While staying at the Blue Karma in Seminyak in Bali I was very fortunate to meet and taste some delicious food made by Blue Karma's chef Dyah. What had to be the the queen of these dishes was definitely the vegan banana cake and Dyah was more than kind to share the recipe with me. I'm not much of a cook but I thought anyone reading this looking for a great vegan banana cake recipe will find this useful!
Ethical Fashion Part I - Every Outfit Is A Vote!
Since starting this blog, I've grown. A. Lot, and I've gone from a materialistic teen obsessed with fashion, designers, brands and shopping, to a young adult obsessed with one question: "What can I do to make this world a better place?" But first I had a harder question to answer which was "How do I make myself better?" and make myself I did and am and will keep doing until a freakin third eye grows in the middle of my forehead. So I'm not here to preach, just share what I'm learning in my journey to improvement and one part of this journey is becoming more conscious about how every action I take has a butterfly effect that ripples across the world. Everything we eat, wear or purchase in general has been created by others or from others and since fashion is something that has been influencing me almost my entire life I only felt it right to delve into the ethics of it and maybe one day help improve it.
Now a few questions YOU might be having.
So where does ethical fashion blend into all of this? Get to the point sista!
The answer to this is covered in the video above. Watch it! ;)
Where do our clothes come from, who makes them?
Almost all clothes let you know in the label where they are made, countries like Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam are some of the countries with the highest risk of human and labor rights violations. While not shopping items made in these countries can lead to less "sweatshop clothes" in your closet the main goal is for those people to keep their jobs by earning a fair wage. In my opinion that can only happen if all of us as shoppers voice our opinions! A simple tweet or instagram comment can go a long way if we all did it, (eg. asking topshop on instagram to next time post a picture of their seamstresses wage instead of Cara's bod) You get the picture. It's called online activism and we can all be little activists with a single tweet, so type away!
What about the materials, can those be unethical also?
Unfortunately yes, aside from toxic chemicals used in dyes that are harmful for the workers and the environment there are some other fashion victims nobody seems to care about. Animals. Oh no, here she goes with her hippy bullshit. Yep, here I go, because if I can stop being the fur and leather loving primitive cavewoman that I was, then so can you. Right now.
Watch through all four of these videos, do not look away, you will cringe, you will feel a gut wrenching nausea and disgust and you will cry. But unfortunately, this is reality and everyone needs to know about it. It's the only way you can really grasp why dressing vegan is so important.
https://youtu.be/DE56fAD3HyE
https://youtu.be/PtAFHyXS31M
https://youtu.be/7hZh_zrV6oY
https://youtu.be/g55mL67BM20
If after this you feel ready to make a change, do not fear! There is no need to throw away half your closet, just avoid buying any new animal products and you're good to go, there are more faux and synthetic options in the market these days than ever before. All high street brands have them so it really takes ZERO EFFORT to saves lives and do good!
Why don't any popular fashion bloggers talk about this? It's part of the industry they work in.
In my opinion, every fashion blogger should know about these things whether they choose to talk about it, support it or not, so should magazines and all related online media. Unfortunately, the biggest brands like Topshop or Nike for example are also the biggest sponsors and the most corrupt when it comes to human and labor rights. Saying no to promoting corrupt brands would mean cutting down on their income. What they don't understand is that if we all collectively supported ethical brands (like Asos Green Room, Style Saint, Stella McCartney and many more) then all the power and money of the fashion industry would shift to them.
I want to become an ethical shopper, but I don't know where I should shop and what brands to avoid and also, will it be difficult to make this change?
Firstly, don't worry, becoming an ethical shopper is very easy! Watch the video below where I talk about the most popular brands that we all shop from and let you know which are the safest options and which have been involved in sweatshop, slave and child labor. I have stopped shopping all together but when I really need something these are my favorite options: Asos, Vintage, Etsy (& in general handmade), swapping clothes with friends and my sister, anything that is made locally in Greece and h&m conscious collection. There are literally tons of options but these are just my go-to. I think my number one favourite option has got to be handmade, buying something that someone designed and made on their own although not cheap, it's a fantastic way to feel more connected and respectful towards the creator and the creation.
Ethical Fashion Part II - Where To Shop & Not!
The brands you recommend are all pure evil! I thought this was an ethical fashion blog!
My goal is to make ethical fashion simple and ease people into it, I don't believe it would be effective to ask people to straight away swear off buying any clothes because nobody would give ethical fashion a second thought. Just saying, if you have to choose between h&m and zara, go with h&m, if you have to choose between h&m and handmade, go with handmade. I'm just providing some tools that anyone with critical thinking can use.
I like living in ignorant bliss, why should I come back to this blog?
Ethical fashion is not your thing? That's ok, I'll still be making videos and outfit posts, I'll simply only be working with and promoting brands that support human and labor rights and are cruelty free.
Are there any other websites I can visit for more info?
Watch This! Sweatshop Documentary
A guide to making clothing choices
How to Find Guilt-Free, Affordable Fashion
Sixty big name brands continuing to use sweatshop labour
Are These Unethical Fashion Brands Hiding In Your Closet?
Changing the world through fashion: Eva Kruse at TEDxCopenhagen
Hope you guys found this post interesting and if you have any questions you'd like me to clear up let me know in the comments bellow! I'd be more than glad to answer them.
INSTAGRAM @KRISTENLEO
INSTAGRAM @KRISTENLEO
