Ethical fashion HOW?
Fashion brands are turningincreasingly to ethical fashion. Ethical fashion can be adopted by using eco-friendly,natural and cruelty-free materials. Apart from this, it also includes providing humane working conditions and fair wages to the workers.
Ethical fashion - WHO?
The concept of ethical fashion isquite popular in U.K. As per figures obtained from The Co-operative BanksEthical Consumerism Report, the sale of ethically produced clothes increased toabout 86 million pounds in the year 2004 as compared to 2003. There was a 30%rise in sales.
The U.K.-based company DorothyPerkins introduced O Line, a collection of organic vests and T-shirts, in theyear 2006. Dorothy Perkins has recently signed an agreement with the WoodlandTrust, under which it plans to launch a new collection of organic clothes andaccessories. 5 dollars from the sale of every organic vest, T-shirt and pair of Wellingtons as well as 1.50 dollars from the sale of every bag would bedonated to the Woodland Trust. This amount would then be utilized for thepurpose of planting trees in U.K. The aim behind this initiative is to plant40000 trees in U.K. in a year. Dorothy Perkins has also launched a range ofbags made from rubbish.
The London College of Fashion, oneof the leading fashion colleges in the world, is also contributing its bittowards ethical fashion. It is planning to set up a Centre for SustainableFashion which would include experts on the subject of ethical fashion. It hasalso launched a campaign called Is Green the new Black?, based on the conceptof organic fashion. It is also planning to develop courses on ethical andorganic fashion
A number of fashion designers and organizations have come together in London to form a forum called The Ethical Fashion Forum (EEF). This forum concentrates on adopting ethical and environmentally compatible practices in the fashion industry.
In USA, this concept is stillcatching up. Though it is not as widespread as in U.K., the concept isgradually gaining popularity. Leading brands in USA such as Donna Karan, LeviStrauss, Nike, Reebok, and Phillips-Van Heusen have become members of Businessfor Social Responsibility, which is an organization that provides guidance andassistance to companies in incorporating ethical practices in their operations.The Levi Strauss Foundation is also engaged in the activity of providing grantsto organizations working to improve workers' quality of life, in U.S.A. as well as in other countries. Levi Strauss has also developed a code of conduct forits suppliers, which outlines the fair trade standards that are expected of itssuppliers. Levi Strauss presented green jeans, in which all the materialused, including the buttons and the finish are completely organic.
Moo Shoes in New York is committedto the production of non-leather shoes, belts and other accessories. Similarly,the California-based brand Ecoganik also produces completely organic clothesand other accessories. Completely natural or eco-friendly materials are used bythis brand in production. Even the dyes which are used in its clothes are suchthat they have no negative impact on the environment. Ecoganik is also a memberof the Organic Trade Association, the OTA Fiber Council Committee and Co-opAmerica Business Network.
The USA-based brand Fair Indigo isfamous for producing stylish clothes that are produced using the concept offair trade. The workers producing the garments are paid a fair amount ofwages. Proper health and safety conditions are ensured in the factories. The clothesare produced from completely organic material. Their catalogues are made fromrecycled paper. The shop floors and hangers are made from bamboo. Recycledmetal and glass are used in the store. Team X, Gossypium, People Tree and NoSweat Apparel are other brands which promote the concept of ethical fashion.
In India, ethical fashion is still arather new concept and is not as popular. It is limited to a few designers,textile producers and customers. Indian designer Anita Ahuja presented hercollection Conserve at Paris in September 2007. Conserve is a collection ofaccessories made from natural and eco-friendly products. It includes handbagsmade from recycled waste plastic.
The Ethical Fashion Show which isheld in Paris every year showcases the organic collections of designers fromall over the world. In the year 2007, the event is scheduled to be held duringOctober 11th-14th. Designers from several countries suchas France, Switzerland, U.K., Canada, U.S.A., India, the Netherlands, Australia, China, Senegal, Peru, Brazil, the Philippines, Chile, Columbia, Indonesia and Azerbaijan would be attendingthe show.
Conclusion
It is clear that producers all overthe world are embracing the concept of ethical fashion. It has been widelyaccepted in certain countries, while it is still an emerging one in severalothers. However, this concept is largely limited to the use of organic materialsin production. A lot yet remains to be done in the realm of fair and ethicalproduction practices.
References:
4.www.ethicalfashionista.blogspot.com
5.www.makeyourmarkinfashion.org
10.www.fibre2fashion.com
To read more articles on Textile, Industry, Technical Textile, , Machinery, Fashion, Apparel, Technology, Retail, , Software and General please visit https://articles.fibre2fashion.com
To promote your company, product and services via promotional article, followthis link: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/services/article-writing-service/content-promotion-services.asp
