Clothes are an important part of human culture and need. It is a basic need for every human to wear them no matter the age or culture. They serve different purposes among which is to act as a cover that keeps the body from getting exposed unfavorable weather conditions among other things. They may also be worn as a form of statement, intent, or just for fashion. They are therefore appropriate for different situations and occasions. The clothing and fashion industry is a very huge and popular one. With this popularity has also come an increased interest in how cloths are made. More people now want to know how the clothes they wear are made. We know that there are diverse ways in which clothes are made today but one way that more and more folks are beginning to prefer and even look for is called ethical fashion or ethical clothing. Ethical fashion as discussed here talks about the design and manufacture of clothes in ways that take into consideration the care and well-being of the people and communities involved in the entire production process. This may include putting into consideration their human rights by providing favorable working conditions and pay as well as ensuring the welfare of animals during each stage of the design and manufacturing process up until the supply chain. Ethical fashion focuses on treating workers and people fairly at every stage of production from the cotton seeds to the finished clothes. Manufacturers and brands who follow these processes recognize, respect, and appreciate everyone involved in converting raw materials into clothes that are wearable, ensuring they are paid fairly and have safe environments to work. Closely related to this is what is called sustainable fashion and it is sometimes used interchangeably though there are some differences between the two.
Difference between Ethical Fashion and Sustainable Fashion
While ethical clothing refers mostly to people and human rights, sustainable clothing is more about preventing wastes as much as possible, understanding that the resources in the world are somewhat limited. It promotes taking into account environmental and socio-economic factors in the production of garments so as to reuse and recycle materials with a view to minimizing waste. This means it is possible to have an ethical clothing brand that is not sustainable and vice versa. A brand may care about people but may not be big on the environment while another may consider how their production affects the environment but might not think much about the people working for them. Note that there are lots of brands that observe and practice both.
How to Buy Affordable Ethical Clothing
Research
To buy ethical clothing, research popular brands and see how they handle their production. Search for information about where their products are made and things like how they treat their workers and how much they pay them including their working conditions. To do this, you can check the company’s website or use various resources that are available to do so. Knowing this will allow you to avoid businesses that are offenders when it comes to ethical clothing.
Seek Sustainable Producers
They might be different but ethical and sustainable fashion are similar and interchangeable. Most brands such as Om & Ah London who practice one mostly likely practice the other. These manufacturers are certified and they use organic materials like fiber grown without using chemicals. They also have various labels that show how they are made which you can watch out for. Furthermore, you can seek out craftspeople who directly sell their garments at places like flea markets and craft fairs and buy from them.
Go for Bargains
To get affordable clothing, you may need to hunt for bargains. A good place to start is buying during the off-season or during clearance sales. Most clothing manufacturers rotate their inventory and make newer ones and therefore they will lower prices to get previous stock out of the shelves as soon as possible. You can target and take advantage of this period to buy your clothes. You can also look for online stores that offer flash sales. These stores buy clothing at discounted prices and sell these to shoppers at low prices. You may also sign up to the mailing list of a store you know sells ethical clothes so when prices are discounted or there are offers, you can get them.
Shop at Thrift Stores
Another good way to buy clothes ethically is getting them secondhand from thrift stores. It requires effort especially since your options are limited. You can take your time to browse and look through the items available and you may be lucky to find one or a few that suits and fits you. You can find more ways to shop ethically in this article https://fashionmagazine.com/style/how-to-shop-ethically/.
Conclusion
Ethical fashion is concerned with caring about others and the more you purchase this kind of clothing, the more you are helping them and making our world better. Sometimes producing them may not come cheap due to all that is involved in the production process. Following the tips shared above, you may be able to get around it and buy them at affordable prices.
5 Comments
Yeah I think this is a much-needed initiative as most people just buy new ones and throw them away after wearing like once…or never…so yeah…perhaps we need to turn to ethical clothing.
Yeah I think this is a much-needed initiative as most people just buy new ones and throw them away after wearing like once…or never…so yeah…perhaps we need to turn to ethical clothing.
What a waste, right? Personally, my clothes are still wearable even after 8-10 years!
Mine still wearable…after 2 decades…. LOL 😀
You are so right.. Sustainable fashion is cost saving and timeless!
Time to sew own cloths! 😛