The fashion industry has an unsustainable history in fast fashion, chemicals and waste. More than ever, customers are calling for a change, and demanding more from brands and retailers about ethical, sustainable fashion. Fashion Revolution Week is marked every year in April, surrounding Fashion Revolution Day on 24 April to mark the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh in 2013, considered one of the world’s deadliest garment factory accidents.
We spoke to Conscious Action who will be hosting two inspiring and empowered speakers, Jyoti Morningstar, founder of WE-AR and Karishma Kelsey, founder of Karishma Design at their Fashion Revolution event on 24 April.
Conscious Action x Fashion Revolution
Tell us about your connection with Fashion Revolution and the aim of the upcoming event?
Conscious Action: Fashion Revolution is a global movement raising awareness around who our clothes are made by and what our clothes are made from. It is about educating consumers so that they can make more informed choices, that are aligned with their values, and hold the fashion industry accountable for its impact on our people and the planet.
“We love fashion, but we don’t want our clothes to come at the cost of people or our planet” – Fashion Revolution.
Conscious Action events are about raising awareness and empowering individuals who want to take meaningful action. At this event, we’ll be hosting Jyoti Morningstar, founder of WE-AR and Karishma Kelsey, founder of Karishma Designs for a conversation about how they are using their journey in the fashion industry as a vehicle for change, the social and environmental issues within the industry and the opportunities we have as individuals to have a more positive impact.
All Conscious Action events are aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals, set by the United Nations as areas of critical importance for our society and planet. This event is related to SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
The market is inundated with brands, any tips for consumers to ensure they are supporting fair business practices/ sustainability?
Some thoughts from Conscious Action and Jyoti Morningstar:
Use your intuition: Find out who the founder is, or who’s running the brand, and then look for an ethos section on a brand’s website and read their social and environmental policy. Does it match with the impression you formed of the founder or the face of the brand? You’re smart and intuitive and you’ll know if something smells funny.
Talk to the store staff: Ask them questions about where stuff is made and by who? Ask the team about the community groups or non-profits it supports. If the store team is well informed, you’ll learn a lot about the provenance of the brand.
Slow down: Our society has become pretty good at rushing everything and taking the quickest, easiest option and brands will continue to capitalise on this until we slow down and make more conscious choices. Take your time and remember that you vote with your dollar
Check out the ‘Good On You’ app: This app allows you to check some brands for their impact on people, the planet and animals.
Check your labels: Studies have shown that tiny fibres from synthetic fabrics are making their way from your washing machine into our oceans and marine animals. Do the clothes contain ‘blends’ or ‘polyamides’ or more sneakily, trademarked brand-name textiles like Luon that distract from the fact that it’s plastic made from oil. Try to buy natural wherever you can (cotton, linen, wool etc.).
Are there any stand-out commercial brands who are making a conscious effort to be more transparent and honest with their supply chain?
Jyoti Morningstar: I think that lots of the big, fast-fashion companies are making an effort because they are being forced to by smaller, independent brands leading the way. For WE-AR, a key function as a change-maker is to model the alternative so consumers require it of the behemoths. Here in NZ, Icebreaker has published their sustainability report for the first time this year.
What changes do you hope to see in the fashion industry in the coming years?
Conscious Action: Conscious Action is about social impact from the level of the individual and in that sense, the main change we hope to see is consumers being more aware of the choices they’re making, and more educated as to the impact of those choices.
The way we consume has become somewhat subconscious now, or even unconscious in some cases so we are on a mission to help people understand that they are voting with every dollar they spend, and to empower them in the knowledge that every one of those votes counts!
We know that by supporting movements like Fashion Revolution, we are helping to connect more and more like-minded people around the world. This gives power to a rising collective of conscious consumers which brands are starting to listen to.
What can people expect from the upcoming New Zealand fashion revolution event?
Conscious Action:
- be inspired by two incredible women who have turned their passions into careers that put people and purpose before profit
- connect with a positive community of people who are actively trying to reduce their footprint and live life more consciously
- to learn more about the impact of the fashion industry and the opportunities we have as individuals
- an element of mindfulness
- delicious plant-based snacks from The Larder Project, Plant Culture, Forage + Ferment and Hunter-Gatherer Gourmet and organic tea from Fine and Dandy
Once you are part of the Conscious Action community, by coming to an event, you receive 25% off tickets to any future events. This is because we are a social impact agency, and we want to educate, inspire and empower as many people as possible!
Find out more by visiting, consciousaction.co.nz, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
