industry is a really good role model, but there are some ideas, that they got already, what I completely miss in the fashion industry.
What is the one change you would like to see in the fashion industry?
I would love to see some great mandatory standards, which everybody who wants to sell their products in Europe, must fulfill. This would be a start and surely it would be best to extend that to the entire world.
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“Who made your Clothes
Saprema of
Sweden?”
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I need to be a yogi and businesswoman at the same time!
So our first question to you as a designer is about what youare wearing now, “Who made your clothes?” What does it say on the label?
I’m designer and founder for Saprema of Sweden, and also a passionate yogi andyoga teacher. This means I live what I love, and most of the time, end up wearing my own yoga clothes all day. This is also how Saprema started - I missed beautiful and fun clothes for yoga and movement that may also be worn all day to a fancy pair of boots and a chic bag. So... I am actually wearing all my own design except my shoes that are old leather shoes made in South Africa by hand, I bought them when I lived there. The soles are made from old tires - a mix of what I admire: beauty, quality and a sustainable mindset.
I’m now wearing my black Devi pants, a misty grey Lakshmi top and a warm and cozy wool top. To accessorize, and for warmth, I chose a tube shawl; the label says - Made with love for movement, 100% organic cotton, made in Estonia.
How did you choose the manufacturer of your collection? What was mostimportant for you during the selection process?
Transparency, ecological certification, quality and good working conditions for the workers. We’ve always had a vision of producing in an organic & conscious way. That’s not always easy, when you do research about which materials are best for our environment. Is it organic cotton - that uses a lot of water for its production or is it fast growing bamboo or other wood based materials such as Modal/Tencel/Viscose or recycled materials? I’ve chosen a combination.
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The working conditions are, of course, also important and that is why we havechosen Estonia and Sweden for production. As Estonia is part of the European Union they have very strict regulations for employees and employers - they are all working in good conditions.
We are not perfect, but we do our best and we learn all the time.
In the beginning we started producing in Bali with local seamstresses during the time when I was living there. As the company grew we moved production closer to home, Estonia and Sweden. I wanted to be able to live in Sweden and work with production facilities closer to home. Our collections are designed in Sweden; patterns are made in close contact with patternmakers also here in Sweden.The bamboo and cotton items are made in Estonia. They make all steps of the production, weaving, dyeing, and sewing, limiting unnecessary transportation.All materials we work with are GOTS certified and ÖKO tex 100 certified. The cotton and cotton/elastin are GOTS certified, the origin of the cotton is from India. Bamboo qualities are Ökotex certified, originating from china. We have decided to work with Bamboo as the growing process and effect to the earth is less than that of cotton production in general. Regarding the bamboo fabric although we do not have documentation, our agent in Germany had confirmed verbally that they buy yarn only from those companies who
They also have weekly meditations together in the factory for anyone thatwants to join.
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maintain the ethical standards, which include correct working conditions and no child labor.
We have applied to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and our manufacturer of bamboo yarn qualifies as a producer of Eco Bamboo Yarn The working conditions for Estonia are under strict regulation of EU laws. They have certifications ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 for the workers.The wool garments are all made in Sweden, Alingsås, at a small-scale familybusiness. The wool comes from Austria and is ÖKOtex and Blue sign certified. The natural grey colored wool is GOTS certified. Also the sewing thread is GOTS certified. The production in Sweden does not have GOTS certification, but Swedish laws and regulations are very strict regarding labor and working conditions.
Do you regularly visit your production facility?
We went to the factory before we started working with them 1,5 years ago, an Indian family owns the factory. We started talking about yoga and ended up discussing yoga and meditation sitting cross-legged on the ground - a very different business meeting - and it made us laugh! It felt very meaningful and I was glad they had this transparency.
They also have weekly meditations together in the factory for anyone thatwants to join.
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They showed me all processes of weaving/dyeing and sowing etc. They have verystrict safety regulations and nobody comes in touch with any chemicals as the dyeing is processed in a big computer driven systems. This is a problem in some parts in the world where the toxins of the dyes are exposed to the skin of the workers. It was very interesting for us to see the full process.We also have close contact with the Swedish producer of wool garments in Alingsås, I call them often and talk about new materials and possibilities.
What is more important to you, the material you select or the producer of your collection?
In Saprema’s case it is a mix of both. We strongly believe in the importance of nontoxic clothing for movement, yoga, dance. As we move and sweat we want to be sure not to get any harmful dyeing agents in the body through the skin.The working conditions and place of the production is equally as important and that is why we have chosen Europe for production, so we can stay close and monitor the process.
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PASHM – Combining Tradition, Heritage, Craft & Culture
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PASHM – Combining Tradition, Heritage, Craft & Culture
”PASHM - In India, sheep rearing, spinning and weaving of wool
was a part of ‘Arya Life’. The weaving and bleaching of wool
is attributed to ’Pasham’ , God of shepherds. The wool is regarded ceremonially pure and still used
as a rug for prayer.”
During a holiday in the Garhwal Himalayas India two friends, Kanak Hirani and Sindhu Holla, fell in love with a handmade Angora shawl that they bought from Mahesh Chandra Bisht, trained to weave as part of a rural village development and employment scheme. That’s when it hit them – what weavers like Mahesh needed was a platform to connect them to the global fashion world, and Pashm was born.
Pashm’s guiding philosophy is to be socially beneficial and environmentally responsible: “Our driving force is to work with all that’s local - be it our people or our fibres. We help our weavers translate design into exclusively handmade products that are of exceptional quality. This is the way we empower these men and women, give them a chance to earn a fair and steady income and stay happy.
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While some of the weavers come from traditional weaving families and have been weaving for decades, there are others who have only recently been trained to weave and are in a sense first generation weaver.
It was a joy to hear from Kanak and Sindhu, they can actually name the individual people that made some of their collection. They regularly visit the communities they support, making sure that all is organized properly. For the Fashion Revolution we asked them a bit more about the people behind their products.
While some of the weavers come from traditional weaving families and have been weaving for decades, there are others who have only recently been trained to weave and are in a sense first generation weaver.
It was a joy to hear from Kanak and Sindhu, they can actually name the individual people that made some of their collection. They regularly visit thecommunities they support, making sure that all is organized properly. For the Fashion Revolution we asked them a bit more about the people behind theirproducts.
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“The average age of the weavers is between 20 to 40 years because the older ones are engaged in agricultural activities or have left in search of work in big cities. By giving a platform to these weavers we are trying to encourage them to hold on to this tradition and also give them pride in their heritage.
While we work with villagers from the Garhwal Himalayas (belonging to the Bhotia and Rajput communities) in the north, we are also discovering other weaving techniques that are found in south India (Andhra Pradesh), where there’s a weaving village 90 km from the city of Hyderabad. These weavers belong to the Padmashali community and have generations of weavers, with looms in their homes producing traditional tie and dye fabric (Ikat).
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NATURAL DYED FOREST OAK
SILK BLUE AND SAND
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