Want do Fashion and Food have in common? Well more than you think!
With greater awareness of how your clothes are made – fashion, thankfully – seems to be going the same way as food – that is customers want to know about the supply chain.
10 years ago I made a pledge to buy Australian made clothing wherever possible (but not including Opp Shops!). I am so pleased the list of Australian made and Australian designed but ethically made list of designers and clothes brands are continuing to grow.
April 24 was fashion revolution day, to mark the second anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory disaster in Bangladesh. The day is designed to encourage people to take notice of where their clothes are made.
On the day you were encouraged to take a photo of the tag of the brand of clothes you were wearing and share on social media using the hashtag #whomademyclothes.
They also undertook a great guerrilla marketing campaign here
What goes into making a piece of clothing can have an incredibly long supply chain involving everything from how the farm cotton was grown on is run to the factory that process the materials, to the ones that sew the garments. Thankfully there are a few Australian designers and chain stores who are taking their social responsibilities seriously. This includes Nobody Denim; Cue; and Kit Willow.
#Nobody Jeans has proudly made their jeans in Melbourne since the get-go. They are working with Sustainability Victoria to reduce chemicals and energy in the denim washing process.
Cue regularly audits its supply chains to ensure workers are treated and paid fairly and is accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia. Other designer brands with this accreditation include: Veronica Maine, RM Williams, Woolerina, Ginger and Smart, Carla Zampatti (check out the full list here: http://www.ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au/accredited-brand/)
There is an ever increasing numbers of designers determined to bring us eco fashion that looks good. Now I can shop to that!
