Human Friendly Fashion Bloggers

 Today marks a great day, today Senorita AweSUMO joins many others around the world to help fix the fashion system. As part of Blog Action Day I want you to take a moment to think about your clothing purchases over the next month, Do you really need that item? Why are you purchasing this item of clothing? are you building a sustainable wardrobe? are you swapping/sharing with others? Are you buying quality/workmanship/artisanal/local? 

Take a moment to think about it, before spending your hard earned $$$$ on something that will sit in the back of your wardrobe and never be worn, or only once and then passed on!!!!

Here's some thoughts from Esther Freeman from Ms Wanda's in the UK about being a human friendly shopper!!!!!!

 As part of Blog Action Day Fashion Mob founder, Esther Freeman, explains why it’s dangerous to point the finger of blame at consumers for human rights abuses by the fashion industry.

Since the collapse of the Rama Plaza building in Bangladesh, the media has been full of discussions and head scratching about fashion. One comment that keeps coming up is the responsibility of consumers around fast fashion.

Quite frankly this is nonsense. Furthermore it is dangerous to suggest so.

All too often high street chains whine about how hard it is for them to improve human rights, and how they’d change but consumers don’t want it. It’s become their get out clause. And by saying consumers have some kind of responsibility, we reinforce that myth.

It also overlooks that slavery, poverty and disaster happen at the higher end of the fashion too. There have been several campaigns against Adidas and their refusal to compensate workers and pay a living wage. And designer brands like Dolce & Gabbana have been in the firing line too.

In an interview for the film Apparel Truth, a trade union leader in Bangladesh is very clear where the responsibility lies. He said:

“The main profit from this business is going to the multi-national company…The multinational company is putting pressure on the local business to pay a living wage. But also the multinational company is putting pressure on the local business to reduce their price.”

So let’s point the finger where it should be pointed – at the global brands who create human rights abuses as fast as they create fashion.

That’s not to say consumers have no role to play in creating change.

People power is incredibly important. That’s why we launched The 1% Campaign. The campaign calls on the fashion industry to invest 1% of their profits in solving issues in their supply chain, especially around human rights. We need more time and investment in activities like better auditing, health and safety training and improved working with NGOs and trade unions at local level.

Consumers are in a powerful position to demand this. And if we all work together we can help bring about a solution.

>> Sign the 1% Campaign petition and demand that multinationals take responsibility for what happens in their name.

Senorita AweSUMO will be applying more pressure to New Zealand to make the right choices in consumption, and will be portraying this in textile sculpture 2014 in Dunedin. LOOK OUT FOR MORE INFO, anyone interested in being involved email me with 'LOVE FASHION HATE SWEATSHOPS' in the subject line. senorita.awesumo@gmail.com.

 peace

'What you have and are as a being should always be honest to self and earth alike!'