What is Ethical Fashion

1. What is Ethical Fashion? What is ethical fashion? Ethical sportswear is basically a methodology and movement of encouraging cultural change to the fashion industry and other clothing products toward greater environmental responsibility and social justice. Ethical fashion, however, goes beyond mere product choices concerning color and materials. Instead, it goes out of its way to promote justice and fairness in the ways clothing is manufactured and marketed. One of the most prominent examples of how ethical fashion brands go above and beyond what is required of them is the clothing brand Juicy Couture. The brand promotes an eco-friendly approach in its clothing designs and marketing campaigns. It is one of the first fast

2. fashion brands to use organic cotton. It also recycles both fabric and wrappers. Other fashion brands follow suit, developing their own sustainability and fair trade policies. Some of these include brands such as Nike, Gucci, Apple Bottoms, and Marc Ecko. These brands promote transparency in their business practices by ensuring that their suppliers adhere to environmentally responsible trade practices. They also set the standards for suppliers to meet when it comes to paying their workers a living wage and compensating them fairly for the hours they put in. The Better Business Bureau offers comprehensive information on the companies listed here.

3. Celebrities Are Fueling The Movement For Change Celebrities are fueling the movement for change in the fashion industry. Ellen DeGeneres, Martha Stewart, and Rachel Hunter have all recently dedicated their time and their dollars to being more consciously fashion conscious. In an era of celebrities where everyone wants to be seen wearing the latest and greatest clothing brands, it is becoming increasingly difficult to be taken seriously

4. as an ethical brand. Yet, many of these same celebrities choose to patronize ethically conscious brands themselves. Ethical fashion businesses have sprung up across the United States and Europe, as more consumers demand it. Fast fashion and departmental stores do not provide the same policy for choosing a brand to purchase clothing from that their competitors do. Because the supply chain for fast fashion clothing is so automated, the profits a company makes are driven down by the cost of labor to the point where garment workers at these stores are paid very little or none at all. A few examples of ethically conscious fashion include the organic clothing provided by companies such as Belk and Cloe or the reusable clothes manufactured by H&M and Gap. Neither of these major fashion brands provide the bare minimums required to create a "green" wardrobe.

5. Some companies have taken the initiative to get involved in the fight for a healthier environment and to improve working conditions in countries like China and India. Though these fashion corporations cannot solve the problems faced by garment workers in these areas, they can make an impact on consumers. By purchasing products from these countries like Bamboo of South America or hemp clothing from Canada, these companies send a message of better environmental responsibility to the consumer. When the customer chooses these environmentally conscious products, the company itself becomes a voice for change. In countries like France, Italy and Spain, the labor conditions in the clothing industry are atrocious. However, the high cost of garments drives down wages across the board, making the use of

6. unethical fashion brands more appealing to consumers. In response to this push towards ethically produced fashion, garment makers across Europe are starting to increase the wages their workers receive. With these wages, factory owners can afford to create more ethical fashion brands or sell their stock at a profit. What is Labor-Free Fashion Brand

7. The ethical fashion business is not the same as a labor-free fashion brand. For example, brands such as Nike, Adidas and Levi still make some of their clothing products using sweatshops in China. The reason these companies continue to produce there is because they believe it's necessary to supply their customers with low cost, high quality product. As a result, the sweatshops remain crowded, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. By choosing to support these types of brands, you're not only supporting an ugly symbol of the poor conditions in third world countries but also supporting a fast fashion trend - one that won't last.