beyond ethical - how moral fashion is taking centre stage

With the collapse of pioneering ethical brand The Body Shop in the UK, an article that I recently read in The Conversation speculates that a contributing factor to their demise was a lack of evolution in the ethical market.

And I can see the author's point. As he states so eloquently, you can now "drink ethical coffee as you feed your cat ethical pet food, whilst you both enjoy the warmth provided by your ethical energy supplier".

A quick Google search of "ethical and sustainable fashion" shows that these are indeed the buzzwords of our time. But then I think of my lecturer from fashion school, Anna, talking a lot about greenwashing in branding. Fast fashion behemoths like Shein and Zara have been accused many times of this particular deception and I have no doubt the accusations are well-founded. So how do I, owner of a tiny brand who wants to truthfully and reliably be as ethical and sustainable as I can, try to make my voice believable, and differentiate themselves from the cynicism?

The answer? I don't know. And I'm not sure the marketing professionals really know, either. All I can say is that I am honestly working hard to make sure my little business is ethical and sustainable. I only make items when they are ordered so I don't have excess stock. My items will never go on sale, because I don't want to encourage unnecessary consumption. My supply chain, from thread, to fabric, to packaging, to disposal and yes, even my energy supplier, are the best choices I could find. I am also trying to be moral. I pay my employees (i.e. me) slightly above award wage. I donate $5 from every item I sell to Emerald-Monbulk Wildlife Centre. I want to make sure that the clothes I make and the clothes you wear make us BOTH feel good - on the inside and out.

meg.