Ethical Fashion – 55 Fabulous Finds!

Ethical Fashion – 55 Fabulous Finds!

Are you concerned about the impact your fashion choices have on the well-being of other people and the planet? Ethical fashion is a growing movement to address the high cost of “fast fashion” to the environment and those in the supply chain of each garment. While it is still challenging to find ethical fashion on the high streets and in shopping malls, many companies are making it available online. Here are FIFTY-FIVE of the ones I’ve discovered! I’ve chosen each company because they have at least one characteristic of an ethical fashion company: sweatshop-free, fair wages, sustainably-produced textiles, reduced waste, and animal welfare. Comment to let me know what your favourites are, or if I’ve missed a great ethical fashion company.

Please note: Information below is gleaned from company websites. I have not vetted the claims these companies make or their business practices, although I have purchased from some of them. While many of these shops also sell giftware, I have focused on clothing, accessories, footwear, and handbags. And since I’m Canadian, Canadian shops are identified with a maple leaf. For more information on ethical fashion, see my blog post, “An Ethical Resolution?”

 

maple leafAdhesif Clothing  makes one-of-a-kind pieces from new and recycled vintage fabrics in Vancouver, Canada. For: Women’s Apparel

Annie Greenabelle is a UK-based clothing company that offers pieces made from organic cotton, as well as items made in the UK. All factories used to produce their line comply with the Ethical Trading Initiative base code. For: Women’s Apparel, Accessories

Bibico uses 100% natural materials to make its garments and has an organic cotton collection. Clothing is produced by women’s cooperatives that are fair trade certified by the World Fair Trade Organization. For: Women’s Apparel (including denim), Accessories Continue reading “Ethical Fashion – 55 Fabulous Finds!”

Walmart Canada ignores the high cost of fast fashion

Walmart Canada ignores the high cost of fast fashion

A troubling advertisement showed up on my Twitter feed this morning. It’s back-to-school time, and retailers are targeting parents (and children) with ads telling them what they must have to be prepared for a new school year. Walmart Canada’s ad promoted the social ill of overconsumption, which feeds the “fast fashion” trend. Like fast food, fast fashion is attractive to people who want to purchase a large quantity of a product for as little money as possible. But just as the fast food craze overlooks the consequences of overconsumption to health, the fast fashion trend overlooks the consequences to those in the fashion supply chain.

Walmart Canada thinks Canadian children need a lot of clothing – “tees for every mood.” Walmart’s child model had 10 moods (and 10 different t-shirts) in the 15-second commercial that confronted me on Twitter.

Screen capture from Walmart Canada's Twitter advertisement, 2 September 2015.
Screen capture from Walmart Canada’s Twitter advertisement, 2 September 2015.

And guess what? Having an overabundance of clothing is no longer possible for only the wealthiest in our society. Walmart Canada makes it easy for almost everyone to have more clothing than they need by sourcing outrageously cheap garments and passing on the savings to us: t-shirts, $4 each! Continue reading “Walmart Canada ignores the high cost of fast fashion”