Ethical Fashion Dilema's

Yesterday I went to our local shopping centre in search of some new Autumn/Winter Office wear - to tell you the truth, I was really looking for clothes to wear to work on 'casual fridays' (sad)... However I found no joy. I walked from one shop to the next quickly assessing that the costs and quality of the clothes in each shop I went to indicated 'sweatshop' and unfair labour costs, plastic and synthetic materials reeked to me of harmful practices hurting the earth. I couldn't stomach it for more than and hour. I returned home to start my investigation for online ethical shopping options.

I find it disturbing that (particular in Australia) there isn't a stronger focus on ethical clothing and fashion. I am someone prepared to pay for the product I want - as tempting as a $4 tee shirt is, I cant see that the people who made it would appreciate my bargain buying. At the moment I can buy ethical clothing at some markets (which I would have to travel to because there aren't too many options near me), at a few select retailers, and at present, not too many online retailers. 

I am still researching, and hope to publish my findings here soon. However, this is what I've found so far:
Office Fashion

• Cue Clothing (one brand I regularly support) is a signatory of the Textile Clothing, Footwear Union of Australia which mandates ethical practices.
• Veronica Maine (also one of my favourites) is a subsidiary of Cue.

Casual Fashion

• ALAS  - All Light All Shadow
• we.ar.it - Yoga  

more to come...... (lots of yoga stuff and T shirts)


Informative blogs

• Ethical Fashion Forum
• Ethical Fashion Bloggers
• Thelma Magazine
• Sustainable Business Blog (UK)
• Shirahime
• OEcotextiles 

If anyone has any other links please let me know 

Left to Tell

Following a long spell of not reading, I picked up this book last weekend and didn't put it down til I'd finished it. This is a truly inspiring and motivating story - true story - about Immaculee. She survived, by the grace of God, one of the most horrific events occurring in my lifetime, where over 1 million people died during the Rowandan Genocide in 1994.

I hardly knew about the genocide when I was starting  my Masters Degree. At a time when I was acutely aware of the human injustices happening, the political and the social environment in which I was studying - there was a genocide occuring and I hardly knew anything about it.

Immaculee explains what was happening in Rowanda, the war between Hutu and Tutsi and how she ended up surviving three months in a tiny bathroom with 7 other Tutsi women.

While being a great lesson in recent history, her story is one of faith and belief. I'll be looking for the other books she's written.

Joyeuses Paques!

 

Easter is all about new life - celebrating opportunities - change

I plan to use some time this easter to make some renovations to my blog.

watch this space!

Happy Easter.