Sustainable fashion

What is 'traceability'?   
Traceability is the ability to verify the history, location, or application of an item by means of documented recorded identification.

In an era of eco consciousness, this idea has importance for all we do. Not just in terms of eg what we eat and where it comes from but the ethical care of the animals from where we purchase or meats. In terms of fashion, we are becoming a more conscious society about:

• The fabrics of our clothing
• where they originated? Grown and/or manufactured in australia?
• How they were grown
• How have they been manufactured
• what chemicals are used in their production.
• Are they organic?
• who has been involved in their production
• What are the working conditions of the people who have manufactured the product
• What are the profits and what are the profits supporting

These are just a few of the questions to engage with the questions of sustainability as they all deal with sustainability long term of our planet, ethics of manufacture and purchase and responsibility to our planet, workers and buyers. There is no quick answer for any of these questions but great starting points for our own understanding to become more ethical conscious consumers.

What did our actions support today?

Traceability in action is knowing about the process of production from growing the fibers to final production: check out this website to find out more about traceability with rapaui clothing.

From seed to shop: http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/ethical-fashion/traceability-clothing.html

"We are not a company that tries to argue for right or wrong. Our duty is to make it easier for people to find out where clothing comes from, how it is made and who made it".

In Australia, the 2015 Fashion Report found most companies did not know where most of their cotton came from. H & M and Indetex were the two biggest fashion retailers that rated the best amongst international brands for policies, chain traceability and workers rights. This week (September 2015) H & M launched their brand new denim collection made from textiles from the Garment Collecting Initiative. This fashion brand collected shoppers denim and they were rewarded with a discount off their purchase) which then recycled at least 20% of the cotton by the brand.

(http://fashionista.com/2014/01/hm-launches-denim-line-made-from-used-clothing)

Fashion labels considering ethics/sustainability and responsible production

The Social Studio

Based in Melbourne, Victoria, it is a creative space and community hub dedicated to creating training and employment opportunities in fashion for talented young people from refugee backgrounds. All their garments are ethically made using only reclaimed and up-cycled materials gathered from the local fashion industry, and they are certified by Ethical Clothing Australia.

What you're paying for - Sustainable and ethical casual/dressy wear, made in Australia from recycled materials. ($-$)Fashion

http://www.thesocialstudio.org/studio/education-training/

2. Bhalo

An Australian ethical fashion label produced in rural Bangladesh. Designs limited edition women's clothing and accessories, made from ethically hand woven and hand embroidered cotton fabrics. Bhalo (the Bengali word for 'good') is primarily focused on honourable working conditions and community development, working only with fair trade producers in rural communities.

What you're paying for - ethical fashion made by hand using a number of 'slow' production techniques like hand-loomed cotton fabrics which have almost zero CO2 footprint. ($-$)

http://www.ecouterre.com/sustainable-fashion-brands-that-produce-ethically-in-bangladesh/ethical-fashion-bangladesh-bhalo/

3. Desert Designs

Have created a completely handmade-in-Australia collection, titled 'The Collector's Collection', which utilises the label's vast archive of vintage fabrics from the 1980s.

What you're paying for -

'The collector's collection' is made in Australia, using unique vintage printed fabrics rather than from new materials. ($)

http://peppermintmag.com/from-the-desert/

http://desertdesigns.com.au/

http://www.spookmagazine.com/desert-designs-the-collectors-collection/

So how can you tell??

Part of responsible consumerism is informed decision making - the skills education is trying to embed in the next generation. Informed means , we have a responsibility to research the information and weigh it up. 

Reflecting on sustainable fashion - where does ETSY sit with ethics and responsibility?

http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/03/10/the-ethics-of-etsy.html

(http://ohmyhandmade.com/2013/heart/the-future-of-handmade-is-in-our-hands/)

A twist on fashion of the future:

Susanne Lee Director of Modern Meadow Inc and author of Fashioning The Future: tomorrow’s wardrobe. ( https://www.nextnature.net/2015/06/interview-suzanne-lee/)