The key to this update has been collaboration. We’ve partnered with organisations around the world to harness their research and expertise, and incorporate these into the same five-level ratings system you’re probably familiar with. Some of these collaborations include our work with Fashion Revolution to incorporate findings from their Fashion Transparency Index. We developed ways to include detailed animal welfare research from Four Paws, and we used data from the Carbon Disclosure Project to inform our environmental ratings.

One of the biggest, most pressing issues to emerge this year is how fashion has responded to the COVID-19 crisis.  Almost immediately after lockdowns started rolling out in March this year, stories emerged of big fashion brands cancelling orders and leaving vulnerable suppliers high and dry. To reflect the outrage many of us felt at this situation, the new system rewards brands which have policies in place to protect workers down the supply chain amid COVID-19 disruption, and penalises brands that don’t.

Here are some of the other big changes:

People

We’re rewarding brands with meaningful gender equality policies, such as pathways and support for women in leadership and ensuring workers are supported to work as their identified gender. We’re placing less emphasis on factory auditing, and more on worker empowerment initiatives, such as collective bargaining agreements and grievance policies, and work brands are doing to support suppliers meet labour standards. People are truly the backbone of the garment industry, and we’re thrilled to prioritise their wellbeing even more in this ratings update.

Planet

Brands reducing or eliminating the risk of ocean microplastics shedding from their clothing, or providing solutions like wash filters, are getting more points. We’re rewarding brands that avoid or minimise their impact on deforestation, making Good On You one of the leading sources of information on this issue. We’re allocating extra points for science-based carbon emission reduction targets and targets to reduce hazardous chemicals. We’re giving points for brands that promote circularity and environmental innovation, and fast fashion brands will be specifically penalised for their inherently unsustainable business model.

Animals

We’re further penalising brands for using farmed non-domesticated animals, especially furs and exotic skins such as python and alligator, and some types of animal hair such as Vicuna.  Brands that can trace any animal products to source, and have clear animal welfare policies to reduce suffering will be rewarded.

So far we’ve updated the ratings for 100 of the biggest brands in our directory using this system and the news isn’t good for some household names. Zara moves from ‘It’s a Start’ to ‘Not Good Enough,’ while Boohoo drops from ‘Not Good Enough’ to ‘We Avoid’. We feel this more accurately reflects the impact of these fast fashion brands and your expectations as a Good On You user.

Many of you have asked for racial justice issues to be reflected in our ratings.  We’ve begun work on how we can do this in a way that’s accurate, fair, and has the intended consequence—to elevate BIPOC-owned brands and those that do extra to support BIPOC communities, while taking points away for brands embroiled in racial controversies. It’s a hugely important and complex issue and we want to get it right. In the meantime, we’re adding even more BIPOC-owned brands to our directory and we’ll keep celebrating the best of the bunch in our content. We’ve also improved our own internal processes and transparency to understand where we are and how we can improve as an organisation and workplace.

Finally, we’ve also had lots of questions about how we rate brands that have been caught up in the human rights abuses taking place against Uighur people in China’s Xinjiang Province. Since February 2020, we have taken allegations of brands’ involvement in these abuses into account in our ratings and have penalised brands named in reports by various human rights and news organisations.

Thank you for being part of the Good On You community and helping us evolve and grow. This ratings update is a reflection of how far we’ve come, and the challenges that are ahead as we work to make fashion more sustainable and ethical for all.

The post Covid-19, Deforestation, Microplastics: Our Ratings System Gets a Big Update appeared first on Good On You.

I truly believe we as humans should have a meaningful, conscious relationship with each and every piece of clothing.

How we think about second hand clothing is going through a monumental shift. It’s never been easier to buy and sell pre-loved garments. Depop, Hewi, the Real Real, Vestaire Collective—and so many more—have revolutionised the way we think about second hand. Some analysts even believe that the resale sector will be bigger than fast fashion within ten years!

Then of course there’s the humble charity shop, a long standing favourite of those with a good eye for style. In the colourful aisles and bargain bins, you can support a good cause and make your sartorial dreams can come true—if you know how to look.

Londoner Emma Slade Edmondson has made an art form of charity shop fashion. The consultant and creative producer is founder of Charity Fashion Live—a playful alternative to London Fashion Week shows, that tend to exclude those not deep in the industry.

“We recreate London Fashion Week looks in real time as they emerge on the catwalk using only what we find in a single charity shop at the time,” Emma says. “Sometimes the looks are like-for-like recreations and sometimes they are interpretations of the designers’ style and vision. We’ve recreated Henry Holland, Sibling, and Molly Goddard among many other designers and each year we share our recreations and engage people over social channels— Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.”

Charity Fashion Live started out with Emma and some friends in their local charity shop, and grew to a full-on production —models, makeup, set design, the lot. The team also produces a short film of each event that captures the energy of the day and that shares key facts and figures around fashion’s impact on the environment.

This show is for everyone and you can join in online wherever you are. This inclusivity vibe seemed to be infectious and people loved tuning in—even the designers themselves have got in on the action in previous years with words of encouragement and appreciation. The last show we did, Henry Holland was an ambassador of the event.

Emma’s enthusiasm for fashion is infectious, but it’s the role of ‘sustainable fashion educator’ that drives her.

“Everything I do is with an eye on sparking and nurturing behaviour change,” Emma says. “For example, I co-produced and creative-directed the Love Not Landfill pop up shop, housing charity collections curated by influencers; (an event with The London Waste and Recycling board). This was focused on getting 16-24 year olds into the space to consider second hand clothes as a viable option for them, and to introduce them to sustainability fashion facts and stats.”

As well as championing the charity shop, Emma works with sustainable brands on everything from marketing strategy and creative direction, to events and sourcing.

“Nowadays the work I do tends to be directed at creating behaviour change over time,” she says. “With this in mind, many of the projects, campaigns, and strategy I work on for brands have some agenda that intends to either open a conversation around sustainability with new audiences, or to educate, create further appeal for sustainable, ethical and second hand alternatives to fast fashion.”

So which one pre-loved find of Emma’s stands out above all the others as her favourite?

“Tough question—I have so many favourites and the top spot is on rotation!” Emma says.

Currently I am in love with some Coco Chanel mini wedge heel peep toe sling back sandals. They are classic but simultaneously striking because the wedge is metallic and the upper is PVC with patent leather trim. I’m always looking forward to warm weather so I treasure those summery pieces I can make sunshine memories in!

I don’t know about you readers, but my attempts at charity shopping have never returned anything as wonderful as Chanel peep-toe heels. Going in without a strategy seems to be the first mistake. Like with anything else, there’s a skill to charity shopping that can be honed.

Here are Emma’s top five tips for charity shopping and thrifting:

1. Discover your local charity shops and vintage stores

Become a regular and bag yourself a bargain: Charity shops can be full of little treasures and unique finds. Give yourself some time to enjoy the process—take an entire afternoon to trawl the local charity shops or vintage stores or make a habit of popping in more regularly on your way home to see what’s new in. One thing you can almost be sure of is that when you find something you love, it’s unlikely anyone else is going to be wearing it!

2. Don’t try to mirror an era! Instead mix your eras

Team a pair of 70’s cowboy boots with a more delicate 90’s slip dress, layered over a 60’s turtleneck and boom you’ve nailed a look that channels GANNI’s Scandinavian bold but simple feel! Plus—you’re going to look much less like you stepped out of your nan’s closet and more like an accomplished style expert.

3. Catch the trend on its way back around

Trends always come back around, so finding pieces that are key for this season in a vintage store or in the charity shop really isn’t as hard as you might think! Here are some trends to look out for this season.

4. Have a clear idea in mind

In some respects, if you’re unprepared, charity shopping can feel a little like sale shopping. If it’s your first time at the rodeo, I recommend hitting the shops with a clear idea of what you’re looking for in mind to avoid feeling overwhelmed or unsure.

So, decide on an occasion you’d like to shop for and look firstly for a key piece you can build around. This key piece can either be from the charity shop or vintage store or it can be from your existing wardrobe. If you’re starting with an item you already own, bring it shopping with you to help you complete your look.

If you need inspiration, the easiest place to start is the season’s trends, your favourite Instagram fashion crush, or a brand you love like Reformation, whose styling of key pieces you can aspire to.

5. Re-think the way you wear things and ‘style clever’

Try not to get stuck in a rut with the way you might ordinarily wear a piece. Get creative and check out the trends online for inspiration. And always, always be prepared to spend time trying things on. Think:

• Layering turtle necks, sweaters, or even jeans under strappy slip dresses to get more wear out of them as we transition through the seasons.
• Mix athleisure with the rest of your wardrobe. For example, wearing silk sweatpants with a crisp white shirt and heels, creating a chic office look.
• For winter—join the multiple jacket trend seen at Balenciaga. For a less dramatic look, layer just two of your jackets together, for example a utility jacket with a teddy coat over the top.

So there you have it. Tips from a top expert on how to get started with your pre-loved fashion wardrobe. If you’re looking for more inspo, check out Emma’s website and Instagram.

 

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

 

Just waiting for one of the other mermaids to come pick me up. Been stranded on this rock for a minute fam…Happy Earth Day . . I’m kicking off the first day of #fashionrevolutionweek with the 2nd of my love stories series for @Fash_rev explaining why pieces I own are so important to me and the stories behind them. This one covers the whole look – my traditional ankara fish tail wedding dress (designed by myself and @obeselise ) and crafted by the talented Zeek was the star of my Esan Nigerian ceremony. Needs no further explanation… The heart pendant was gifted to me by my Nan and has a picture of my Nan and my late Grandad when they were hot young things inside it, along with a picture of my great grandma and grandad. The creps I commissioned and they were hand painted in the design of my wedding cloth. I urge you to zoom in for the level of accuracy!! It’s insane. . They are my favourite footwear. forever. fullstop.

Une publication partagée par Emma Slade Edmondson (@emsladedmondson) le 22 Avril 2019 à 12 :11 PDT

The post Emma Slade Edmondson: The Pre-loved-Fashion Champion We Need Right Now appeared first on Good On You.

Asking questions is the first way to begin change.

The beauty of Fashion Revolution Week is that we all wear clothes, and we can all participate in the campaign. All we have to do is ask our favourite brands key questions that ensure the lives of garment workers are protected. So what are those questions? and why are they important?

Who Made My Clothes?

This is the first question we ask on Fashion Revolution Week. Before Rana Plaza brought the world’s attention to the plight of garment workers, many of us didn’t think about how or where our clothes were made. Asking Who Made My Clothes? is the first step, and it works on two levels. One, we as wearers of fashion make the connection between what we’re wearing and the people who stitch the clothes together. Secondly, we literally demand brands reveal the source of their products. No longer do we accept opaque supply chains, where clothing is sourced according to the lowest cost and fastest turnaround with no knowledge, or even regard for how these things are achieved. If we want an ethical fashion industry, transparency is key. We want to know who made our clothes, in what countries, even down to which factories. Once we know who made our clothes, we can ask the next four important questions.

Are They Safe?

A key change to come out of the Rana Plaza disaster is the Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord.  This agreement saw dozens high street fashion brands sign up to a regime of improved standards, inspections and training. The groundbreaking thing about the Accord is that it is legally binding, meaning brands that fail to improve standards risk being fined. While the Accord, has achieved “an unprecedented level of safety”, labour organisations are alarmed at the Bangladesh Government’s attempts to end it, without any new arrangements being in place. At the end of 2018, the Accord went to court to stop it’s Dhaka office being closed down. The case has been adjourned until May.

Of course Bangladesh is just one of the high-risk countries that produce our clothing. In the year before Rana Plaza, almost 300 people were killed in two factory fires in Pakistan. While conditions in some Cambodian garment factories are said to cause mass fainting episodes.  Asking clothing brands if their workers are safe means ensuring suppliers have a strong code of conduct and factories are audited. Also look for brands that use SA-8000-certified factories, or ones that are audited by the Fairwear Foundation.

Are They Empowered?

Most of the worker rights enjoyed in many countries – such as the eight-hour working day – only came about after hard-fought battles by trade unions. Collective power is real power, but the right to join a union and organise in your workplace is not guaranteed for many garment workers. Unions can help enforce safety standards, working hours, pay and conditions. They provide a channel for workers to raise disputes and represent otherwise disempowered employees to management.

Unions have been fighting hard to improve conditions for garment workers in Cambodia –  where three workers were killed during minimum wage strikes in 2014, after police opened fire on them. Six union leaders were recently criminalised over their involvement in the strikes. The workers had been demanding a minimum wage of $160 a month, when the government was only offering $100.

Ask your favourite brand what they are doing to empower workers.  Are they meeting with unions or collective bargaining groups? What are the outcomes of those meetings?  Are workers able to access an external grievance procedure?  If they are a large brand, what are they doing to influence policy, such as minimum wages in high-risk countries such as Cambodia? Positively engaging with unions in these countries is a powerful way brands can improve worker safety and rights.

Can They Afford To Live?

This can be a tricky one. The legal minimum wage of a country is not the same as the living wage. The living wage is often determined by labour organisations and independent researchers and can be different in different parts of a country. For example the living wage for London is 10pounds 55 per hour, while in the rest of the UK it’s only 9 pounds per hour.  That’s because the living wage takes into account the cost of living in a particular place, including the cost of housing and food. We know that many garment workers work extremely long hours and still live in poverty. They are not earning a living wage, even if it’s technically legal to pay them so badly. The Global Living Wage Coalition has lots of information on living wages for different regions and campaigns such as the Clean Clothes Campaign and Oxfam’s What She Makes push for living wages across the industry. There are also various Fair Trade schemes around the world that ensure people are paid a fair price for what they produce – whether it’s textiles, raw materials, clothing or other products. This is also another area where unions come in, as collective organisations can determine local wage demands more effectively.

Are They Free?

In 2018, a report by the Walk Free Foundation, estimated 40 million people worldwide were trapped in modern slavery – including forced labour – with 71% estimated to be women and girls.  It also found that fashion was one of five key industries responsible for using slave labour.

According to the International Trade Union Confederation, modern slavery has been able to flourish because of the complexity of supply chains. It says “up to 94 per cent of the global workforce of 50 major corporations is a hidden workforce because responsibility has been outsourced many times over.”

Thankfully things are beginning to change. A number of countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia have passed legislation to combat modern slavery in supply chains and the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, requires companies doing business in California to disclose their efforts to combat human trafficking. These laws put the onus on brands to do their due diligence and ensure their businesses are free from slave labour. A group of British High Street brands have also recently announced a new initiative to tackle modern slavery.

Modern slavery is a complex problem, but transparency is key to begin tackling it. To eliminate modern slavery in fashion, we need to shine a light on supply chains. We need to ask – who made my clothes?

Want to get involved in Fashion Revolution Week? Here’s how!

When Good On You rates brands, we look at their public statements to see if they are addressing issues around workers rights, empowerment and safety. You can also contact brands directly using our app. The more people asking the right questions, the more things can change for the people who make our clothes around the world.

The post Who Made My Clothes? And Other Important Questions appeared first on Good On You.

Good On You is an ethical rating system for fashion. We’ve done the research and spoken to the experts, the campaigners and the brands, to come up with simple ratings for how each label impacts three key areas: people, planet and animals. We score each brand on these issues and give an overall rating from ‘We Avoid’ and ‘Not Good Enough’, through ‘It’s A Start’, to ‘Good’ and ‘Great’.

Good On You is here to give you, our users, easy-to-understand information so that you can look good, and feel good about the clothes you wear. We also work to change the fashion industry by celebrating the brands that make ethics and sustainability part of their identity. In 2019, we started working with global fashion retailer Farfetch, helping them curate their Positively Conscious collection. That means all of the brands in the collection have been fully researched, assessed, and chosen with care.

So what do we look for when we rate an ethical brand? Here’s the breakdown:

People

Before that gorgeous new party dress arrived on your doorstep, it was harvested, spun, dyed, cut, assembled and packed by many hands. When we assess how a brand impacts people, we look at how its workers are treated across the supply chain. These include policies and practices on child labour, forced labour, worker safety, the right to join a union and payment of a living wage. We also consider a brand’s relationships with their suppliers and whether they audit their factories.

We rate brands such as denim favourites Citizens of Humanity (Good) which manufactures in the USA and has a supplier code of conduct that covers International Labor Organisation principles. Or shoewear brand Veja (Good) that traces and audits its supply chain and ensures a large proportion of workers get a living wage. No Nasties (Great) is an Indian clothing brand that ensures payment of a living wages, and traces and audits its entire supply chain. Then there’s luxury label By Walid (Good), which embraces the artisanal skills of owner Walid al Damirji and a small team who hand-make garments in-house using antique materials.

Planet

With climate change and plastic pollution hitting the headlines every week, we want to know that the clothes we buy are not trashing the planet. For the environment, we consider each brand’s use of resources and energy, whether they measure and reduce carbon emissions, their impacts on water, as well as how they use and dispose of chemicals.

We rate brands such as LA-based Reformation (Good), which brings the eco to everyday fashion by using sustainable materials like Tencel, and reusing all its offcuts.  For resort wear, there’s Mara Hoffman (Good), which targets waste with swimwear made from recycled plastic fishing nets.  Bethany Williams (Good) creates streetwear from waste, and partners with social enterprises in her collections. EcoAlf (Good) embraces the great outdoors with eco-friendly and recycled materials, produced locally to reduce emissions.

Then there’s ethical fashion leader Stella McCartney (Good).  Stella continues to push boundaries with her label. She has adopted a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, uses eco-friendly materials, reduces harmful chemicals and wastewater and is generally a global pioneer for sustainable luxury fashion.

Animals

In the past few years a whole range of fashion brands have heeded the call from animal lovers and gone fur-free, but there are some other things to look for too. For our animal ratings we identify the use of fur, angora, down feather, shearling, karakul and exotic animal skin and hair. We also consider if wool has been produced using ‘mulesing’ and whether and how the brand uses leather.

Stella McCartney is a leader here as well. As a committed vegetarian, Stella McCartney’s brand is one that has animal rights in its DNA. Her Adidas by Stella McCartney (Good) collection even saw the release of the first vegan Stan Smith trainers. Maggie Marilyn also considers the ethical treatment of animals. The consciously created brand from New Zealand doesn’t use any animal products except for wool from non-mulesed sheep, and Peace silk.

The Good On You rating system focuses on how new fashion is made, because the biggest impact of fashion is in the supply chain. By shopping the Positively Conscious collection, you’re supporting pioneering brands that have made ethics and sustainability part of their identity, and joined millions of people the world over who are choosing fashion that takes care of people, planet and animals. To build on your ethical wardrobe, it’s also worth looking at pre-owned garments and extending the life of your clothes my mending, altering and following care instructions.

The post What Makes An Ethical Brand? appeared first on Good On You.

Enter Jessica Kelly and Elena Baxter, two social entrepreneurs who are joining forces to bring ethical values to one of fashion’s biggest calendar events⁠—New York Fashion Week. Elena is the Co-Founder of Conscious Magazine, a publication and a community that inspires change through creativity, and Who They Are, an online boutique and campaign platform that fights against exploitation and human trafficking. Jessica is the founder and CEO of THR3EFOLD, a platform that connects fashion brands with ethical factories the world over.

 

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

 

Une publication partagée par Elena Baxter (@elenambaxter) le 20 Août 2019 à 7 :27 PDT

Both based in New York, the pair are close friends as well as collaborators. From the 5-8th of September, over New York Fashion Week, they’re transforming the Arlo Boutique Hotels in Soho and NoMad into ethical fashion pop up shops to showcase their favourite ethical brands.  Included in the lineup are Good On You-rated favourites such as Article 22 and Outland Denim.

The post Friends Join Forces For New York (Ethical) Fashion Week appeared first on Good On You.

The post Our Favourite Newly Rated Brands For June appeared first on Good On You.

The post Our Top Newly-Rated Brands For May appeared first on Good On You.

Whether you reach for the sneakers or a pair of slip-ons – casual, comfortable and easy-to-wear shoes are an essential item. The great news is there are lots of great brands out there using new innovative materials and ethical sourcing ensuring you can walk the walk when it comes to your values. Here are 8 pairs that we rate “Good” or “Great”.

The post 8 Casual Ethical Shoes For Men and Women appeared first on Good On You.

The post Our Favourite Newly-rated brands for March appeared first on Good On You.

This article is based on an outdated rating and will be updated soon to reflect any changes in scoring. You can find the latest scoring information on Gorman’s directory page.

It’s been 20 years since Lisa Gorman founded her eponymous label in Melbourne. Known for its colourful prints and collaborations with artists, designers and good causes, Gorman now has over 40 stores across Australia.  The quirky womenswear label has built up a loyal following of fans, but it hit the headlines a couple of years ago when its labour rights were called into question. So we ask, how ethical is Gorman?

Lisa Gorman was a young girl from rural Victoria who loved thrift stores and dress making. She began the Gorman label in Melbourne in 1999, becoming known as the “Queen of Green”  for her label’s use of organic fabrics and efforts to reduce packaging.

In 2010, brand was part-sold to retail group Factory X. Then in 2016, Gorman was on the receiving end of some bad publicity after Factory X received an ‘F’ for not participating in that year’s Baptist World Aid fashion report and made it onto Oxfam’s ‘Naughy List’ for not disclosing its suppliers.

Thankfully things have improved on the labour side of things since 2016. Gorman has listed all its suppliers from its final stage of production and audits some of its supply chain, and ensures a living wage to some workers.  Its Code of Conduct also covers all over the ILO principles.

On the environmental side, Gorman still uses some eco-materials such as organic Cotton.  It also takes steps to make its stores eco-friendly, reducing packaging and kitting them out with vintage furniture and low VOC paints. However, the biggest impact a clothing brand can have on the environment is its supply chain and here it could be doing more to tackle waste, eliminate hazardous chemicals and measure and reduce carbon emissions.

Gorman uses animal products such as leather, hair and wool. The wool is sourced from non-mulesed sheep. There is no fur, down, angora or exotic hair in its collection.

The post How Ethical Is Gorman? appeared first on Good On You.

With so much attention focussed on these events, it’s not surprising awards red carpets are increasingly the site of protest too. Whether it be gender equality in the film industry or against racism, actor/activists are using their platform to create change.

Pioneering the latest wave of red carpet activism is actress and environmental advocate Suzy Amis Cameron, who for the past decade has led the Red Carpet Green Dress campaign to showcase sustainable fashion on the showbiz night of nights.  After coming up with the idea during the press tour for husband James Cameron’s film Avatar, Suzy set about inspiring like-minded actors to join her in greening up the red carpet.

Since then green dress wearers (not necessarily coloured green, nor exclusively dresses!) include Emma Roberts (Scream Queens), Sophie Turner (X-Men, Game of Thrones), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Gina Rodriguez (Annihilation, Jane the Virgin), Priyanka Bose (Lion), Kellan Lutz (Twilight), Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out) , Zoey Deutch (The Set Up) , Camila Alves, Jake McDorman (American Sniper)  and Missi Pyle (Gone Girl) .

“I can’t believe it has been 10 years since RCGD was born,” Suzy says. “It has been an incredible journey and inspiring to see how the campaign has grown every year.

I am so proud of helping people become more aware of what sustainable fashion can look like and its impact on the planet. What we wear and the fashion industry has a tremendous impact on the environment—and people’s choices can move the marketplace and the climate change needle.

Suzy Amis Cameron

Rocking their sustainable gowns at the 2019 Oscars red carpet are Laura Harrier from Oscar Nominated Film BlacKkKlansman & Dumplin’ Actress Danielle Macdonald.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

She has arrived! BlacKkKlansman lead actress, @lauraharrier, has wowed the crowd as she arrived at the 91st Academy Awards wearing a bespoke ethical gown made by @louisvuitton. Harrier’s gown was created in the Louis Vuitton’s Paris atelier with an ethical and eco-responsible approach established with long-time verified suppliers. The gown is made of TARONI SPA blue crepe silk certified by the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS), which is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria. The handmade embroidery by @vermont.paris required more than 450 hours of work, and is made of glass beads, @swarovski crystal shards and sequins respecting the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, an international quality label for harmless textiles. Laura’s look has been finished off with some stunning jewellery by @bulgariofficial, wow! To find out more about Laura’s eco look and her time with RCGD visit our ‘RCGD10’ highlight. _______________________________________________________ #RCGD10 #Oscars2019 #LauraHarrier #LouisVuitton #SustainableFashion #Fashion #EcoFashion #BeAccountable #EcoWise #Beauty #Art #RCGD #SuzyAmisCameron #Eco #Sustainable

A post shared by Red Carpet Green Dress (@redcarpetgreendress) on Feb 24, 2019 at 3:20pm PST

 

View this post on Instagram

 

What an epic start! The amazingly talented actress, @daniellemacdonald from the Oscar nominated short film Skin has hit the red carpet and she looks phenomenal! Danielle is wearing a custom red tulle draped sleeve overlay gown made by CFDA fashion designer, @csiriano. The gown is made up of a red cotton crepe vegetable dyed fabric. Siriano used recycled tulle for the sleeves and minimal waste for the skirt and top. The dress is accompanied with jewellery from @anabelachan and was pieced together by stylist, @gaellepaul. Visit our ‘RCGD10’ highlight for more on Danielle and her ethical statement. _______________________________________________________ #RCGD10 #Oscars2019 #DanielleMacdonald #ChristianSiriano #SustainableFashion #Fashion #EcoFashion #BeAccountable #EcoWise #Beauty #Art #RCGD #SuzyAmisCameron #Eco #Sustainable

A post shared by Red Carpet Green Dress (@redcarpetgreendress) on Feb 24, 2019 at 2:37pm PST

To become a Red Carpet Green Dress, each piece must either be made from sustainable materials, including organic, recycled or repurposed fibres. Other features include using hand-made detailing or incorporating natural dye processing, with a dedicated focus on minimal negative impact on the environment, and environmentally and socially responsible design.

This year Good On You is overseeing the way Red Carpet Green Dress makes their choices, ensuring that the garments are ticking all the right boxes when it comes to sustainability.

Good On You co-founder Sandra Capponi says it’s a great opportunity to take the message of sustainable fashion to an audience of millions.

“Red Carpet Green Dress is a fantastic initiative that really helps show the world how sustainably-made clothes can be beautiful and desirable.”

“There is a significant gap in sustainable design in the luxury fashion segment, which is supposed to be setting an example in the industry – along with the celebrities who wear it. Red Carpet Green Dress is showing important leadership here.

We’re really excited to be involved with Red Carpet Green Dress in their tenth year. Suzy has done so much to shine a light on critical important issues in fashion and build momentum behind the movement for positive change. It’s a powerful campaign that we can all get behind.

Sandra Capponi – Good On You co-founder

Proceeds from Red Carpet Green Dress go to the school Suzy Amis Cameron founded, the Muse School, which encourages students to live consciously.

The post Ten Years Of Turning The Oscars Red Carpet Green appeared first on Good On You.

Throughout her career she’s been a driving force of the movement.  Her work includes collaborations with ethical brands such as People Tree, her Instagram advocacy with @The Press Tour, and her leadership on Vogue Australia’s first sustainability issue.

That’s why we’re thrilled to have Emma as a supporter of Good On You. We’ll be rating the clothes she wears on the red carpet and beyond, so she can be confident her outfits meet the highest standards of ethics and sustainability.

Here is what Emma has to say about why she’s using Good On You.

“Fashion helps shape our identities. What we wear signifies who we are and what we stand for. I support Good On You because I need to know my clothes do not harm our precious planet or its people.

On the red carpet we’re often asked not what we are wearing but ‘who’. It’s as if the ideas behind the clothes – the label, the designer, the collection – have more meaning than the garment itself. But there’s something missing.

There’s a bigger story to be told about the conditions in which our clothes are made, the resources that have been used and the impact they’ve had on communities.

Good On You is my benchmark for sustainable fashion. This means that when I’m given a platform to speak about my choice of outfit, I will have a meaningful story to tell. And it’s powerful.

But I am just one person. In truth, we can all play a part in driving fashion to be more sustainable and ethical. By choosing to wear clothes from labels that embrace transparent, creative and innovative production methods; and by re-wearing, recycling, swapping and thrifting.

Together we are building a bigger, better movement every day.

Fashion is a creative force. It has the power to persuade, to influence, and transform. When fashion truly embraces transparency and sustainability, other spheres will follow. We’re on a journey towards a more sustainable future.

This is just the beginning.”

Today is also the launch of a new look and feel for Good On You. We want to make it easier for you to discover ethical fashion, find all the info you need, and read all the stories you want on our website.

We’ve worked with a team of designers and developers to rebrand and rebuild our site, and we have some exciting new things planned for later in the year too.

So from all the team at Good On You, thank you for your support we literally couldn’t do what we do without it.

Let’s make 2019 the biggest year for ethical fashion so far.

The post Introducing Our No.1 Supporter, Emma Watson appeared first on Good On You.

We have a new website, a new look and a plan to grow the movement for ethical fashion even more in 2019.

We’ve made big changes to the journal, so that you can read more of our news, tips and guides.

In the coming weeks, all our brand ratings will be made available online, to make it even easier for you to find clothes that are good for people, planet and animals.

And there will be a new-look app, so you can check a brand rating whenever and however you like.

Since we launched in 2015, we’ve reached hundreds of thousands of people and rated more than 2,000 brands. Last year was huge, and it’s clear there are more and more fashion labels taking sustainability seriously.

This re-launch will see our movement reach even more people and build greater momentum to change the fashion industry for the better.

We’re thrilled to have you on this journey with us.

Look out for some more exciting announcements in the coming weeks. (and maybe a surprise or two!)

Sandra, Gordon and the Good On You team

The post A New Look For Good On You appeared first on Good On You.

The post The Top Newly-Rated Brands for February appeared first on Good On You.

So here’s our pick for January, these brands look good and do good and get a great big tick from us!

The post The Best Newly-Rated Brands For January appeared first on Good On You.

So instead of hitting the department stores, take a look at these five ethical brands that are new to Good On You this month, that go the extra mile to reduce waste and give back, as well as making great clothes.

The post November’s Best Newly Rated Brands appeared first on Good On You.

1. Fast Fashion Is Boring

Long ago, in the 20th Century, fashion defined eras, people and places. Clothing reflected culture, politics, music and the economy.  It was clothing with context. We can look at a photograph from the 1940s, 1960s or 1980s and what people are wearing will tell us immediately when it was taken and what kinds of lives they were living.

Nowadays, trends come and go so fast that we barely have time to pull up our bell bottoms before they’re passe again. Fast Fashion has disrupted the role clothing plays in our lives.  Instead of wearing clothes that are a reflection of who we are, we simply reflect what’s in stock at the big fast fashion brands. These brands recycle ideas at breakneck speed and then flirt with poverty chic and cultural appropriation in the desperate search for something new and authentic.

Frankly, buying new clothes because Instagram/magazines/retailers tell us they’re trendy, is quite boring. Ditching fast fashion means giving ourselves a chance to develop our own personal styles. Who are we? Where is our tribe? How do we want the world to see us? There is so much joy to be had in developing our own look as a source of self expression. Ditching fast fashion leaves us free to explore and create.

2. Fast Fashion is a distraction

There’s a reason why Silicon Valley tech bros all dress the same.  While they’re busy plotting world domination, they don’t have time to decide how to put together an outfit of just-landed separates.  Mark Zuckerberg famously wears the same grey t-shirt so that he “make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community”.

Zara pioneered the super-fast stock turnover model, where only a limited number of each range is manufactured – hesitate at the checkout and risk missing out!  Being caught in the consumerist fast fashion loop means living with eternal FOMO. That feeling is only briefly relieved when we open the box on our shiny new piece of clothing.  Then it’s back on the hunt for something new. That’s an awful lot of time and brain space dedicated to buying stuff.

Just think of all the things you could be doing with that time: creating art, writing a book, walking on a beach, running a multi-billion-dollar tech company, resting (what’s that??).

3. Fast Fashion Crushes Creativity

If we are to cherish the artists and creators that help make the world a more beautiful place, then we need to support their work. In fashion, that means looking for the emerging and independent designers that pour their heart and soul into making beautiful clothes.  It means exploring the little shops off the main high street, and discovering something that’s a bit different.

Turning away from fast fashion allows us to reconnect with the people who make our clothes, their skills and creativity.   And yes, slow fashion brands are often more expensive, but isn’t it better to buy one really beautiful dress, than 10 cheap trendy ones?  Especially when it means you’re supporting someone’s creative talent.

Besides, fast fashion has a really nasty habit of taking the work of these kinds of  independent designers and plagiarising it.  This is distinctly not-cool behaviour which should never be rewarded.  Why not go straight to the source and ditch fast fashion?

Can you think of any other good reasons to say no to fast fashion? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!

The post 3 More Reasons To Ditch Fast Fashion appeared first on Good On You.

Fashion For Good does exactly as the name suggests – it works with the industry with the aim of making it, not just better, but a force for good. One of its key programmes is the Fashion for Good-Plug and Play Accelerator, which brings together startup innovators, brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organisations, and funders, with the aim of supporting new ideas. Good On You participated in the program earlier year, where we caught up with FFG Managing Director Katrin Ley.

“We started looking at the fashion industry and the challenges that this industry faces and realized that business as usual doesn’t work,” Katrin says of the motivations for Fashion For Good.

It really requires innovation, and innovation at scale, to address those challenges. That’s the core idea - to create collaborative innovation by bringing brands, manufacturers and retailers together with the start-ups, and then help them grow.

Innovation is key here at the FFG Headquarters in Amsterdam, and the new Fashion For Good Experience is a world first interactive sustainable fashion museum.  Every three months the exhibit will focus on a new theme – the first being the industry’s use of water. A centrepiece is a dress designed by Stella McCartney, who recently announced a partnership with Fashion For Good. This dress, a blue one-shouldered number in organic cotton, was dyed using Colorfix – which uses micro-organisms to create pigment – massively reducing the environmental impact of the dyeing process.

But the Fashion For Good Experience is not just a museum where you go to look at things in glass cases.  As well as the exhibitions, visitors are given “concrete ways to have a positive impact, commit to taking action and shop sustainable products.”  This takes the form of a bracelet that you wear as you make your way around the space, there are stations where you can pledge to take actions, and afterwards receive a personalised action plan. Katrin says it’s about “engaging the wider public to learn about the challenge and solutions and to inspire them to take personal action.”

She says consumer action will be an essential element of fashion cleaning up its act. “I think it’s fundamental to further create awareness, to provide consumers with the information needed to make conscious choices, ask questions,” she says. “So what Good On You is doing is amazing because you’re making it simple, understandable, and accessible…if you look at transitions in other related industries, such as food, it was both sides working; there was a growing consumer movement and it was the industry changing to provide solutions – for example whole foods being available at scale.”

So what piece of advice would Katrin give to people who are looking to make more positive fashion choices? “Well the easy one is ’Buy Less Buy Better’,” she says. And we couldn’t agree more!

If you’re in Amsterdam, check out the Fashion For Good Experience, which is Free and open seven days per week.

The post There’s Now A Museum Of Sustainable Fashion Innovation appeared first on Good On You.

Clare Press is a leading light of the sustainable fashion movement.  Her podcast Wardrobe Crisis and the book of the same name have seen her travel the world telling the stories of the people behind the clothes we wear.  As well as being the first sustainability editor at any Vogue globally, she also sits on the advisory board of Fashion Revolution Australia.

In her new book, Rise & Resist: How To Change The World, Press goes beyond fashion to explore the new wave of social and political movements sweeping the globe.  Her aim is to “empower the reader to be able to make change in their lives.”

And that’s just as well, because it’s 2018 and there is no shortage of ills in the world to rise up against.  From the horror of Trump and the far right, the flashpoint of #metoo and the new women’s empowerment movement, to the big beast – climate change. What if it’s all too much? How do you avoid overwhelm? How do you pick your battles?

“What I wanted to do was present a context for people who just want to make the world more sustainable then it’s up to you to pick out those threads and see which ones resonate with you,” Press says.

When you’re really freaking out about a massive issue like climate change, it can be really easy just to get despondent and worried, and just tired from it. What I want this book to do is to present stories of inspiring changemakers who have actually done something about it so that we can move forward and take action, because taking action is what makes you feel motivated.

“It’s a kind of…I want to say it’s like a rolling stone. You start off and then you get more and more motivated and then by taking some small action every day you stop being overwhelmed because you’re making change instead of just sitting back and looking at it from the outside.”

The stories and battles of women are always front and centre in this book. Press traces the origins of the Women’s March, and how a simple knitted pussy pink hat design came to be the symbol of female resistance.  She believes we are at a “moment of great amplification of women’s voices” but there are areas where more needs to be done.

“I feel like women, and particularly young women’s voices are not heard as they should be, particularly around the climate – we have Naomi Klein, who is a legend writing and influencing in that area, but apart from her I feel like it’s often men and I want to hear from women changemakers,” she said.  “I am one myself, my community is largely made up of women and particularly young women, and I want to elevate their voices.”

Part of elevating women’s voices is celebrating the diverse ways people protest, take action and raise awareness of the issues they care about.  In Rise and Resist we hear about everyone from the knitting nannas to a feminist performance artist who knits with yarn extracted from her vagina.

“I had a lot of fun exploring the more creative ways that we can make protest, make change and make our voices heard and I love that creative aspect of it,” Press says.

This book is really about some of the non-conventional ways that we can build movements and get together to make change.

“For example, ‘craftivism’ – which I love –  is a non-conventional way of getting your message across.  In the book I interview the coiner of the term ‘craftivism’, Betsy Greer, and she and also Sarah Corbett in the UK, who works for Fashion Revolution, they talk about gentle activism and this idea that you don’t have to shout.  I think the idea is to be very inclusive and say which story tugs at your heart strings, which do you relate to, because not everybody wants to raise a placard and chant do they?”

Rise and Resist is a book about this particular moment in history, and how we can harness our collective power to build a fair and healthy future for everyone.  The product of a lot of late nights in her home office, Press called on the support of a girl gang of activists and changemakers to pull it all together. “I was very lucky to have happened upon May Boeve (350.org founder) in Sydney. I had this very early on interview with her that shaped quite a lot of the climate stuff in the book. She’s just a powerhouse, and so positive and also just a deep thinker around all the different sorts of connections that you can make around the climate change question.  But I’ve also had a lot of help from people which has been amazing.”

But while Press showcases some of the most creative and inspiring changemakers around the world, there was one trending movement that left her a little cold.  The rise of minimalist living, as promoted by Marie Kondo and American duo the Minimalists. “I respect other people’s opinions and I respect people who find minimalism motivating, however when I went to see the Minimalists talk on stage, I came away feeling a bit disappointed, like they hadn’t taken it far enough,” she says.  “I felt that they were focussing on the personal – so it was all about ‘you will feel better if you shed this stuff’ and just kept sitting there thinking, well it’s not really all about you personally feeling better, that seems really old fashioned. I want the whole world to be in a better shape.”

And that’s the essence of the book – community, collective action and collaboration.  The movements Press explores have their groundings in real life but gain their momentum through the connectivity of the internet.

“You can’t just change your world on your own,” she says.

Certainly I’m always talking about how you have to start at home and you can start small - that does make change. But what we really need to do is get together and do this in community. What the internet has done is expanded our community in an amazing way, I find I’ve got so many relationships that I’ve fostered through Instagram in sustainable fashion - and I love it! You find out stories, you get inspiration.

“That’s what Good On You does, it’s all about getting together and finding different solutions and working towards how we can change the old ways we did stuff,” she says.  “When I started to think about this book being very complex, what kept me grounded was realising – actually OK, there’s lots of big macro issues here and lots of politics here and lots of complicated research around climate change – fine – but at its core this is quite simple, it’s about saying let’s be active, let’s be social, let’s be citizens who take action to be agents of change to make the world how we want it to be rather than let’s sit on the sofa and just do nothing.”

Click here to order a paperback copy of Press’ Rise & Resist: How To Change The World and get 30% off! Use the promo code FASHION_WITHOUT_HARM at checkout.

The post Rise and Resist: Clare Press is here to help you change the world appeared first on Good On You.

Our Top Picks

The post October’s Best Newly Rated Brands appeared first on Good On You.

I’m continuously inspired by designers that care about quality, materials, the people that make our clothes and how everything leaves a mark on our environment.

Daria Andronescu

For the last two years Daria Andronescu has been taking newbie ethical fashionistas by the digital hand and helping them on their way to sustainable style.  Her Wonder Wardrobe YouTube channel boasts more than 40k subscribers, who are treated with regular tips, news and fashion finds. She describes herself as “not your usual vlogger”. “My channel’s aim is to educate my followers by sharing my personal shopper and stylist experience,” she says.

30yo Daria lives in Dusseldorf in Germany, but studied in Milan before embarking on a career as an international personal shopper.  Her love of clothes is obvious from the cheerful enthusiasm of her videos, with the vlogger exposed to the fashion world from a young age. “I have early memories of finding out how clothes are made thanks to my mom who was a professional seamstress for the theatre,” she said. “Later on, my fashion teachers in Milan talked about ethical fashion.”

Wonder Wardrobe is more than just a website and a YouTube channel.  It is Daria’s method of making it simple and easy to create a sustainable capsule wardrobe, that you’ll actually wear.  There’s an online course you can take, designed to “teach you to better manage clothes you have and the clothes you want to buy, so that you can save money and the planet in the process.”

In the first lesson, Daria takes you through the big audit. And, yes it’s thorough.  Daria suggests at least half a day should be set aside to go through each item and categorise it.  The ultimate aim is to find a versatile collection of clothes that are appropriate to the season, and can be mixed and matched to create different goals.  The key is doing more with less, and making the most of what you have.

“Once you learn skills like the colour harmony, finding your style, what materials flatter you and which don’t, how to create an image that helps you to better communicate your life goals, you will see that you don’t need much,” she says. “Quality over quantity actually saves you a lot of money and stress. Not to mention you’re helping the planet by creating less waste.”

On her YouTube channel, Daria presents ‘The Findings’ a regular round up of news from the world of ethical fashion and technology.  She also has a blog with super-informative resources. For example her formal business capsule wardrobe vlog features 100 outfits, each one systematically pieced together from just a few interchangeable pieces.

At the heart of Wonder Wardrobe is the desire to help people be more sustainable with their clothing choices.  Daria welcomes the increasing awareness about sustainability in fashion, but she remains skeptical about how committed big brands are.  She believes the power lies in us to change the industry. “The mass-market fashion industry is still hoping that this is just a trend that will eventually go away, so they can keep polluting the planet as always,” she says. “Even though these unethical brands try to launch sustainable labels or lines, most of their manufacture involves polluting rivers and economically enslaving people. My hope is that we can all help fashion become fully ethical faster.”

Daria wants people starting their ethical fashion journey to feel empowered, not guilty.  And she has one piece of advice – don’t be so hard on yourself. “Start by making the most of what you have and then slowly add ethical, sustainable pieces into the mix,” she says. “Feeling guilty about your past or current fashion choices won’t lead to behavior change. But if you do want to see change happen in your wardrobe and the environment, start by voting with your money. And vote wisely!”

The post Meet YouTube’s Capsule Wardrobe Queen appeared first on Good On You.

A brief history of glitter

Humans have been making the world fabulous with glitter for many centuries.  Ancient civilisations like the Romans and Greeks used the shiny mineral mica to bring some bling to their artworks. Psychologists have even suggested that there’s an evolutionary reason for our love of sparkle – that we’re attracted to things that resemble the surface of water.

In 1934, modern glitter was born when American machinist Henry Ruschmann found a way to produce the shiny particles on an industrial scale.  After the Second World War, plastic became cheaper and more widespread, making it the go-to material for glitter. Since the 1970s – through the glam and disco eras, 90s pop, Mariah Carey, queer culture, and today’s stunning Instagram makeup makeovers – glitter has become a fashion staple.

Much of the glitter available for cosmetics, craft and clothing is made from sheets of thin plastic such as PET, coated in a shiny substance like aluminium and cut into millions of tiny pieces.  While Henry Rushmann’s original glitter company Meadowbrook Inventions still produces glitter in the US, China is also a big source.

Microplastics pollution

PET plastic glitter cut into millions of tiny pieces, becomes a microplastic.  That means everytime we rinse our glitter-laced clothes, wash our glitter adorned hair and face or let our glitter-encrusted accessories shed little pieces of sparkle, we could be contributing to microplastic pollution in our oceans.

We know microplastic pollution is a huge problem. It’s thought that over five trillion pieces of plastic have already made their way into our oceans.  Once the microplastics get there they can harm sea creatures, who mistake them for food. There’s increasing concern that microplastics are getting into the human food chain and the smallest particles could even enter our bloodstreams.

This is the reason some scientists have called for and end to plastic glitter, and 61 UK music festivals have banned it from their venues.

The other thing about plastic, any plastic, is that it’s made from fossil fuels.  Most plastic is a product of the oil and gas industry, which also burns fossil fuels for energy – the major source of greenhouse gases.  In fact, because of the shale gas energy boom in the United States, plastic production is also booming.

To have any chance of reversing devastating climate change, we need to stop burning fossil fuels as soon as possible and that also means weaning ourselves off single-use plastic.

Is mica any better?

Mica is a natural mineral that also sparkles.  It’s been used for centuries to add shimmer to materials and is commonly found in cosmetics and car paint, as well as in technology.  Mica is mined from rock and can be found in many places around the world.

A series of investigations by the Guardian revealed that mica producers in India were using child labour on a massive scale. Up to 20,000 children are thought to work in mica mines in the states of Jharkand and Bihar, which produces up to 25% of the world’s supply.  Beauty chain Lush recently announced it was moving to synthetic mica, because it couldn’t be sure the mica it was sourcing hadn’t been produced with child labour.

Is there an ethical alternative?

There may be a lot of problems with glitter. But don’t worry – you don’t have to give it up altogether to be ethical.  There are a few companies making biodegradable, plastic-free, cruelty-free glitter so you can continue to sparkle and shine. Check these out:

• Bioglitz
• Glitter Girl
• Eco Stardust
• Eco Glitter Fun
• Good Glitter
• Glitter Revolution

Learn more about sustainable and ethical materials.

The post What’s The Problem With Glitter? appeared first on Good On You.

Fashion For Good is a global initiative that aims to promote social and environmental progress in the fashion industry through innovation, technology and collaboration. Its focus is what it calls the five ‘goods’: Good Materials, Good Economy, Good Energy, Good Water and Good Lives. The organisation’s main hub is in Amsterdam, where it runs a circular fashion community space and an art/technology exhibition that’s open to the public.

It’s also where Good On You Co-Founder Sandra Capponi has been spending time over the last six weeks, after we won a place on its prestigious accelerator program.

What’s An Accelerator?

In the world of startups accelerators give new companies access to industry, expertise and investors.  For Good On You, it’s been an amazing opportunity to collaborate with other innovators and connect with some of the biggest players in fashion including Adidas, Zalando and Kering, who are taking a lead on sustainability. “It’s so inspiring to be surrounded by people from all around the world who share a passion for transforming the fashion industry for good,” Sandra Capponi says. “The innovations of some of these other start-ups are incredible – from making leather out of the lab to platforms enabling the design of circular fashion garments.”

Who else is there?

There’s a wide range in the focus for the startups, from those like Good On You, that empower consumers, to NanoTextile – a company that’s come up with an environmentally friendly way to attach finishes to textiles during production.

There are two startups on the accelerator program that use fruit to fabricate fashion products. Frutmat uses apple waste to create a leather substitute that can be dyed without chemically intensive techniques. While Orange Fiber makes a natural fabric using cellulose from citrus by-products.

There’s also Mango Materials. But don’t be fooled, their plastic substitute is made from methane gas, captured from waste facilities. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (worse than carbon dioxide) but this company turns it into a bio-alternative to polyester for fashion.

The increasingly urgent problem of ocean microplastic contamination sees a possible solution in PlanetCare, which uses nanotechnology to make a filter that can be attached to washing machines to stop microfibres getting released.

Then there’s Scalable Garment Technologies Inc, a robot knitting machine that uses 3d printing software to make custom seamless knit clothing.  With the digitisation of the whole process, clothes can be made according to demand, which in turn reduced waste.

In all, there are 15 participants in the accelerator from ten different countries – each playing a unique role in changing the fashion industry for the better.

The programme is supported by some of Europe’s biggest clothing companies, and this batch of innovators is the third to complete it.

To drive real change in the industry, we need the major labels to act,” Sandra says. “Good On You users play such a big role in this – by sending a clear message to fashion brands that they want to know how their clothes are made and they will make shopping choices based on impact.

The Fashion For Good Plug And Play Accelerator program runs until the 14th June 2018.

The post From Apple Fibre, To Knitting Robots: Meet The Sustainable Innovators appeared first on Good On You.

For some of us it’s the joy of supporting worthy causes while we shop, for others it’s the love of clothes and discovering innovative new brands that push the envelope on sustainability.

But for many of us, it was the harrowing scenes of a fatal garment factory collapse in Bangladesh that woke us to the reality of fast fashion and its human cost.

April 24th 2018 marked the five-year anniversary of Rana Plaza. More than 1,100 people were killed when the cramped, dangerous building collapsed in on itself – the result of too many floors and too many people working in sweatshop conditions to make cheap clothes for consumers in the west.

Just after Rana Plaza happened, Melinda Tually, was in the UK for a conference with Fashion Revolution founders Carry Somers and Orsola de Castro.

Mel put her hand up to lead antipodean efforts and went from being an ethical homewares retailer to the driving force of Fashion Revolution in Australia and New Zealand and ethical sourcing consultant.

“I think Rana Plaza was the line in the sand that made the industry shift gears,” she said. “Voluntary mechanisms had only taken the industry so far – but I think seeing the largest lost of life in the sector’s history was a jolt to everyone to realise something more robust was needed, and urgently so.”

In the wake of the disaster, the five-year Bangladesh Fire & Safety Accord was formed. The groundbreaking agreement between brands, unions and factory managers was signed by more than 200 clothing companies.

“We know the Accord has achieved some great successes in safety conditions. It covers about 1600 factories and they’ve corrected almost 100,000 hazards,” she said.

As of 2018, The Accord had seen one unnamed multinational apparel brand paying $2.3 million USD over long-delayed safety fixes. Separately, the factory owner Sohel Rana faced murder charges over the collapse and was jailed in a corruption case.

“Whilst there are some factories that are still behind schedule, it’s really changed the landscape in terms of safety,” Melinda said. “In essence [the Accord] is fulfilling its mandate, which is preventing another Rana Plaza. A new, more comprehensive, accord is expected to kick in next month. The new agreement has been expanded to include union rights for workers and will cover homewares as well as people further up the fashion supply chain. It’s already been signed by brands such as Uniqlo, H&M and Zara’s owner Inditex, although some brands who signed the original Accord are yet to come on board…”

Fighting for a fairer fashion industry

While the Bangladesh Accord addresses safety in that country, the Fashion Revolution movement advocates for a more responsible, fair and transparent fashion industry across the globe.

Fashion Revolution is powered by volunteers in 100 countries. In 2017 more than 2.5 million people took part in the campaign- contacting brands on social media and attending events during Fashion Revolution week.

“The Revolution is powered by everyone,” Melinda said. “Consumers have a huge role to play, brands have a massive stake. You kind of need everyone at the table- no one group will solve these issues.”

The most iconic Fashion Revolution campaign is Who Made My Clothes? This simple concept works on two levels. It asks us to think about the humans whose hands stitch together the clothes we wear, as well as encourages brands to literally publish the details of their supply chain.

Melinda believes this kind of transparency is the key to moving towards a fairer fashion industry.

“The thing that’s difficult is lack of ability to associate ourselves with garment workers, because it is out of sight, out of mind,” she said. “I think when you can see something in plain sight you are much more motivated to address that issue.”

“[With Who Made My Clothes] what we’re trying to do is bring those faces forward and hear their voice. That’s why it’s not just a poster campaign, it’s about stories, it’s about hearing their voices, learning their experiences, their trials and tribulations. Things like The Garment Worker Diaries, which was a year-long project assessing the financial diaries of garment workers in Cambodia, India and Bangladesh. We hear figures such as ‘they earn $65 a month, $37 a month’ – what does that actually mean daily in terms of how many meals, what could they afford to eat, can they go to the doctor, or send their kids to school?”

Melinda believes the fashion industry is much more transparent than it was in 2013. And she says the best thing we can do is keep asking brands to be even more open, to show them we care about where our clothes come from.

“If people want to see the change in the brands they love – and we want to keep shopping with the brands we love because we like to feel good – they should ask them who made their clothes,” she said. “If brands are hearing from their own customers then they know ‘ok our customers want to know more, they want us to be more engaged, or they want that information’.”

The post The Day That Ignited An Ethical Fashion Revolution appeared first on Good On You.

I want to look good, feel good and do good — that to me is a luxury

Emma Watson

Coat by Kwaidan Editions

There are few individuals who have done more to support sustainable fashion than Emma Watson.  The British Actor and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador has spent a decade promoting ethical brands through high-profile collaborations, on the red carpet and directly to her legion of social media followers with her @the_press_tour Instagram account.  She’s the perfect choice of guest editor in Vogue Australia’s March 2018 issue, dedicated to sustainability and positive change.   “Emma’s personal commitment to sustainable fashion and the process of putting together this issue has introduced us to new ways of thinking and tools to help us be better informed,” says Vogue Australia Editor Edwina McCann. “The challenges she has posed have set us in new directions, which will be lasting.”

Shirt by PYE

Assessing the brands

Emma’s cover shoot with renowned photographer Peter Lindbergh sees her dressed in labels Good on You has rated as being more ethical, along with carefully selected vintage pieces — highlighting the importance of repurposing high-quality items.

When Good On You assesses a brand, we score all publicly available information about how the brand stacks up against key sustainability and ethical criteria. We take into account more than 50 global certifications, accreditations, independent rankings and standard systems. Only when that process is complete can we be sure of the rating. So when Emma got in touch with us to be her Australian verification partner, we got set to work.

“Many of the brands suggested for the shoot had not been assessed yet, and didn’t always publish all the details of their sustainability practices,” says Good On You Co-Founder Sandra Capponi.  “We encouraged brands to put their best foot forward in terms of telling their ethical story.

Several of the brands commented that they found great value in our encouragement to be more transparent and our advice about how to do it. One label made the decision to publish more about their practices as a result and improve its transparency — which is a great outcome for everybody.

Sandra Capponi – Good On You co-founder

Leggings, R.E.V by Reve En Vert, skirt by Emilia Wickstead

Talking about ethical and sustainable fashion means recognising emerging labels, who have built their businesses on supply chain transparency, sustainability and animal rights.  “Emma wanted to give a platform to some up-and-coming Australian ethical labels,” Sandra Capponi says. “We were thrilled to be able to recommend some of the wonderful local designers that are leading the way in sustainable fashion, like Carlie Ballard and Lois Hazel.”

Shirt from Honest By Y Project

Vogue’s March issue is about more than just the clothes, however.  Watson and Vogue have carefully curated a host of leading activists and thinkers, including climate scientist Tim Flannery and former UN Goodwill Ambassador against Trafficking and Slavery Julia Ormond.  Star power comes in the form of leading designer Stella McCartney, model Maye Musk and actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett.  Watson also appears in conversation with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, discussion the importance of education in section called ‘Meeting of Minds’.

With the focus firmly on women’s empowerment, playwright and actor Nakkiah Lui, Actor Miranda Tapsell and journalist Brooke Bonney discuss black feminism, beauty and the media.  There’s a feminist history of fashion, as well as an analysis of the industry by The Guardian’s ethical living guru and journalist Lucy Siegle.  Emma also gives her recommendations on natural beauty products that have been independently verified as ethical by Content.

Dress by Rosie Assoulin, Shoes by Nisolo

Changing the course

“We think this Vogue Australia issue is a major turning point for sustainable fashion.  It’s now officially mainstream,” Sandra Capponi says.  “And that’s come about because of leaders like Emma Watson, Vogue’s Edwina McCann, campaigns like Fashion Revolution and everyone who has got involved in the massive ethical fashion movement that we at Good On You proud to be a part of.”

Vogue says its issue is an opportunity to talk about meaningful change and to highlight the positive work and impact of so many trailblazers, “changing our thinking and behaviours in the process.”  As Emma Watson explains in her intro, “The word ‘change’ can be intimidating, riddled with expectation of outcomes and fear of failure. So I want to propose something to you: when steering a boat, a captain can shift the wheel one degree and it drastically changes the course of the boat. I would like to challenge you, after reading this issue, to make a one-degree shift, because a small change can make a huge difference.”

Jacket by Gabriela Hearst

The post Emma Watson x Vogue: Dressing An Ethical Fashion Icon appeared first on Good On You.