How Young is the Child Making YOUR Clothes?

As someone surrounded by grade school children all of the time I find this intolerably heartbreaking -

9-Yr-old Bangladesh garment worker

Thank you, Ecouterre for posting the truth behind Fast Fashion. The article is here.

* * Next time a 7 or 11-yr-old in our household gripes about dinner or homework I will magically conjure up the video above:-)

Human Friendly Fashion Bloggers Day - say What?

Today in our continuing effort to advance Eco-friendly, ethical fashion we've happily joined the mass of Human Friendly Fashion Bloggers (HFFB) in the worldwide campaign to improve working conditions for the many beleaguered fast fashion garment slaves, er, employees.

Dreamed up by Ms. Wanda's Wardrobe, the HFFB's goal is to drum up support for Ms. Wanda's 1% Campaign urging big fashion companies to invest just 1 measly percent of their profits in improving conditions & wages for their workers.

Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?  So why don't they do it?  

Maybe because we, the Eco-fashion cognoscenti, aren't speaking up and out, so let's DO IT!

SPEAK OUT HERE

Not everyone will go so far as to buy bold, hand made, upcycled and often times pricy garments like we make here at Jag & Nevie thus reducing their ecological footprint, but everyone will buy something from Target, the Gap, TopShop and the like.  So, the least we can do for our fellow man is demand those companies source their inexpensive clothing from manufacturers that ensure worker health, safety and decent pay. 

In the words of HFFB:

"As part of Blog Action Day Fashion Mob founder, Esther Freeman, explains why it’s dangerous to  point the finger of blame at consumers for human rights abuses by the fashion industry.

Since the collapse of the Rama Plaza building in Bangladesh, the media has been full of discussions and head scratching about fashion. One comment that keeps coming up is the responsibility of consumers around fast fashion.

Quite frankly this is nonsense. Furthermore it is dangerous to suggest so.

All too often high street chains whine about how hard it is for them to improve human rights, and how they’d change but consumers don’t want it. It’s become their get out clause. And by saying consumers have some kind of responsibility, we reinforce that myth.

It also overlooks that slavery, poverty and disaster happen at the higher end of the fashion too. There have been several campaigns against Adidas and their refusal to compensate workers and pay a living wage. And designer brands like Dolce & Gabbana have been in the firing line too.

In an interview for the film Apparel Truth, a trade union leader in Bangladesh is very clear where the responsibility lies. He said:

“The main profit from this business is going to the multi-national company…The multinational company is putting pressure on the local business to pay a living wage. But also the multinational company is putting pressure on the local business to reduce their price.”

So let’s point the finger where it should be pointed – at the global brands who create human rights abuses as fast as they create fashion.

That’s not to say consumers have no role to play in creating change.

People power is incredibly important. That’s why we launched The 1% Campaign. The campaign calls on the fashion industry to invest 1% of their profits in solving issues in their supply chain, especially around human rights. We need more time and investment in activities like better auditing, health and safety training and improved working with NGOs and trade unions at local level.

Consumers are in a powerful position to demand this. And if we all work together we can help bring about a solution.

>> Sign the 1% Campaign petition and demand that multinationals take responsibility for what happens in their name.  "

Thank you for reading today!

Guide to Humane Clothing Choices

Here at Jag & Nevie we have been Vegan-izing our business over the last year.  First, I went Vegan in a dietary fashion and then I've been working on weening 'self of a leather and cashmere habit.  I'm not there completely because I have an issue with non-leather shoes always falling apart too quickly, and we all know how important shoes are to one's well-being:-)  Plus, I LOVE crazy fashion shoes, not boring, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, dullsville, comfort shoes.  There I said it.

Being an environmentalist to the core I still believe recycling (up-cycling, salvaging, what-have-you) is better for the planet in the long run than simply NOT making any more cashmere sweaters, but I'm open to persuasion on this subject.  At this point I don't plan to make more upcycled cashmere sweaters....

With that in mind - here's a great article on what goes into making angora, cashmere, alpaca etc.  All of those being animal products, of course.  Read it and be educated, lovelies!

an Angora bunny - not a sweater

ALSO - a comprehensive list, courtesy of PETA (by way Healthy Bitch Daily) of of vegan clothing & shoe companies here.  I'm going to give it my best shot and try some of the shoes:-)