By Kate Brayden
Let’s all take a quick moment to look at what we are wearing. Check the label, and don’t just look at the brand. Really look, and see what country your clothing was made in, what material it is made of, and whether or not it gives details of the gives any detail at all about the people who it could be affecting.
It’s becoming more obvious by the day that women are pivotal in the climate change sustainability movement, and we have decided to find the ladies who are showing love to our planet through reusable clothing and ethical fashion.
Fast fashion (Zara, I love you but I’m side-eyeing you so hard right now) has proven itself to be a massive issue.
Oxfam has also released statistics that show that in four days, top fashion CEO’s earn a garment worker’s lifetime pay, and 80% of garment workers are women. New research shows that the world is consuming 80 billion pieces of clothing each year, an over 400% increase since 1998.
In terms of the working conditions of factory employees who create the garments which eventually sell mostly in Western countries, consumers fail to see the wastefulness of throwing out clothes constantly and buying brand new outfits, which are barely ever worn.
The value of knowing where your clothes are manufactured and that they are made in a safe environment by employers that pay fairly is not to be underestimated. Fast fashion is also unbelievably complicit in the duplicitous exploitation of women, another reason to educate yourself about the problem.
Do you want to play your part in ethical Irish fashion?
Have a look at these gals who do their part, and get involved.
The Nu. Wardrobe, founded by Aisling Byrne and Ali Kelly who met during their time at Trinity College Dublin, were both searching for ways to dress in ways which allowed them to look good and feel ethical, and realised that borrowing clothes was a formula for success.
They began running swap-shops in university, gradually garnering a following. This led them further to create the Nu. Wardrobe, a female-led startup website based on the concept of renting out clothes for a small amount of time in order to drastically reduce waste and to encourage consumerism which doesn’t harm the planet.
Members of the Nu. Community can upload images of their clothes, and swap with other members online with their own Nu. profile. The items are affordable and the fashion is accessible, and by sharing clothes with more than just your friends, the life-cycle of our clothes is extended hugely.
The duo expanded their brand into a team of gal pals ‘in the non-gender-specific sense’, who are all empowered to change the fashion industry for the better. Their goal is to raise awareness of the negative impact of the fashion industry, and to build a revolutionised community of chic changemakers.
Women deserve to feel confident and represented without harming the planet. The ladies are steadily redefining what it means to wear something ‘new’. Sign us up!
Check out their website or send them an email at info@nuwardrobe.com
